Conveying equipment operates between process steps, linking storage, mixing, packaging, and loadout. A worn bearing in a drag conveyor feeding a packaging line, or a misaligned screw conveyor discharging into a mixer, can idle both upstream and downstream operations within minutes. When functioning properly, it is almost invisible. When it falters, production instability follows quickly.

Across industries represented in bulk solids handling — food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, minerals, biomass, and pet food — conveying systems frequently accumulate the highest runtime hours in a facility. Drag conveyors may run continuously under load. Screw conveyors often operate in abrasive service. Belt systems may span long distances with minimal interruption. Tubular drag conveyors can cycle continuously in enclosed sanitary environments. Despite this, they are sometimes viewed as secondary assets rather than core infrastructure.

Maintenance strategy ultimately determines whether these systems remain reliable contributors to plant performance or become recurring sources of disruption.

The Economics Behind Reliability

The financial impact of unplanned downtime has been widely documented across manufacturing sectors. Industry research over the past several years has estimated average unplanned downtime costs ranging from approximately $25,000 per hour in moderate-scale operations to well over $100,000 per hour in large or highly integrated facilities, depending on product value and operational complexity.

While exact figures vary by industry, the broader takeaway is consistent: unplanned equipment failure is expensive. The direct loss of production is only part of the equation. Secondary impacts often include:

• Overtime labor
• Expedited parts procurement
• Schedule reshuffling
• Contractual penalties or missed shipments
• Increased scrap or rework

In facilities where conveying equipment links multiple process steps, a single failure can halt upstream and downstream operations simultaneously. For example, failure of a single screw conveyor feeding a batch process may invalidate in-process material, compounding losses beyond lost run time. Conveying systems often create a multiplier effect in downtime scenarios.

The economic question is not whether mechanical wear will occur. It is whether the organization manages that wear proactively or absorbs its consequences reactively.

Reactive vs. Structured Maintenance

Historically, many facilities relied on reactive maintenance — repairing or replacing components after failure. This approach may appear economical in the short term, particularly for mechanically straightforward systems.

However, industry-wide data increasingly supports structured preventive and predictive maintenance approaches. Research indicates that well-implemented maintenance programs can reduce breakdown frequency significantly — in some studies by as much as 50–70% — while also reducing overall maintenance expenditures through improved planning and fewer emergency interventions.

More important than percentage reductions is operational predictability. Planned service windows allow maintenance and production teams to coordinate activities. Parts can be staged. Labor can be scheduled. Safety procedures can be executed methodically.

In contrast, unplanned failures compress decision-making into urgent timeframes, increasing cost and operational risk.

In bulk solids handling, predictability is often undervalued until it is lost.

Why Conveying Equipment Is Especially Vulnerable

Conveying systems share several characteristics that make maintenance particularly consequential:

High utilization rates.
Drag and tubular conveyors may operate continuously under load, even when upstream equipment cycles.

Exposure to abrasive or challenging materials.
Minerals, biomass, and certain chemical powders accelerate wear through friction and erosion. Screw flights, drag chain pins, and belt idlers are particularly susceptible.

Environmental variability.
Temperature changes, humidity, dust, and washdown conditions all influence component longevity. In sanitary food applications, repeated washdowns may shorten seal life and increase lubrication demands.

Mechanical simplicity masking cumulative wear.

Because conveyors are mechanically straightforward, degradation may go unnoticed until performance is affected. Chain elongation, belt tracking drift, or increasing screw conveyor torque may develop gradually without obvious visual cues.

Wear mechanisms such as abrasion, misalignment, fatigue, and seal degradation progress gradually. Rarely does a component fail without prior indicators. The challenge lies in recognizing and acting on those indicators early enough to prevent escalation.

From an engineering standpoint, conveying equipment is designed to operate within defined tolerances. As those tolerances drift due to wear or misalignment, friction increases, energy demand rises, and stress propagates through connected components.

Deferred maintenance allows small deviations to compound.

The Compounding Effect of Neglect

Consider a bearing operating slightly above its intended temperature range. In isolation, the deviation may seem minor. Over time, elevated temperature accelerates lubricant breakdown and surface wear. Vibration increases. Adjacent components experience additional load.

If intervention occurs early, replacement is routine. If allowed to progress, the failure may damage shafts, housings, or drive components, multiplying the repair scope.

Similarly, material buildup within conveying systems can increase torque requirements and energy consumption. Subtle increases in motor amperage often precede mechanical failure. Monitoring these indicators enables corrective action before performance deteriorates significantly.

From a lifecycle perspective, maintenance is not merely about preventing downtime. It is about preserving original design performance and slowing the rate of asset depreciation.

Maintenance and Total Cost of Ownership

In capital-intensive environments, total cost of ownership (TCO) increasingly guides equipment decisions. TCO extends beyond initial purchase price to include installation, energy use, maintenance, downtime risk, and eventual replacement.

Conveying equipment frequently operates for decades when properly maintained. Conversely, poorly maintained systems may require premature overhaul or replacement.

The relationship between maintenance discipline and asset longevity is well established across mechanical industries. Wear is inevitable; accelerated wear is not.

Routine inspection, alignment verification, lubrication management, and timely replacement of wear components help maintain design tolerances and extend functional life. In doing so, they delay capital expenditure and improve return on invested capital.

