
Vacuum Conveying
Simplifying Material Handling
Our Mission
“Our mission is to increase productivity for industrial customers and provide energy saving solutions by promoting our superior technology universally.”
Piab – A powerful business partner
We strive to increase productivity, thus reinforcing your edge in the market. We also aim to reduce energy
consumption and improve the working environment. Partnering with Piab means more than having a reliable
supplier of vacuum components.
Let us be the expert on conveying technology for you
We take pride in being the innovators in vacuum technology. Technical leadership means finding and
developing solutions that have not yet been found by others. You should feel confident in knowing that your
relationship with us will keep you on the cutting edge with your vacuum solutions.
At Piab, we commit to serve you with the same level of know-how and service no matter where you are in the
world. A strong presence, with representatives all over the world allows Piab to present a global, unified front
with one mission – to grow your business.
Productivity
In today’s very competitive world, we realize that you need, as much as we do, to always be one step ahead.
Among other things, one should always aim to improve productivity. Piab’s technology and experience
supports your ambition in improving productivity and maintaining your competitive edge.
Energy saving
We believe strongly in taking responsibility for our shared environment. We always strive to have the most
energy efficient products. For example, using our smaller compressed air driven pumps directly as a product
in your vacuum solution as opposed to using a mechanical vacuum pump with inherent energy losses through
long vacuum lines until it reaches the main suction point. This means that our products save energy and give
you more flexibility on where to install your machinery.
Industries
Consumer and Food Industries
The most common application within consumer and food industries is conveying ingredients from big or small
bags to different process steps in production or conveying the final product to the packaging line. Piab’s
range of conveyors can handle powders with particle sizes down to 0.5 micron, capacities up to 10 tons/
hour and distances up to 50 meters (160 ft) depending on the conditions of the conveyed material. Piab’s
conveyors are also designed to handle fragile products such as coffee beans or candy. For applications
in these industries, we usually consult our global network of experts to ensure the quality of the conveyed
product. Piab conveyors meet the very high hygienic demands (FDA) of the consumer and food industries.
The equipment is also ATEX Dust compliant.
Typical applications
· Powder and granules transfer
· Form-fill-seal
· Big Bag loading and unloading
· Drum/bag filling and emptying
· Mill/Sieve/Mixer/Blender filling
· Tablet/Fragile products transfer
· Applications in explosive atmosphere
· Hygienic applications
· Compact applications
Success story from the Food Industry
Wrigley Poland sees reduction in energy consumption, maintenance and cleaning time
WRIGLEY is a name well-known in the consumer goods industry for its wide variety of chewing
gum and mints. Wrigley Poland recently decided to follow the company move toward process automation by
simplifying its conveying process to reduce downtime.
Piab’s C33 conveyors were installed for the transfer of flavoring powders from blenders to presses in the
confectionary department, and for the handling of rolling compounds at the sheeting machines.
With the Piab system in place, there is less downtime during the manufacturing of pressed mints and pellet form
gum, as the vacuum conveyor and filters are very easy to clean. Since installing the conveyors, Wrigley Poland
has reduced cleaning time by about 70%, while maintenance has been reduced to periodical replacement of
filters only. Wrigley also reports that the previous system cost the company twice as much as the Piab solution
at the same capacity, and was much less reliable. The new conveyors are also more efficient, as their design
improves the vacuum-assisted flow by 25% without affecting energy consumption.
Pharmaceutical Industry
The pharmaceutical industry has a very high demand for cleanliness as well as for health and safety. Since
many of the different powders produced in the pharmaceutical industry are hazardous or considered being
a safety risk, Piab designed its range of conveyors to meet these special demands. Piab conveyors work
with an enclosed vacuum system, ensuring that no powder leaks out to the surrounding atmosphere. The
equipment is also ATEX Dust compliant. Typical applications for the pharmaceutical industry are reactor
filling, feeding tablet presses and conveying the final product (tablet or powder) to the packaging line.
Typical applications
· Powder and granules transfer
· Form-fill-seal
· Big Bag loading and unloading
· Reactor filling
· Drum/bag filling and emptying
· Mill/Sieve/Mixer/Blender filling
· Tablet/Fragile products transfer
· Hazardous powder transfer
· Applications in explosive atmosphere
· Hygienic applications
· Compact applications
Success story from the Pharmaceutical Industry
Reduced cleaning time by 600 hours with C21 conveyor
A contract manufacturer for solid dosage forms develops and produces multi-layered tablets, film-coated
tablets, sugar-coated tablets, pellets and hard gelatin capsules. In a highly competitive market, productivity
improvements and reduced cleaning times create a strong competitive edge – something the company
searched for when looking for new production solutions.
The C21 vacuum conveyor replaced Piab’s own old VC conveyor for the
conveying process of powder to tablet presses.
The cleaning process was reduced from three to two hours, giving one
hour more production time. The new conveyors also gave improvements
in the working environment thanks to lighter equipment and fewer parts of
the machine, reducing the possibility of mix-up of parts. The labor cost of
cleaning was reduced by €9,000/year and the increased productivity equals
to approximately €15,000/year. The return of investment in Piab products
was reached in 20 months.
Chemical Industry
The chemical industry often handles aggressive and hazardous powders that require specially designed
equipment. Piab conveyors work with an enclosed vacuum system which ensures the highest level of working
environment for the operator. Piab conveyors are ATEX Dust compliant.
Typical applications
· Painting/paint coating
· Toner transfer
· Powder and granules transfer
· Form-fill-seal
· Big Bag loading and unloading
· Reactor filling
· Drum/bag filling and emptying
· Mill/Sieve/Mixer/Blender filling
· Hazardous powder transfer
· Applications in explosive atmosphere
· Compact applications
Success story from the Chemical Industry
OKI reduces maintenance and downtime with a safe, speedy conveying system
OKI was founded in 1881 as Japan’s first telecommunications equipment manufacturer.
