Bucket elevator improves conveying operation
Bucket elevator replaces pneumatic conveyor to reduce maintenance, improve capacity, and cut costs of conveying a sawmill's wood waste.
Snider Industries, Marshall, Tex., operates a sawmill that produces lumber and wood byproducts. During production, saws initially cut slabs off all four sides of each log to square it for board sawing. A wood chipper reduces the slabs to chips, and an approximately 60-foot-long screw conveyor elevates the chips into a storage bin. A pneumatic conveyor then transfers the chips to railcars for transport to paper manufacturers. Meanwhile, saws cut the squared logs into boards that are finished and prepared for shipment.