From a financial stewardship standpoint, maintenance is an asset protection strategy.

Measuring Maintenance Effectiveness

Quantifying the value of maintenance strengthens its role within operational strategy. Several performance indicators are particularly relevant to conveying systems:

Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
Tracking MTBF over time reveals whether reliability initiatives are improving stability.

Planned vs. Unplanned Maintenance Ratio
A higher proportion of planned work generally reflects greater process control.

Downtime Attribution
Categorizing downtime by equipment type highlights recurring vulnerabilities.

Energy Consumption Trends
Unexpected increases in energy use under stable production conditions may indicate mechanical inefficiencies.

Component Replacement Intervals
Consistency in wear component life suggests stable operating conditions and effective maintenance practices.

When reviewed collectively, these metrics provide a data-driven foundation for continuous improvement.

Workforce Implications

Maintenance strategy also influences workforce productivity and safety.

Reactive environments tend to generate unpredictable workloads. Technicians respond to urgent failures, often outside normal working hours. Planned tasks are deferred. Documentation suffers. Root-cause analysis becomes secondary to restoring operation quickly.

Structured maintenance environments operate differently. Service activities are scheduled. Tools and parts are prepared. Work is completed under controlled conditions with appropriate safety measures.

The resulting predictability improves labor efficiency and reduces overtime dependence. It also fosters a culture of professionalism rather than crisis response.

In an era of skilled labor shortages, efficient maintenance practices contribute to retention and job satisfaction.

Compliance, Cleanability, and Risk Management

For sectors operating under regulatory oversight — including food, pharmaceuticals, and certain chemical applications — equipment condition intersects directly with compliance requirements.

Mechanical wear can influence:

• Cleanability and hygienic integrity
• Seal performance and lubricant containment
• Dust control and environmental emissions
• Product segregation and contamination prevention

Poorly maintained equipment may create harborage points, increase housekeeping demands, or introduce risk during audits.

Maintenance, therefore, serves not only operational goals but also risk mitigation objectives.

Practical Pathways Forward

Enhancing maintenance performance does not require immediate large-scale investment. Meaningful improvement often begins with disciplined fundamentals:

Define objective wear thresholds.
Establish measurable criteria for component replacement rather than relying solely on visual judgment.

Incorporate condition monitoring.
Motor current analysis, vibration monitoring, infrared thermography, and oil sampling provide accessible early-warning tools.

Prioritize critical assets.
Focus resources on equipment whose failure would most disrupt operations.

Align maintenance with production planning.
Coordinate scheduled service with operational cycles to minimize impact.

Document and analyze failures.
Structured root-cause analysis prevents recurrence and informs design improvements.

These practices support incremental reliability gains that compound over time.

Stability as Strategic Advantage

Bulk solids handling operations operate in competitive markets where throughput, cost control, and regulatory compliance shape performance expectations.

Within that context, conveying equipment may not be the most technologically complex machinery in the plant, but it is often among the most consequential. Reliable material flow underpins every subsequent processing step.

Maintenance should therefore be viewed not as a routine expense but as a stabilizing force within the production system. Facilities that invest in structured maintenance programs typically experience:

• Greater operational consistency
• Reduced emergency expenditure
• Improved schedule adherence
• Extended equipment life
• Lower total cost of ownership

Facilities that defer maintenance often experience the opposite: recurring instability, escalating lifecycle costs, and increased organizational strain.

In bulk material handling, stability is performance. Stability is engineered not only in equipment design, but also in the discipline with which that equipment is maintained.

When viewed through that lens, maintenance is not a background activity. It is a strategic lever — one that protects assets, supports productivity, and reinforces long-term operational resilience.

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TubePro Tubular Drag Conveyor: Safe Material Transport for Wastewater Applications

Hapman featured the TubePro Tubular Drag Conveyor, purpose-built to manage the unique challenges of wastewater treatment. This enclosed system is engineered to prevent hazardous material emissions, helping facilities meet workplace safety and regulatory standards while transporting a broad range of materials with minimal dust and contamination risk.

Solidquid Liquid/Solid System: Streamlined Flocculant Addition

The Solidquid system was highlighted for its ability to automate liquid/solid ingredient mixing and flocculant dosing in wastewater treatment operations. By ensuring consistent blending with reduced manual oversight, the Solidquid system allows treatment plants to maintain dependable water quality while optimizing energy usage and process efficiency.

PosiPro® Feeder: Robust Performance for Demanding Environments

At WEFTEC, Hapman’s PosiPro® Feeder demonstrated its ability to handle challenging materials commonly found in wastewater applications. With a heavy-duty construction and customizable design, the PosiPro® ensures accurate product delivery and smooth operation, even in the most demanding processing conditions.

Customized Material Handling Solutions for Wastewater Facilities

Throughout the show, Hapman’s team discussed how these products combine to address the specific needs of modern treatment plants. Attendees visiting Booth 7232 left with practical insights into equipment that minimizes downtime, increases process reliability, and helps maintain compliance, all supported by over 80 years of Hapman’s industry expertise.

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Automation has become an essential part of bulk material handling and helps facilities run efficiently, safely, and cost-effectively. Reliable control systems keep materials moving and help teams meet production goals. When these systems are designed with real-world needs in mind, they can boost throughput and reduce downtime while supporting smarter operations.

