Screw feeders are set up to be
flood fed, so that regardless of the amount of material in a hopper above the
inlet the output rate will remain constant. It is this trait that makes screw
feeders a critical part of a system, as they set the rate of material flow for
the rest of the equipment downstream.Depedning on the product being conveyed and
the inlet size, different types of flighting are used in screw feeders. Some
options include tapered flights, variable pitch flights and cone mounted
flights. A series of independent screw feeders can be used to unload a large
collecting tank or silo. This arrangement allows for varied material rates to be
pulled from different storage areas and improved reliability as one unit can be
isolated for inspection/maintenance without shutting down the rest of the
system.