At their plant in Glasgow, Scotland, more automated processes and equipment were
introduced in order to remain competitive and to meet increased operation requirements.
One process they decided to improve upon was the transfer of toner powders from the
plant’s ground level into filler heads. OKI was also interested in improving the working environment and finding
a solution that complied with ATEX legislation and met or exceeded Health & Safety regulations.
OKI started working with Piab to replace the existing vacuum transfer systems with 28 of Piab’s C21 vacuum
conveyors. The enclosed vacuum conveyors, safely and quietly transport the toner powder in distances
ranging from 4-25m (15-80 ft) and with a total daily throughput of 2,000kg (4,400 lb) of powder.
Mr. Peter Barnes, senior operations engineer at OKI, cited reduced downtime as a major benefit of the Piab
conveyors, and stated that the level of technical support required is incredibly low. “Our new Piab systems are
extremely reliable, and much more cost effective to operate than the old systems.” The conveyors have also
proved easy to clean and simple to maintain. OKI also found that the lifecycle of Piab’s filters was much greater
than that of the previous system’s filters, which resulted in significant reductions in the running costs.
General Industry
The General industry often handles abrasive powders that require specially designed
equipment. Our conveyors are designed with Stainless Steel body (ASTM 304) to resist
wear of parts. Piab conveyors are ATEX Dust compliant.
Typical applications
· Powder and granules transfer
· Form-fill-seal
· Big Bag loading and unloading
· Drum/bag filling and emptying
· Applications in explosive atmosphere
Success story from the General Industry
Reliable conveyors decrease downtime for tile manufacturers
One of Europe’s most innovative producers of automatic systems for weighing and
dosing applications, Euroelettra, was challenged to provide its customers in the ce-
ramic tile industry a cost-effective and reliable dosing system that was able to safely
transport the thin colored metal oxide powders commonly used in production.
Euroelettra included Piab’s industrial vacuum conveyors in the design of its dosing system. The industrial
conveyor series was able to run successfully with minimal stoppages due to its simple design and ability to
safely handle ceramic powders that are traditionally difficult to transport. Hence, utilizing vacuum convey-
ors that require minimal maintenance and are completely enclosed, Euroelettra’s customers can now safely
convey up to 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) of ceramic powder per hour. Product quality has also improved as the
industrial conveyors supply an even amount of powder to the dosing machines, ensuring that the color of
the completed tiles is more consistent.
The principle of vacuum conveying
Conveying various materials such as powder and bulk products are hygienically and efficiently handled by
using vacuum in a closed system. Piab’s vacuum conveying solutions are designed to improve production
efficiency by reducing the need for manual labor that can result in injuries and increased costs.
1. Vacuum is created with a compressed air driven Piab vacuum pump (A). The pump can be automatically controlled.
2. The bottom valve (B) closes and the vacuum increases in the container (C) and the conveying line (D).
3. The powder is carried away from the feed station (E) into the conveying line and then to the container.
4. The filter (F) protects the pump and the surrounding area from dust and small particles.
5. During the conveying time, the air shock tank (G) is filled with compressed air.
6. At a preset time, the pump and the conveying are stopped and the bottom valve (B) is opened. The powder is discharged at the same time as the airshock is activated and the compressed air cleans the filter from dust and small particles.
7. When the pump starts again, this process is repeated and a new cycle starts. The suction time and emptying times are normally controlled by a pneumatic or an electric control system (H).
Piab has a wide product range that includes different types of vacuum conveyors. One thing they have in common is that they are designed for modularity and flexibility across many industrial segments. The C Series is more suitable when you have higher hygienic demands e.g. FDA. The piFLOW™ is a more robust conveyor line that is more ample for general industry.
C Modular Conveyor – Flexible
This is a widely used conveyor for a number of applications, primarily in the pharmaceutical, food and chemical
industries. Its main advantage is a modular design. You may build from a modular concept to reach capacities
up to 10 tons/h, or remove volume modules in a snap when you change material or change your capacity
needs. In this range, we have C21, C33 and C56 where the number indicates the diameter in centimeters of
the conveying unit.
· All material used that is in contact with the conveyed product is made of stainless steel ASTM 316 L.
· Internal volume is extremely flexible, simply add or remove a module in a quick move.
· FDA certificate for all plastic and rubber parts.
· ATEX Dust certified.
· Test Report 2.2.
· Produced according to the USDA directive.
· The C2100-64 is a unique conveyor that is compact in design. Ideal for when you only need a limited capacity and have strict restrictions on headroom above your machine. This conveyor is equipped with the most energy efficient ejector available on the market – COAX® cartridges.
· The C2101-120 is a simplified model with limited options and capacity, equipped with COAX® cartridges.
· The Unibody option of C conveyors offers a reduced amount of dirt traps in the powder zone, to meet a higher hygienic demand.
piFLOW™i – Basic
This is a basic conveyor widely used in the general industry and sometimes in the chemical industry. It has
a high throughput performance as well as a small foot print. This conveyor is often used as an alternative
to mechanical conveyors when there is a requirement for dust free conveying or low maintenance. Another
advantage is that the pump is based on COAX® technology which is the most energy efficient way to
produce vacuum. Capacity up to 4 tons/h.
· COAX® patented technology.
· ASTM 304
· Easy to install.
· Easy to use
· ATEX Dust certified.
· Antistatic filter and seals.
· Cost-effective solution when no hygienic standards are needed, e.g. FDA.