Many manufacturers face daily operational challenges such as outdated controls, integration headaches, safety compliance, and budget constraints. Hapman addresses these by carefully evaluating each facility’s needs and providing custom automation solutions that go beyond just their proprietary conveying equipment. Whether the requirement is to update legacy controls so they can communicate with Hapman’s latest panels or to deliver a tailored package that incorporates all equipment into a single process, Hapman’s approach ensures no system operates in isolation.

Full-Service Solutions That Work Together

One of the most noticeable trends in the market is the growing demand for automation systems that can control a mix of equipment from different manufacturers, such as mixers or packaging machines. Hapman responds to this by providing full turnkey solutions that keep everything connected and simple for operators. This seamless integration reduces complications and keeps the process moving smoothly.

Hapman’s solutions are especially valuable when existing plant equipment is a complex mix of old and new. For example, Hapman engineers recently unified three separate process steps for a client by bringing disparate systems together in one easy-to-manage control package. This level of integration allows the machinery before and after the Hapman system to operate together without operator intervention, creating a fully integrated and streamlined workflow.

Why In-House Control Packages Matter

Hapman builds control packages in-house rather than relying entirely on third-party vendors. This decision allows for greater quality control, each panel is tested before shipping to ensure dependability for the end user. The hands-on approach guarantees that systems meet Hapman’s standards for consistent performance through every step of the process.

By manufacturing controls internally, Hapman maintains complete oversight throughout the process, from initial design to final testing. Every panel is function-tested in-house before delivery, ensuring full reliability and integration, and giving customers peace of mind that their automation will work as promised right from day one.

Real Advantages for Clients

Choosing Hapman’s full-service, engineered automation systems gives customers several key benefits. Instead of stitching together piecemeal components, clients receive a full turnkey solution where everything works together from the start. This reduces risk, lowers maintenance costs, and helps operators quickly address any issues on the floor, since the system lets them know exactly where a fault has occurred and signals when materials are running low.

Operators also benefit from intuitive panel displays that tell them where any issue has occurred and provide alerts for upcoming process events, such as when additional material needs to be loaded. This advanced notification enables staff to respond quickly, minimizing downtime while supporting safer and more predictable production.

Seamless Plant Integration

Flexibility and compatibility are central to Hapman’s systems. Control platforms are designed to communicate with many types of distributed control systems, as well as programmable logic controllers and multiple communication protocols. Teams can take advantage of Hapman’s automation without abandoning existing infrastructure, creating a more unified and reliable facility.

No matter the industry, whether it is food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, or agriculture, Hapman collaborates closely with each customer to ensure compliance with all standards. This includes designing panels for hazardous locations and providing solutions to meet or exceed industry regulations. For instance, when a client in the agriculture sector needed to modernize controls, Hapman developed a system that brought all plant operations up to spec, connecting multiple processes together into one platform and greatly enhancing operational oversight.

Built for Smarter Material Handling

Hapman’s commitment to in-house engineering and complete automation ensures every plant can run efficiently and confidently. From testing every panel before it leaves the facility to providing controls that keep workflows smooth, Hapman helps customers optimize their process, minimize downtime, and simplify daily operations.

Whether upgrading a single line or overseeing a plant-wide controls modernization, Hapman’s collaborative, solutions-driven approach provides the backbone for safer, more efficient bulk material handling, today and into the future.

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Improving efficiency in batching and blending is simple in concept. All you need to do is produce the most possible product using the least possible resources. That’s easier said than done, but by identifying challenges and applying engineering know-how you’ll find that small steps can lead to great strides in your batching and blending operations.

Efficiency improvements can start small with a single improvement in your process or a design upgrade to a single piece of equipment. A single “win” can get you in the race, be it a way to speed a machine’s changeover, block a material flow obstruction, improve metering accuracy, or remove a bottleneck. Each success leads to another. No matter the scope of your efforts or applications involved, you’ll likely confront some or all these challenges in engineering a solution for you, your process, and your customers:

1.           Inefficient batching process

2.           Poor recipe control

3.           Loss of material

4.           Labor/experience shortage

These challenges are interrelated, and we will discuss them — and solutions to overcome them — below.

1. Inefficient batch processing

Batch processes in any industry share many common efficiency challenges. Inefficient batching can be both the cause and result of production bottlenecks, delays between process steps or machine hand-offs, and overall waste in all its forms.

On the other hand, equipment and process design that addresses the right problems can unlock new levels of process performance. For example, adding a lump breaker can eliminate agglomerations in small-volume metering, or a feeder upgrade can improve dosing accuracy by improving the flow of sluggish granules or powders. (Related reading: Turn Batching Challenges Into a Competitive Advantage.)

In other cases, efficiency can be optimized by rethinking how materials can be moved from Point A to Point B within the constraints of the physical realities of your facility. For example, not all buildings can accommodate mezzanine levels for filling or conveyors to transport materials long distances. In such cases, alternative approaches can provide an efficient solution, as Lawrence Foods, a manufacturer of premium bakery ingredients, learned.

The company needed to pre-weigh bulk bags of powdered sugar from incoming 2,200-pound bags and create two 1,000-pound bags for downstream processing. However, the facility lacked sufficient ceiling height to unload the bulk bag directly into a filler in a single, vertical common frame.

