Conveyors
A waste conveyor moves bark, sawdust, and chips away from the equipment that produces it. Which conveyor an operation needs is determined by the building and the material: how far the run has to travel, how high it has to climb, whether it has to get around an obstacle, and how coarse the material is when it lands on the belt.
In a sawmill, that usually means bark off the debarker to a pile or a truck, and sawdust out from under the saws. In a mill running continuously, it means keeping waste moving so nobody is shuttling it out between runs. Where colored mulch gets made, it means an outdoor stacking conveyor that builds the pile.
Pendu builds bark conveyors, waste conveyors, and radial mulch conveyors, configured to your run, your material, and the layout you have to work around.
Start with the run itself. Length, height, and whether the material has to get around an obstacle or up an incline will narrow the options before anything else does.
Bark Conveyors: Runs under a debarker and carries bark out to a pile or into a truck. The same conveyor handles sawdust in a sawmill. The crew brooms material in and the conveyor hauls it out.
Waste Conveyors: Moves waste away from saw systems and debarkers as it is generated, so nobody has to shuttle it out between runs.
Radial Mulch Conveyors: An outdoor stacking conveyor, used where colored mulch gets built into large piles. It conveys sawdust the same as the other two, but it does not run inside the mill.
Material Size: Fine sawdust moves well on a belt. Mulch product, grindings, coarse dust, and chips call for a different conveyor, one that can drag or sweep material along instead. Where large chunks of wood drop down, a belt will tear, so that section of the mill needs another type again. Fine dust getting underneath a chain or paddle is the problem on the other end. Different points in the same mill often call for different conveyor types.
Volume: How many cubic yards arrive at a time sets run speed and belt width.
Moving bark and sawdust out of the mill without a crew on it: Cleaning up by hand means shoveling into a wheelbarrow and hauling it to a pile. A bark conveyor under the debarker takes material straight to a pile or a truck. For sawdust, the crew brooms in and the conveyor does the hauling.
Continuous running instead of stop-and-clear: When waste has to be moved by hand, the mill runs at the pace of whoever is clearing it. A waste conveyor takes material out of the way as it is produced.
Building mulch piles outdoors: A radial mulch conveyor stacks colored mulch into large piles. Outdoor use only.
Dust handling on a new layout: Most operations know which conveyor they want before they call. When dust handling is part of a new layout, Pendu looks at where waste is generated across the line and suggests what to add.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
I already know the type of conveyor that I need. What information do you need from me?
Most people calling us are in the same spot. Give us the length, the height you need to reach, what the material looks like, and how many cubic yards land on it at a time. That is enough to help us steer you in the right direction.
My run has to turn a corner and climb to a truck. Is that a problem?
It changes which conveyor you get. Some types can't go up an incline, and turning a corner rules out others. That's usually what decides the type before material even comes into it. Tell us what the run has to do and we'll tell you what will do it.
What kind of support can I expect after installation?
Pendu is based in New Holland, PA. When you call, you reach people who know the equipment. Reach out for parts, troubleshooting, or with service questions. See our After-Purchase Support page for more information.