Raw rice or paddy goes through multiple processes at a rice mill before it becomes ready for the market, which means the grain must be transported from one level to another safely and efficiently for stages like cleaning, polishing, grading, sorting, and packaging. A bucket conveyor system or bucket elevators ease this journey. Primarily used for moving large amounts of rice vertically or facilitating storage, these elevators don’t require human intervention and boost the overall efficiency of your operations while minimising costs. They are especially helpful if your rice mill is large-scale or you have ambitious daily production goals.
So, are you keen to know more about the key advantages of using a bucket elevator for handling rice grains in bulk? Read on.
Using Bucket Conveyor Systems in Rice Mills – Chief Advantages
If you have been deliberating on whether to invest in a bucket conveyor system for your rice mill, go through the following benefits:
- Simple and Safe Operation
A bucket conveyor system comes with four main components. The buckets or containers are connected to a conveying chain or belt and built to scoop up rice, impurities, or by-products and carry the same. The chain or belt helps move the buckets and enables the lifting of the rice to different heights. The vertical sections that accommodate the chain and keep the buckets in place are called trunks. They are categorised into lower, middle, and upper sections. Situated at the elevator’s lower part is the hopper, which acts as a reservoir for the rice before buckets scoop up the same.
Owing to their clean composition and design as well as the presence of emergency stop buttons and guardrails, bucket elevators are simple and safe to operate. Since the involvement of human labour is low or nil, there is very little risk of injuries or accidents.
- Energy-Efficient and Noiseless
The best bucket conveyor systems use up minimal energy for functioning, and hence, control costs efficiently. It also makes them sustainable in the long run. Bucket elevators are fast too and constantly move the rice or related products so that no time is wasted. Another major advantage of bucket elevators is that they barely make any noise and are conducive to a productive work atmosphere.
- No Backflow of Material
With the right bucket conveyor system, you can rest assured that very little rice will be damaged, broken, or wasted during processing or transportation. Even for rice varieties that are light or flow poorly, bucket elevators can lift them efficiently and gently and protect them from dust and contaminants. A smart grain elevator can move rice, impurities, and by-products in different directions without any spillage or spoilage. In other words, you get higher and better yield with a bucket elevator than if manual labour was involved.
- Open to Customisation
Steel, aluminum, cast iron, and plastic are the common materials used for building bucket elevators. They also come in a plethora of sizes and shapes, meaning you can pick a bucket conveyor system to align with your specific requirements and budget. Buckets can be of different kinds based on depth, resistance to heat and impact, bolt-hole patterns, thickness, and venting.
- No-Fuss Maintenance
Reputed manufacturers construct bucket conveyor systems sturdily so they are easy to maintain. You don’t need to worry about frequently replacing components or spending on the same. Regularly lubricating the moving parts and maintaining the ideal tension for the chain or belt is usually enough. Bucket elevators are easy to clean too. All of this translates to minimal downtime as well.
- Saves Space
Since bucket conveyor systems are designed vertically, they optimise the rice mill’s layout or leave ample floor area for other processes and equipment. Hence, even if you have a small setup, it is possible to use elevator buckets without wasting precious space or overcrowding the mill.
- Hygienic
Bucket elevators for rice mills are usually crafted with food-grade materials that are extremely sanitary and resistant to corrosion. In other words, the final polished rice produced post-milling doesn’t get contaminated before it can be bagged for the market.
- Glitch-Free Integration
It is super easy to synchronise the functioning of a bucket conveyor systems with other machines in your mill, like those used for cleaning, husking, whitening, sorting, and so on. It means that rice and other materials go through the milling process without hiccups and productivity shoots up.
Conclusion
To wrap it up, a bucket conveyor system is an integral part of any rice mill, no matter how small or big, or traditional or advanced. Operating, maintaining, and cleaning it is an easy and safe affair owing to a straightforward, smart, and robust structure. Apart from being energy-efficient, bucket elevators use the horizontal space optimally in rice mills, work noiselessly, and transport different varieties of rice gently and carefully. Incorporating a conveyor system in the rice mill is also a sure-shot way of boosting profitability as it can save your time, ensure a hygienic milling process, is customisable, cost-effective, and can make operations more efficient.