The solution took the form of an integrated system using side-by-side frames incorporating a bulk bag unloader, a 15-foot screw conveyor, and a bag filler to create the 1,000-pound bags of powdered sugar. Weight and process controls ensured accuracy and filling directly onto a pallet enabled easy fork truck removal and transport to production. As a result, the company gained an engineered solution to overcome challenges due to space constraints, bypassing the need to modify its facility. Additional features aid efficiency, safety, dust control, ergonomics, and flexibility for future changes. (Learn the details of Lawrence Foods’ installation by reading  Unload, Convey, Fill, Repeat.)

2. Poor recipe control

Recipe control picks up where batch management leaves off. A lack of comprehensive controls, from accurate measurement to connected digital controls, can lead to many sources of process inefficiency. These include errors caused by manual keying-in recipe parameters, lost time, production bottlenecks, reduced productivity, and increased costs. The solution to these and other weaknesses is digitalization, which enables the additional benefit of recipe management software tools for analyzing accuracy, quality, and other efficiency-related factors.

Many companies rely on manual data entry, which leads to quality deficiencies, product scrap and rework, inefficient labor, and downtime. This can result in losses of $1,000 or more for a 2,000-pound batch. We have seen companies with more than 50 recipes whose operators manually key-in parameters based on information from disparate sources such as clipboards and spreadsheets. In some cases, a vital piece of missing information caused delays, and the lack of efficient tracking documentation during and after processing compromised proper quality control and slowed efforts to improve processing.

Today, process control technology addresses such problems with long-established machine and process control technology. An operator panel connected to the programmable logic controller (PLC) running the equipment stores all recipes. These can be loaded for processing with little more effort than pressing a touchscreen of a menu selection (or even scanning a QR code for a recipe). Improvements can enhance process consistency, product quality, productivity, waste reduction, and more.

Operator interface software also provides alerts and tracks process data for additional uses. These include tracking and trending data for one or more pieces of equipment locally; or using a central workstation to track key performance indicators (KPIs) across a fuller set of operations. Process data can also be presented to multiple users in different roles for different reasons: plant initiatives, vendor remote maintenance services, corporate data analytics, compliance reporting, or any number of good, approved uses. (Click to read an overview of related Controls & Automation solutions.)

3. Loss of material

Material losses can occur anywhere in conveying, handling, and processing — from spills in manual or mechanical handling operations to dust from improperly sealed conveyors. In terms of equipment, bag filling is perhaps the most common source of costly material losses due to excessive overfilling, or product giveaway, to ensure compliance with weight requirements.

In one case, a company was experiencing losses with small, 320-ounce batches of a valuable material costing $1,200 per ounce. To ensure it met weight requirements, the company was overfilling and giving away profits, sometimes by more than two ounces per batch. Once the company identified the problem, the company upgraded to new, more accurate loss-in-weight feeders, precisely controlled overfilling to within 25 grams, and saved approximately $2,000 on each batch.

Loss-in-weight, or gravimetric, feeders are generally preferred for such quality-critical applications, however, volumetric feeders can be used for accurate filling at higher speeds. However, this choice is unlikely if your material’s bulk density varies such as when a hygroscopic material reacts to humidity and/or forms agglomerations. (Related reading: Volumetric vs. Gravimetric Feeder Operation).

Competitive realities typically lead plants to integrate multiple equipment assets with custom engineering and, increasingly, digital automation. One company used both techniques to more efficiently meter controlled amounts of four powdered ingredients. The project included several components including bulk bag unloaders, a dust collector to prevent a separate waste stream and lost product; pneumatic bag agitators to fluidize the material; and a lump breaker to tackle any agglomerations. From there, the powders were ready for loss-in-weight screw feeding

to a slurry tank for processing. The result was that the conditioned materials contributed to the optimal downstream mixing process performance. Process controls and user-friendly monitoring tools further eased the job and reduced labor requirements. (Click for related reading on Bulk Bag Unloading, Pneumatic Conveying, and Material Metering.)

4.Labor/experience shortages

Properly engineered mechanical and automation solutions provide additional benefits for productivity to reduce labor costs and overcome the difficulty of finding and training skilled labor.

Automation brings positive impacts in many ways to overcome labor and productivity challenges. It’s most visible to operators in the form of user-friendly interfaces that ease

tasks and save time. The benefits are also critical for operational continuity as experienced workers exit the workforce, taking their experience and knowledge with them. It also reduces companies’ requirements for up-front training and everyday labor requirements.

When discussing the company that used automation to improve recipe control (Challenge No.2 above), that operation used to require two operators: one to load the batch, and another to manage the recipe. After the automation upgrade, only one operator is needed for that processing station.

Digital automation together with mechanical design features both contribute to labor savings. Material handling equipment that is easy to operate alleviates environmental concerns and promotes health and safety in a processing facility in addition to solving labor challenges. Likewise, today’s equipment designs feature time-saving features that offer easy access for maintenance operations, quick clean-in-place with easy disassembly for cleaning, quick-release features, and more. In turn, digital automation makes it easier for one person to manage more parts of a process, which is essential for companies relying on fewer workers.

