Specialty Conveyor Systems

Professional Specialty Conveyor Design, Installation

Specialty conveyor systems solve unique material handling challenges that standard conveyors cannot address. We design and install custom conveying solutions for applications requiring magnetic separation, chip removal, sanitary processing, flexible dock loading, and other specialized functions with engineering expertise that matches conveyor technology to your specific operational requirements and environmental constraints.

Magnetic Conveyors, Metal Separation

Magnetic Belt Conveyors: Permanent magnet or electromagnetic belts attract and transport ferrous metal parts, chips, and scrap. Magnetic field strength holds materials on inclines up to 90 degrees. Ideal for removing steel chips from CNC machine tool sumps, transporting stamped parts in metal fabrication, and collecting ferrous scrap in grinding operations. Stainless steel construction available for wet or corrosive environments. Capacities from 50 to 5,000 lbs per hour.

Magnetic Separators (Inline): Conveyor-mounted magnetic systems remove metal contaminants from product streams. Plate magnets, grate magnets, drum magnets, and crossbelt magnets positioned over or in conveyor flow capture tramp metal protecting downstream equipment and ensuring product purity. Essential for food processing (removing metal from grain, flour, ingredients), plastics recycling (ferrous separation from mixed waste), and bulk material handling (protecting crushers, grinders, packaging equipment from metal damage).

Self-Cleaning Magnetic Separators: Automatic discharge removes captured metal without stopping production. Belt-driven or vibratory discharge cycles clean magnetic surfaces and divert collected metal to scrap containers. Reduces manual cleaning frequency and improves operational efficiency.

CNC Chip Conveyors, Metalworking

Hinged Steel Belt Chip Conveyors: Articulated steel belt with flights transports metal chips, turnings, and swarf from CNC machine tool work areas. Handles steel, aluminum, cast iron, and brass chips in wet or dry conditions. Incline configurations elevate chips from machine sumps to scrap containers. Belt widths 6" to 24", incline angles up to 60 degrees. Coolant drainage holes return cutting fluid to machine. Standard carbon steel or stainless steel construction.

Magnetic Chip Conveyors: Magnetic belt separates ferrous chips from coolant, allowing coolant to drain back to machine sump while transporting chips to disposal. Reduces coolant loss and contamination. Handles fine chips and grinding swarf that would pass through hinged belt flights.

Drag Chain Chip Conveyors: Enclosed trough with chain-driven flights scrapes chips along bottom, ideal for large turnings and heavy chips. Handles chips too large or heavy for belt conveyors. Robust construction withstands abrasive materials and high-volume chip loads from large CNC lathes and mills.

Screw Auger Chip Conveyors: Helical screw transports chips through enclosed tube, protecting workers from sharp edges and containing coolant. Ideal for stringy aluminum chips and long turnings. Compact design fits under machine tools where belt conveyors cannot.

Flexible, Expandable Dock Conveyors

Flexible Roller, Skatewheel Conveyors: Accordion-style expandable sections extend from 10 to 60 feet for truck and container loading. Collapse to compact size when not in use, saving dock space. Portable units on casters reposition to any dock door. Gravity roller or powered roller configurations. Ideal for facilities with multiple dock doors and varying trailer lengths.

Telescoping Belt Conveyors: Powered belt extends into truck trailers for deep loading, reducing manual handling and improving worker safety. Belt lengths 20 to 80 feet with hydraulic or electric extension. Adjustable height and angle accommodate various trailer floor heights. Common in parcel shipping, e-commerce fulfillment, and high-volume loading operations.

Portable Dock Conveyors: Self-contained units with integrated drive, power supply, and controls. Move between dock doors as needed. Battery-powered or plug-in electric. Quick setup reduces loading time and labor costs.

Sanitary, Food-Grade Conveyors

Stainless Steel Sanitary Belt Conveyors: FDA-compliant stainless steel frames and components with food-grade belting (FDA, USDA, 3-A Sanitary Standards approved). Open frame designs eliminate product collection areas, tool-free belt removal enables quick washdown, sealed bearings prevent contamination, and antimicrobial belt options reduce bacterial growth. Applications include food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and clean room operations.

