Shaanxi Xi'an Food Additive Clean Conveying Case

Case Study: Clean Conveying Solution for a Food Additive Manufacturer in Xi'an, Shaanxi

An established food additive production company based in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, faced persistent challenges in maintaining product purity during material transfer. The existing mechanical conveying system introduced cross-contamination risks, dust leakage, and frequent maintenance downtime, which hindered both production efficiency and compliance with stringent food safety standards.

Customer Challenges

The client reported three critical pain points: first, the conventional screw conveyor caused material degradation and generated fine dust, compromising the additive's particle integrity. Second, the open-loop design led to dust emissions into the workshop, requiring frequent manual cleaning and posing hygiene risks. Third, the equipment required extensive disassembly for sanitation, resulting in over 12 hours of downtime per cleaning cycle, which reduced overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Headpowder Solution Overview

Headpowder implemented a sealed pneumatic conveying system tailored to the client's specific additive characteristics—fine, hygroscopic powders with a bulk density of 0.6 g/cm³. The system utilizes negative-pressure dilute-phase transport to move materials from storage to packaging stations through a closed pipeline network. Key components include a stainless steel feed hopper with vibration-assisted discharge, a high-efficiency cyclone separator, and a bag filter for dust recovery.

Process Optimization & Results

By replacing the mechanical conveyor with a fully enclosed pneumatic line, airborne dust was reduced to near-zero levels, and cross-contamination between different additive batches was eliminated. The clean-in-place (CIP) design allows for quick rinsing without disassembly, cutting cleaning time from 12 hours to under 2 hours. Additionally, the gentle conveying action preserved particle size distribution, maintaining product quality. The system achieved a throughput of 1,200 kg/h with a transport distance of 45 meters, operating at a power consumption of 15 kW. Since installation, the client reported a 40% reduction in maintenance costs and a 25% increase in production uptime.