In the chemical industry, processors face the ongoing challenge of effectively mixing solids and liquids to blend slurries while minimizing labor (among other factors such as floor space, dusting, and energy usage). This traditionally entailed multiple workers and labor-intensive operations. Examples include workers climbing ladders and opening equipment doors with ingredients/materials in hand; controlling mixer agitators; and incurring risk in potentially caustic or hazardous environments. Today, solutions are available such as sealed conveyors

(e.g., pneumatic, tubular, helix) and automated bag-handling and processing equipment; valves on bag-handling equipment, and self-contained batching/blending equipment offer enhanced worker safety, labor savings, and high throughput. (Learn more by reading Pre-Mix Solutions and Slurries – Effectively, Economically, and Safely.)

Additional technologies offer greater cost-effectiveness and labor savings than ever, including labor-saving automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) and autonomous mobile robots (AMR) that shuttle materials across warehouses and production areas. (Learn more by reading: Using Material Handling Automation to Improve Efficiency.)

Efficiency: It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon

There’s no single solution for any given material handling, batching, or blending application. Significant efficiency improvements require varying degrees of customization to meet your material, processing, and business goals. Asking the right questions of your internal team and your external partners can take you closer and closer to your project’s finish line — and beyond, because the race toward greater efficiency and competitiveness is an ongoing journey.

When it comes to selecting a partner to provide equipment, systems, and engineering services, it’s most important that they have the breadth of expertise and deep knowledge of your needs, This, in turn, can go beyond solving problems to open new opportunities and benefits spanning design, reliability, serviceability, and much more.

About Hapman

We are a global manufacturer of standard and custom bulk material handling equipment and complete material handling systems, with locations in North America, Europe, and Asia. Our process has been proven across 12,000 applications across all major bulk material processing industries in every US state and 56 countries worldwide.

Whether your equipment needs are standard and straightforward or elaborate and controlled, Hapman’s team of applications experts will assist you with any level of support.

Our company culture is driven by new ideas, fresh thinking, and continuous improvement. That’s why Ideas that Move is more than a slogan. It’s an integral part of who we are. We seek to acquire and share new knowledge, build on our experience, collaborate with you and other industry experts, and push perceived process limitations — all while fully embracing disciplined engineering and quality material handling practices.

At Hapman, we are more than a material handling systems provider. We are your business partner. We are dedicated to achieving your highest level of trust and satisfaction and earning your confidence in our commitment and expertise.

Take the next step towards innovation and excellence. Contact our experts at (800) 427-6260 or sales@hapman.com for a personalized consultation.

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At Hapman, we’ve found that the best way to select a conveyor system is to start from a clean slate. By analyzing your process needs from the ground up, we can identify the most effective conveying method for your specific material and operation. This collaborative approach helps ensure that every conveyor system is tailored to meet your performance goals—creating not just a reliable material handling solution, but a trusted partnership.

Below are the six key considerations we discuss with every customer when selecting the right conveyor system.

1. Operation: Conveying vs. Feeding

The first step is to define how the conveyor will operate.
There are two main material movement categories:

• Feeding: Delivering material in controlled amounts, often with greater precision and timing sensitivity.
• Conveying: Moving material from one or more pick-up points to one or more discharge points.

If your process involves batch feeding, it’s important to know:

• How much material must be delivered
• The delivery time and accuracy required
• The idle time between batches

For continuous feeding, define the target feed rate and accuracy tolerance. These details guide the selection of the right feeder or conveyor type to maintain consistent, controlled performance.

2. Material: Understand What You’re Moving

Each material has its own unique handling characteristics, and understanding these fully is critical to selecting the right system.
Key material properties to evaluate include:

• Flowability
• Abrasiveness
• Temperature
• Moisture content

These factors can interact with each other and influence how the material behaves in motion. A thorough material analysis helps prevent challenges like clogging, degradation, or excessive wear on the equipment.

3. Environment: Design for Safety and Performance

Environmental conditions can greatly affect conveyor performance and safety. Consider:

• Potential ignition sources or fire hazards
• Explosion risks in dusty environments
• Corrosive vapors or chemical exposure

In many cases, these conditions combine with material properties to create handling concerns. Identifying them early allows you to design the system with the proper safety measures, containment, and construction materials.

4. Footprint: Fit Within the Available Space

Physical space is often a deciding factor between one conveyor system and another.
When planning an installation, consider:

• Inlet and discharge elevations
• Width, depth, and ceiling height
• Integration with existing systems

Evaluating the footprint early ensures the conveyor layout fits your facility and minimizes costly retrofits later.

5. Cost: Balance Investment and Longevity

Cost is always a major consideration, but it’s important to look beyond the initial purchase price.
Some companies emphasize total cost of ownership, valuing reliability, lower maintenance, and energy efficiency. Others prioritize initial investment to meet short-term budget goals.

At Hapman, we help you evaluate both factors so you can make a decision that aligns with your operational priorities and long-term return on investment.

6. History: Learn from Past Equipment Performance

If you’re replacing an existing conveyor, reviewing its service history provides valuable insight.
Understanding where past equipment struggled—whether with reliability, wear, or throughput—helps pinpoint improvements for your next system.

Simply switching to a new brand doesn’t guarantee better performance. Sharing your maintenance history and performance challenges helps us engineer a more reliable, longer-lasting conveying solution.

