bucket elevators –Efficient continuous conveyors for intralogistics and industry
Modern intralogistics and industrial production require reliable solutions for the vertical transport of bulk materials. SGH offers customized bucket elevators and bucket conveyors equipped with high-quality bucket chains. Our continuous conveyors transport powders, granules, and pellets in a space-saving, dust-free, and product-friendly way, making them ideal conveying solutions for the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries.
Definition of a bucket elevator as a vertical bulk material conveyor
As a vertical conveyor for bulk materials, a bucket elevator is particularly suitable for free-flowing products such as granules, powders, or grains. The buckets pick up the material at the bottom and discharge it in a controlled manner at the top, ensuring a consistent material flow with minimal product loss.
Structure of a bucket elevator
Thanks to its modular design, a wide range of conveying paths can be realized and adapted to specific structural conditions. C, Z, or E configurations, as well as multiple infeed and discharge points, can be implemented for all machine sizes.
A typical bucket elevator consists of a housing, a drive and return drum, a bucket chain or belt, and the buckets themselves. The design is optimized to achieve high conveying heights while requiring relatively little space, making bucket elevators ideal for use in confined production and storage areas.
Function and use as a continuous conveyor
A bucket elevator is a vertical continuous conveyor that transports bulk material upward in a continuous process. Its function is based on a closed-loop system: individual buckets are attached to a durable chain or belt and move within an enclosed housing. The material is picked up at the bottom, conveyed vertically, and discharged at the top by centrifugal force or gravity.
Advantages of bucket elevators
As bucket conveyors, bucket elevators offer high efficiency for handling bulk materials in intralogistics and industrial applications, with a strong focus on hygienic designs for use in storage environments.
Additional advantages include dust-free transport, space-saving installation, and high conveying capacity, particularly in food processing applications. They are low-maintenance and can be designed to meet ATEX requirements, making them suitable for handling sensitive materials such as grain.
Continuous material flow with bucket elevators
Thanks to the constant speed of the bucket system and the defined spacing between buckets, a consistent and reproducible material flow is achieved. This allows downstream dosing, weighing, or packaging processes to be supplied reliably, which is a key advantage in highly automated industrial systems.
Bucket chain – the central traction element for reliable conveying
The bucket chain is the core component of every bucket elevator and plays a key role in determining the performance and service life of the entire system. It consists of high-strength steel links, precisely manufactured to withstand significant tensile forces.
The individual buckets are securely mounted to this robust chain and guided through the entire conveying process. Key quality features include precise chain pitch for smooth operation, high-grade materials for wear resistance, and accurate manufacturing for low-maintenance performance.
SGH relies exclusively on premium bucket chains from reputable manufacturers, ensuring maximum reliability even under continuous, heavy-duty use. Regular inspections and proper maintenance of the bucket chain help guarantee long-term, trouble-free operation.
Bucket elevator types: pendulum bucket elevator and chain bucket elevator
Pendulum bucket elevator – gentle conveying of sensitive products
The pendulum bucket elevator is characterized by an especially gentle and product-friendly discharge process. During unloading, the buckets are set into a controlled pendulum motion, allowing the material to be released smoothly and carefully.
This technology is ideal for sensitive bulk materials where product breakage, damage, or excessive dust generation must be avoided. Typical applications include high-quality food products such as nuts, cornflakes, or muesli, as well as pharmaceutical products and other delicate materials.
The pendulum bucket elevator combines gentle handling with high conveying capacity and is particularly well suited for food processing applications.
Chain bucket elevator – a robust solution for demanding applications
The chain bucket elevator uses a particularly robust and durable bucket chain as its traction element. This design is ideal for high conveying capacities, large conveying heights, and demanding operating conditions.
The stable chain construction enables high conveying speeds and impressive throughput rates while maintaining a high level of operational reliability. Chain bucket elevators are low-maintenance and offer long service life, making them an economical solution for granular, free-flowing, and robust bulk materials.
They are ideal for handling grain, granules, pellets, and other industrial materials in storage facilities and production environments.
Bucket conveyors for a wide range of industrial applications
Food conveying technology – hygienic systems to the highest standards
In food conveying technology, the strictest hygiene and safety requirements apply, which our bucket conveyors consistently meet. All product-contact components are available in stainless steel with seamless surfaces. The enclosed design reliably prevents contamination and complies with HACCP guidelines.
Typical conveyed materials include flour, sugar, spices, coffee, nuts, grain, and other food raw materials. Thanks to the optimized design, fast cleaning cycles and easy product changeovers are possible. Our hygienic bucket elevators meet all relevant standards for direct food contact and product safety.
Bucket elevator for grain – specialized food conveying solutions
A bucket elevator for grain must meet specific requirements. Gentle conveying without grain breakage is essential to maintain quality, along with dust-tight construction and explosion protection in accordance with ATEX guidelines. Hygienic design also protects against pests and spoilage.
The system design takes into account bulk material properties such as grain size, moisture content, and flow behavior. With the right bucket shape, optimized conveying speed, and precise system calculation, material fallback is prevented and complete discharge is ensured. SGH provides specialized solutions for grain such as barley, oats, maize, rapeseed, and other agricultural products.
Applications in pharmaceuticals and chemicals
A pendulum bucket elevator is well suited for handling fine powders in pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Vertical conveying systems help minimize contamination in intralogistics processes.
Animal feed and other industrial applications
Robust bucket elevators are designed to handle abrasive bulk materials, for example in animal feed production, with a focus on conveying medium-coarse materials. Compared to food-grade systems, these applications require more durable materials to withstand abrasion.
