Tubular Chain Conveyor for Coffee Beans and Powder Handling

Tubular Chain Conveyor Product Introduction

Tubular Chain Conveyor is an advanced enclosed conveying system designed for the gentle and reliable transportation of powders, granules, and bulk materials over short or long distances. Unlike traditional conveying equipment, this system uses a continuous chain-driven conveying structure inside a sealed tube, allowing materials to move safely while preventing contamination, dust leakage, and product loss.

The fully enclosed design makes it especially suitable for industries with strict hygiene and cleanliness requirements, including food processing, animal feed, chemical production, agriculture, and pharmaceutical applications. Materials such as coffee beans, coffee powder, grains, seeds, cereals, flour, sugar, spices, and other dry ingredients can be conveyed efficiently without damaging product quality.

The flexible pipeline configuration allows horizontal, vertical, and inclined conveying with multiple directional changes, helping optimize factory layouts and reduce the need for multiple transfer points. Compared with pneumatic conveying and traditional screw conveyors, the tubular chain conveyor provides lower energy consumption, reduced maintenance requirements, and stable long-distance material handling performance.

Made with durable materials and designed for continuous industrial operation, this conveying system offers a clean, reliable, and energy-efficient solution for modern automated production lines.

Working principle

The tubular chain conveyor operates through a continuous chain equipped with conveying discs that move inside a sealed tube. When the drive system starts, the chain circulates through the pipeline, pushing materials forward from the feeding point to the discharge point.

The enclosed conveying path prevents material leakage and external contamination while maintaining stable transportation performance. According to different production requirements, the system can be designed with multiple inlet and outlet points to support automated feeding and distribution.

Working Process

1. Material Feeding
The material enters the tubular chain conveyor through the feeding inlet. Different feeding devices can be connected according to production requirements to ensure continuous and stable material supply.

2. Chain Driven Conveying
After startup, the drive system rotates the continuous chain inside the sealed tube. Conveying discs attached to the chain push the materials forward smoothly along the pipeline.

3. Flexible Material Transfer
The enclosed conveying route allows materials to move horizontally, vertically, or at an incline. The system can include multiple bends and directional changes to fit complex factory layouts.

4. Material Discharging
When the material reaches the designated outlet, it is discharged into the next processing stage, storage equipment, or packaging system through the discharge port.

5. Continuous Automated Operation
The conveyor operates continuously with stable speed control, reducing manual handling requirements and improving production efficiency while maintaining a clean working environment.

Product Parameter Table

Parameter	Specification
Transmission System	Gear motor drive (no belt)
Maximum Capacity	Up to 60 m³/h
Available Models	3 models
Tube Diameter	Ø100 mm – Ø200 mm
Capacity (Ø100 mm Version)	Up to 10 m³/h
Capacity (Ø159 mm Version)	Up to 30 m³/h
Capacity (Ø200 mm Version)	Up to 60 m³/h
Disc Type	Plastic discs bolted to chain
Drive System	Chain-driven system
Installed Power	Up to 7.5 kW
Power Supply	400V / 50Hz (other voltages available)
Control Panel	Available on request
Material Options	Galvanized steel and stainless steel

Main Features

Fully Enclosed Conveying Design

The sealed tube structure protects transported materials from external contamination while preventing dust generation during operation. It helps maintain a cleaner production environment and improves workplace safety.

Gentle Material Handling

The slow-speed conveying movement reduces product impact and friction, helping maintain the original shape and quality of fragile materials such as coffee beans, cereals, seeds, and food ingredients.

Flexible Installation Layout

The conveyor can be configured for horizontal, vertical, and inclined transportation. Multiple bends and directional changes can be achieved, making it suitable for factories with limited installation space.

Low Energy Consumption

The optimized drive system operates efficiently with lower power requirements compared with pneumatic conveying systems. A single drive unit can handle long-distance conveying routes, reducing operating costs.

Reduced Maintenance Requirements

With fewer moving components and stable operation, the system requires less maintenance compared with conventional conveying equipment. Inspection and service points are designed for easy access.

Dust-Free Operation

The enclosed structure minimizes dust emissions during material transfer, making it ideal for powder handling applications where cleanliness is essential.

Wide Material Compatibility

Suitable for conveying various dry materials, including powder, granules, seeds, grains, coffee beans, flour, sugar, spices, feed ingredients, and chemical powders.

Food-Grade Construction Options

The conveyor can be manufactured with stainless steel materials to meet food processing requirements and provide corrosion resistance and long service life.

Technical Advantages

• Fully enclosed tube conveying structure
• Flexible horizontal and vertical transportation
• Continuous automatic material transfer
• Low-speed gentle conveying operation
• Reduced dust generation
• Energy-efficient drive system
• Easy cleaning and maintenance
• Suitable for continuous production environments

Application Scenarios

Food Processing Industry

Used for transporting coffee beans, coffee powder, flour, sugar, starch, cereals, grains, spices, and other food ingredients between processing equipment.

Coffee Production Line

Ideal for conveying roasted coffee beans, ground coffee, and other coffee materials while reducing breakage and maintaining product quality.

Animal Feed Industry

Suitable for transferring feed ingredients, pellets, grains, and seeds in automated feed production systems.

Chemical Industry

Used for handling dry chemical powders, additives, pigments, and other bulk materials requiring enclosed transportation.

Agricultural Processing

Applied in grain storage, seed processing, cereal handling, and agricultural product packaging systems.

Beverage and Ingredient Plants

Suitable for automated transfer of dry ingredients used in beverage, nutrition, and food manufacturing processes.

Advantages Compared with Traditional Conveying Systems

Compared with Pneumatic Conveyor

• Lower energy consumption
• Reduced air supply requirements
• Less product degradation
• Lower operating noise
• Better suitability for long-distance conveying

Compared with Screw Conveyor

• Flexible conveying direction
• Lower material damage
• Easier pipeline layout
• Reduced maintenance frequency
• Better sealing performance

Compared with Belt Conveyor

• Fully enclosed structure
• Better dust control
• Smaller installation footprint
• Suitable for complex conveying routes

FAQ

Q1: What materials can be transported by a tubular chain conveyor?

A tubular chain conveyor can handle various dry bulk materials, including coffee beans, coffee powder, flour, sugar, cereals, seeds, grains, spices, feed ingredients, and chemical powders. The final configuration depends on material characteristics such as particle size, density, moisture content, and flowability.

Q2: Is a tubular chain conveyor suitable for food processing applications?

Yes. With a fully enclosed structure and stainless steel construction options, it is widely used in food processing applications where hygiene, cleanliness, and contamination prevention are important.

Q3: Can the conveyor transport materials vertically?

Yes. The flexible pipeline design allows horizontal, inclined, and vertical conveying, making it suitable for factories where space optimization is required.

Q4: How does a tubular chain conveyor reduce dust?

The material moves inside a sealed tube, preventing direct exposure to the surrounding environment. This enclosed design significantly reduces dust leakage during transportation.

Q5: What is the difference between a tubular chain conveyor and a pneumatic conveyor?

A tubular chain conveyor uses mechanical chain movement to transfer materials, while pneumatic conveyors rely on airflow. The tubular chain conveyor generally requires less energy and provides gentler material handling.

Q6: Can the conveyor system be customized?

Yes. The conveying distance, inlet and outlet positions, pipeline layout, material requirements, and capacity can be customized according to different production conditions.

Q7: What industries commonly use tubular chain conveyors?

They are commonly used in food processing, coffee production, animal feed manufacturing, chemical processing, agriculture, and other industries requiring clean and efficient bulk material transfer.

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