Final Thoughts

Selecting the right conveyor system requires more than just comparing specs—it demands a deep understanding of your material, environment, and process goals.

At Hapman, we partner with you to evaluate every consideration and design a solution that performs efficiently, safely, and dependably for years to come.

Ready to find the right conveyor system for your process?
Talk with a Hapman application engineer today to discuss your material, environment, and production goals. We’ll help you design a conveying solution built for lasting performance.

Contact Hapman

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The round-link variety employs a mass-produced chain made from material that is cut, formed into loops, and welded together at the ends. If all of the proper operating conditions exist, these chains may be sufficient for extremely low-duty, low-risk applications.

For the majority of industrial environments, however, engineered chains are the way to go because they are specially designed for use in heavy-duty material handling equipment. Overall, the performance and serviceability of engineered chains are significantly superior, resulting in a much lower longer-term cost of owning, operating and maintaining a conveyor that uses them instead of round-link chains.

Here are five reasons why round-link chains are insufficient for most industrial applications:

1. Round-Link Chains Require Longer Start-Up Time

Round-link chains are impossible to install without inadvertently introducing a significant amount of unwanted twist. Consequently, the start-up procedure for a conveyor with a round-link chain requires close monitoring of the inevitable accumulation of twisted chains. When that occurs, plant personnel must stop the conveyor, locate the master link, part the chain and untwist it. This procedure must be repeated several times, and depending on the length of the conveyor, can take several days before twisting no longer accumulates.

While too much twist is problematic, especially with round-link chains, some twist is often desirable and even necessary for certain conveyor routings to work. Engineered chains are designed with this capability in mind. It is exceedingly easier to control them and prevent undesired twisting during chain installation, which dramatically shortens start-up time while eliminating monitoring and the associated labor costs.

2. Round-link Chains Are More Likely to Fail and Cause Other Maintenance-Related Headaches

Round-link chain construction inherently includes a welded seam that is the most common point of failure in a chain that’s not very robust to begin with. Operators must also bump the conveyor or go searching for a master link when round-link chains require maintenance.

The design and construction of an engineered chain eliminate this troublesome seam. They also allow each link to be individually parted and serviced wherever it is most convenient.

3. Round-Link Chains Operate Less Efficiently and Cause Excessive Spillage

Conveyors that use round-link chains are notorious for spilling material from one flight to the next due to flight tipping. Plants often install wiper flights in an attempt to counter this phenomenon, but this is merely a stopgap measure.

Due to their longer pitch, engineered chains naturally hold flights more firmly and keep them perpendicular to the carry surface. This allows a conveyor to operate more efficiently and retain more material.

4. Round-Link Chains Require the “Over Use” of Roller Turns

If a configuration calls for bends or any kind of conveying length, roller turns are required in the corners to reduce the load on a round-link chain. Unfortunately, they can allow material to flow through the mechanical assembly, where it can damage the material, cause excessive wear on the assembly or create material build-up, which is difficult to remove.

Engineered chains are strong enough to withstand the loads in corners and do not require mechanical turn sections. This effectively prevents material from entering the conveyor’s mechanical assembly.

5. Round-Link Chains Are Prone to Performance Problems If Any Slack Develops

Compared to engineered chains, round-link chains have a much shorter and narrower target, which can compromise the equipment’s positive engagement and ability to wear evenly. Also, conveyors with round-link chains usually include a spring-loaded chain tensioning mechanism. These devices are necessary to keep short-pitch chains engaged with the sprockets that drive them, but if any slack develops, derailment often occurs.

An engineered chain does not require a tensioning mechanism, and its drive sprocket teeth can be wider and longer for more positive engagement and even wear distribution by virtue of having more contact surface. Greater engagement also makes the conveyor more slack-tolerant and allows the use of a simple jack-screw-type take-up mechanism.

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Understanding how dust forms, recognizing its potential hazards, and implementing effective control measures are essential steps in maintaining a safe and productive plant environment.

The Real Dangers of Industrial Dusting

Even a small accumulation of dust can present a hazard in processing environments. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) may cite facilities for combustible dust hazards under the General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)), which requires employers to maintain a workplace free from recognized dangers.

While OSHA does not define a specific dust depth limit, it references NFPA guidelines suggesting that dust layers thicker than 1/32 inch (about the thickness of a paper clip) covering more than 5% of a room’s surface area can pose a significant explosion risk. This includes dust on beams, joists, ducts, and equipment surfaces.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently consolidated several combustible dust standards into NFPA 660: Standard for Combustible Dusts (2024). This unified standard replaces NFPA 654 and provides updated guidance for preventing fires and explosions related to combustible particulate solids. It also emphasizes reducing secondary dust explosions, which are often responsible for the most severe damage and injuries.

In addition to explosion risks, uncontrolled dust can:

• Create slip-and-fall hazards on coated surfaces.
• Impair visibility in work areas.
• Increase respiratory health risks for employees.

The message is clear: effective dust control is critical to ensuring safety, compliance, and reliable operations.

How Hapman Helps You Control Dust at the Source

The most effective way to minimize dust is to control it where it originates. Hapman offers a range of engineered dust mitigation solutions designed to capture and contain material before it becomes airborne.