Video: Cleaning module “Cleaning in Place (CIP)”
Calculation – professional design for optimal performance
Proper bucket elevator calculation is essential for the performance, efficiency, and operational safety of your system. Our engineers precisely determine all relevant parameters, including the required conveying capacity (t/h or m³/h), conveying height (m), and bulk material properties such as bulk density, particle size, flow behavior, and abrasiveness.
They also define the optimal bucket volume and spacing, ideal conveying speed, required drive power, and the tensile forces acting on the bucket chain. The calculation takes into account safety factors for fluctuating material volumes and allows for future capacity expansions.
This approach helps avoid oversizing while ensuring maximum energy efficiency and reliable process performance.
Why the investment pays off
- The key advantages of bucket elevators make them a preferred solution for vertical conveying:
- extremely space-saving due to their vertical design with minimal footprint
- completely dust-free thanks to the enclosed system, ensuring workplace safety and product purity
- highly energy-efficient compared to pneumatic or other mechanical alternatives
- gentle on products, preventing breakage or damage
- low maintenance when properly designed and regularly inspected
- hygienic, with easy cleaning especially in stainless steel versions
- reliable operation based on proven, robust technology with high availability
- versatile, suitable for a wide range of bulk materials from powders to granules
Questions and answers
What is a bucket elevator?
A bucket elevator is a vertical continuous conveyor that transports bulk materials upward in a continuous process.
Structure and function
The function of a bucket elevator is based on a closed-loop system. Individual buckets are attached to a robust chain or belt and move within an enclosed housing. The material is picked up at the bottom, conveyed vertically, and discharged at the top by centrifugal force or gravity.
The modular design includes a drive unit, typically located at the top, a bucket chain with mounted buckets, a dust-tight housing, and inlet and outlet sections. This design makes bucket elevators an ideal vertical conveying solution for space-saving installation in storage facilities and production environments.
What advantages do bucket elevators offer compared to tubular chain conveyors?
Advantages compared to tubular chain conveyors
- gentle and low-wear conveying of fragile and large products
- higher product and material throughput
- easy product changeovers through simple cleaning processes
What advantages do bucket elevators offer compared to pneumatic conveying systems?
Advantages of bucket elevators compared to pneumatic conveying systems
- significantly lower operating costs
- suitable for conveying large and fragile products
What advantages do bucket elevators offer compared to aeromechanical conveyors?
Advantages of bucket elevators compared to aeromechanical conveyors
- large and highly fragile products can be conveyed gently and efficiently
- multiple infeed and discharge points can be implemented as required
What disadvantages do bucket elevators have compared to aeromechanical conveyors?
- product feeding must be metered
- larger overall system size
How easy is the machine to clean?
- Cleaning can be performed manually and is possible both dry, by air-blowing the buckets, and wet, using water and cleaning agents.
- The most thorough option is full automation with our Cleaning-in-Place (CIP) module. Cleaning intervals and programs can be individually configured.
- Thanks to the modular design, stainless steel components, and seamless surfaces, the system helps prevent contamination and complies with HACCP guidelines, making it ideal for sensitive materials such as flour, sugar, or grain.
Which bucket types and chains are available?
Bucket chains
The chains are available in stainless steel as well as in nickel-plated or galvanized versions.
Based on our experience, we do not offer rubber chains, as their durability and overall cost-performance ratio do not meet our quality standards or those of our customers.
Buckets
Buckets are available in ABS plastic or stainless steel, depending on the application and requirements.
Which industries are bucket elevators suitable for?
Bucket elevators are currently used in the food industry in about 80% of applications. Other areas of use include pharmaceuticals, chemicals, dairy processing, ceramics, animal feed, and many more.
Are there particularly robust and low-wear solutions available?
Yes, the heavy-duty “ETD line” features, among other things, more wear-resistant sprockets, steel guide rails, and bearings located outside the housing. We would be happy to explain further advantages of the ETD line in a personal consultation.
Bucket conveyors as an alternative to other continuous conveyors
A bucket conveyor offers clear advantages over other vertical conveying solutions such as screw conveyors or pneumatic systems, particularly in terms of energy efficiency and gentle product handling. It can combine horizontal and vertical transport sections and can be flexibly integrated into existing intralogistics systems.
Comparison of bucket conveyors with other vertical bulk material conveyors
Compared to alternative vertical bulk material conveyors, bucket conveyors stand out due to lower product degradation, reduced dust generation, and the ability to handle defined volumes per bucket. This allows for better planning of material flow and easier integration into automated processes.
How is a bucket elevator calculation carried out?
The bucket elevator calculation is a crucial step to ensure optimal performance, efficiency, and operational safety of your system.
Calculation at SGH
Our engineers precisely consider parameters such as the required conveying capacity (in t/h or m³/h), the necessary conveying height (in m), and the properties of the bulk material, including bulk density, particle size, flow behavior, and abrasiveness. They also determine the optimal bucket volume and spacing, the ideal conveying speed, and the required drive power.
In addition, the tensile forces acting on the bucket chain are calculated to ensure high reliability. Safety factors for fluctuating material volumes are included, and allowances for future expansions enable an efficient design that avoids oversizing while maximizing energy efficiency and process reliability.
At Gough GmbH, each calculation is carried out individually and professionally, often taking into account standards such as ATEX or HACCP for sensitive industries like food or chemicals. If you provide specific details about your project, a tailored calculation can be prepared.
Planning complete systems with bucket elevators and integration into existing lines
We also frequently support the planning of complete conveying systems, where bucket elevators act as central vertical conveyors between silos, filling stations, mixers, and packaging systems. For retrofitting projects, conveying routes, installation locations, and connection points are analyzed to minimize downtime while increasing the overall performance of the system.
Phone: +49 7738 – 92 33 81
Email: info@schuettguthandling.com