Conveyors

Hapman’s Tubular Drag, Flexible Screw, and Vacuum conveyors feature sealed designs that confine materials throughout transport. When paired with dust hoods or collection systems at inlet and discharge points, these conveyors significantly reduce airborne dust and improve overall plant cleanliness.

Central Dust Collection Systems

Central dust collection systems are highly effective for large-scale processes, capturing and removing dust from the plant environment. However, they are typically best suited for extensive operations since they remove material from the process stream and can be more costly for smaller applications.

Point-of-Use Dust Collectors

Point-of-use dust collectors capture particulates directly at the source—where dust is most likely to form. Common applications include:

• Bag dumping stations for 20–50 lb. ingredient bags.
• Bulk bag unloaders handling 2,000-lb. bags.

These systems use cartridge filters and timed pulse-cleaning valves to return captured material to the process. By keeping dust localized and contained, they help maintain cleaner air, safer work conditions, and greater material efficiency.

A Smarter Approach to Safety and Profitability

Effective dust control is about more than compliance—it’s about creating a safer, more efficient operation. With Hapman’s engineered solutions, processors can reduce airborne dust, protect employees, and maintain consistent productivity across every shift.

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Too often, conveyors are misapplied when facilities try to standardize equipment or minimize upfront costs. While this approach can simplify purchasing, it often leads to reduced throughput, higher maintenance, and unnecessary downtime later on.

To make an informed decision, evaluate your application across these six critical factors.

1. Material

Understanding your material is the foundation of proper conveyor selection. Every material behaves differently — and those differences influence how it moves through a system, what components are required, and how the equipment should be designed.

• Material form: Powder, granule, flake, pellet, or irregular shape.
• Solid composition: The makeup of the material, including density and structure.
• Particle size: Determines the screw, chain, or belt type best suited for handling.
• Flowability: Indicates how freely the material moves or if it tends to bridge or pack.
• Abrasiveness: Impacts the wear life of the conveyor’s internal components.
• Temperature: May dictate material compatibility or component selection.
• Moisture content: Affects stickiness, flow, and potential buildup.

The more detailed your understanding of these characteristics, the better equipped you’ll be to match your application with the right conveyor type and configuration.

2. Operation

The way a conveyor operates within your process is just as important as the material itself. There are two primary functions to consider:

• Conveying: Moving material from one process step to another, often over a distance or incline.
• Feeding: Delivering a controlled, consistent flow of material into another process, such as mixing, blending, or packaging.

Clearly defining how your conveyor will operate helps determine proper drive design, speed, and control options — all of which affect efficiency and product quality.

3. Environment

Environmental conditions play a major role in determining equipment performance and longevity. When evaluating your application, consider:

• Open sources of ignition or potential for a flammable atmosphere
• Corrosive vapors or chemical exposure
• Ambient and material temperature
• Humidity levels
• Dust control or collection requirements
• Pressure or vacuum at inlet or discharge points

In certain cases, compliance with NFPA, ATEX, or other safety standards may also apply. Choosing the right materials of construction and protective features ensures your conveyor operates safely and reliably within its environment.

4. Envelope

“Envelope” refers to the physical space available for installing and maintaining your equipment. Even the best conveyor will underperform if space limitations prevent proper layout or access.

Ask these questions early in the design phase:

• How much headroom or floor space is available?
• Are there obstructions that limit routing or incline angles?
• Can the conveyor be easily serviced or cleaned in place?

By clearly defining your installation envelope, you can avoid unnecessary redesigns and ensure smoother integration into your process line.

5. Cost

Cost always plays a role in equipment selection, but it’s important to consider both initial and long-term costs.

Initial costs cover the purchase and installation of the conveyor. Long-term costs include maintenance, spare parts, energy usage, and downtime. A slightly higher upfront investment in a system designed for your specific material and process can deliver substantial savings over time.

Discussing budget and performance expectations early with your supplier allows for realistic recommendations that balance cost with long-term reliability.

6. History

If the new conveyor is replacing an existing system, analyze the service history of your current equipment. Understanding what has worked — and what hasn’t — can help prevent repeat issues.

Provide your supplier with details on past challenges such as excessive wear, clogs, or throughput limitations. This information helps them identify potential root causes and propose equipment that delivers better performance and durability, rather than simply replacing one brand with another.

Making the Right Choice

Selecting a conveyor for bulk material handling requires a comprehensive understanding of your material, operation, and environment — along with realistic budget and space considerations.

At Hapman, our engineers partner with you to evaluate all six factors to ensure the conveyor system you choose delivers dependable performance and long-term value.

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If bulk material handling is an integral part of your operation—and your requirements for conveying systems include unique layout configurations around bends and over multiple levels—you are (or should be) aware that in the vast majority of applications, the tubular drag conveyor is the best option. The simple fact that this type of conveyor can include bends and change planes allows it to do what other conveyors cannot. A single tubular drag conveyor can also potentially do the work of several conveyors, and thus can have a lower operational cost in the long run.

This is where the “break” aspect comes into play. All material handling equipment will eventually experience wear, especially in applications that deal with abrasive material (another specialty of the tubular drag conveyor). Chain-type tubular drag conveyors are robustly built for outstanding reliability in demanding industrial environments and any other operation where uptime is critical. However, the addition of bends naturally increases chain pull (a.k.a. the amount of energy needed to pull the chain though the circuit). As chain pull increases, so does the potential for wear; as wear increases, so does the potential for maintenance headaches and equipment failure.

There are several ways to reduce the potential for wear in a tubular drag conveyor that calls for bends in the configuration:

1. Minimize the number of bends.

Tubular drag conveyors are capable of multiple changes in direction, but the most reliable circuits contain no more than 270° of bended pipe. The actual number of bends that can be included also depends on where they are located in the circuit and whether the conveyed material behaves as an abrasive or a lubricant.

2. Use flights made with durable material.

Depending on the need, conveyor flights can be made with various materials that are more durable than plastic, including steel, aluminum, cast iron and polyurethane. However, unless special circumstances such as high temperature prevent their use, we generally recommend and supply UHMWPE (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene) flights. UHMW is an engineered material that is abrasion and impact resistant. It is also lightweight and has a very low coefficient of friction, which minimizes wear to bends and pipes by reducing the energy required to pull it through the conveyor circuit.

3. Avoid using round-link chains.

As mentioned previously, one of the biggest advantages of tubular drag conveyors is their ability to change directions. The success of this equipment in a configuration that requires bends or any kind of conveying length is largely dependent on chain type. Due to the weakness of round-link chains, they must use roller turns in the corners to reduce the load on the chain. Roller turns are often placed on the “carrying” run, which is the side of the conveyor that carries the material. Unfortunately, this placement allows material to flow through the mechanical assembly, where it can cause excessive wear on the assembly, damage the material being conveyed, or create material build-up in the conveyor, which is difficult and time-consuming to remove.

At Hapman, we recommend using engineered chains in tubular drag conveyors that have bends in the circuit. These chains are designed with enough strength to withstand the increased loads in the corners. Therefore, they do not require roller turns, which effectively eliminates any performance or maintenance issues associated with material entering the conveyor’s mechanical assembly. This is just one of the advantages of using engineered chains in tubular drag conveyors; you can read about the rest of them in this blog and in this white paper where we make the case for engineered chains over round-link chains.

While the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, such a configuration is not always possible when conveying material. That’s why tubular drag conveyors from Hapman are in demand. Not only do they use less energy than other conveyors to move challenging materials in a completely sealed system, but our design expertise combined with more durable flights and chains results in a material handling solution that can “bend but not break.”

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With their knowledge and history working in wastewater treatment, Hapman’s product specialists are regularly called upon to integrate the tubular drag conveyor in transportation of dried wastewater sludge and biosolids. Hapman engineers the most robust and reliable tubular drag conveyor in the market. Hapman’s standard schedule 40 tube design with patented, factory-fit flanged connections offer superior sealing, strength, and quick install and maintenance. Hapman also offers a large range of chain and flight options with patented engineered chain technology which offer superb reliability in demanding industrial environments and any situation where uptime is critical. The low speed en-masse conveyance mode of Hapman Tubular Drag Conveyors results in maximum up time, low power input, and minimal maintenance. Unlike cable conveyors and round link (log) chain tubular conveyors, Hapman’s engineered chain used on its Tubular conveyors are designed for routine starting and stopping under load, full of material, and overload conditions. Finally, what makes the tubular drag ideal for wastewater sludge and biosolids is the dust tight construction that eliminates the opportunity of some deflagration or explosion conditions, enables maintaining nitrogen blanketing, and eliminates undesirable dust and odor conditions.

For this particular project, Hapman teamed up with Jim Myers & Sons, an OEM that sells systems exclusively for the wastewater treatment industry, to supply an automated dried biosolids handling solution for the Jordan Basin Water Reclamation Facility in Utah. The project involved Tubular Drag Conveyor systems taking 100+ degree Fahrenheit biosolids from the dryer into storage silos and En Masse Conveyor systems discharging from the silos to the loadout facility directly to retractable discharge chutes for discharge into semi trucks. A nitrogen inerting system and dust collection were also involved in the project.

Biosolids were conveyed from the dryer to multiple silos using two Tubular Drag Conveyors. A 157 foot, 4 inch (100 mm) Tubular Drag Conveyor in a gooseneck configuration received the dryer discharge and transferred material to the second 150 foot, 4 inch (100 mm) Tubular Drag Conveyor using a square loop configuration. The conveyors utilized Hapman’s engineered UHMW molded flights with special rivet-less drop forge chain. Schedule 40 pipe was used with special hardened elbows and connected with Hapman’s unique factory-fit locking flange design. All conveyors run continuously, 24 hours/day, 7 days a week and required Class II, Div 2 Explosion rated electrical components.

Due to local ordinance, the silo height was limited and unbale to offer a typical drive-thru load out. Hapman worked closely with CDM, their sister company, to provide an En Masse conveyor system to transport the dried biosolids to the loadout platform. The first En Masse conveyor ran 62 feet horizontally underneath the silos to pick up the biosollids. A second En Masse conveyor came off the first, ran 14 feet horizontally before running another 39 feet at a 40° angle in a L-path to the load out mezzanine. The final En Masse conveyor ran 60 feet horizontally along the mezzanine with multiple discharge chutes for unloading into semi-trucks beneath the mezzanine. The system was able to meet the 20 minute semi loading time using direct silo discharge.

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