Washdown Roller Conveyors: Stainless steel or plastic rollers with sealed bearings withstand frequent high-pressure washdown. Open frame drainage prevents water accumulation. Corrosion-resistant motors and controls in NEMA 4X enclosures. Common in meat processing, beverage bottling, and dairy operations.

Modular Plastic Belt Conveyors: Interlocking plastic belt modules (polypropylene, acetal, or polyethylene) provide positive drive, open-hinge designs allow complete drainage and washdown access, individual module replacement reduces downtime versus continuous belt changes, and various surface patterns (flush, raised ribs, cleats) optimize product handling. Available in white, blue, or other colors for HACCP compliance and product visibility.

Additional Specialty Conveyor Types

Timing Belt Conveyors: Toothed belt with sprocket drive provides precise positioning for registration, indexing, and automation integration. Common in packaging machinery, assembly automation, and printing equipment feeding.

Wire Mesh Belt Conveyors: Open mesh stainless steel belt allows air circulation for cooling, drying, or coating applications. Heat-resistant up to 1,000 degrees F for baking, drying, and heat treating. Drainage capability for wet processes.

Carpet Top Belt Conveyors: Fabric belt surface prevents scratching delicate products such as automotive parts, painted components, and polished surfaces. Antistatic formulations for electronics handling.

Sidewall Belt Conveyors: Vertical sidewalls contain loose parts and bulk materials on inclines. Cleat heights and sidewall profiles customized for product characteristics. Handles parts feeding, bulk material elevation, and vertical transport in limited space.

Applications, Industry-Specific Solutions

Metalworking, Machining Operations: Chip conveyors removing CNC turnings and swarf with integrated coolant management, magnetic conveyors separating ferrous chips from cutting fluids, scrap collection systems consolidating metal waste for recycling, and machine integration with custom inlet designs matching specific CNC machine tool configurations.

Food Processing, Packaging: Sanitary belt conveyors with stainless steel construction meeting FDA and USDA requirements, modular plastic belt systems providing washdown capability and quick belt changes for allergen management, metal detection integration with inline magnetic separators and reject conveyors, and clean room conveyors with HEPA filtration and controlled environments for pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing.

Warehouse Shipping, Receiving: Flexible dock conveyors reducing truck loading time and manual handling, telescoping belt systems enabling deep trailer loading, portable conveyors repositioning between dock doors for operational flexibility, and temporary conveyor installations supporting seasonal peak periods or facility expansions.

Automotive Manufacturing: Magnetic conveyors transporting stamped parts and ferrous components, timing belt conveyors providing precise positioning for robotic assembly, carpet top belts protecting painted and polished surfaces, and custom fixtures for complex part geometries.

Custom Engineering, Application-Specific Design

Specialty conveyors often require custom engineering to address unique challenges. Our design team provides application analysis evaluating product characteristics, environmental factors, and operational constraints, custom conveyor configurations adapting standard technologies to specific needs, integration engineering coordinating specialty conveyors with existing equipment and facility infrastructure, and prototype development when standard solutions cannot meet requirements. We partner with leading manufacturers and leverage in-house fabrication capabilities to deliver solutions that work.

System Controls, Safety Features

Specialty conveyors integrate with programmable logic controllers (PLCs) for automated operation, emergency stop systems including pull-cords and safety interlocks, guarding and nip point protection meeting OSHA and ANSI standards, and washdown-rated controls (NEMA 4X) for food processing and sanitary applications. Explosion-proof components available for hazardous environments with combustible dusts or flammable materials.

Maintenance, Support Services

Our service team provides specialty conveyor maintenance including magnetic belt cleaning and demagnetization, chip conveyor coolant system servicing, flexible conveyor chain tensioning and wheel replacement, and sanitary conveyor belt changes with allergen control protocols. We stock replacement belts, chains, magnetic components, and specialty parts for rapid response throughout the Northeast & Mid-Atlantic region. Emergency repair services keep specialized operations running.

Frequently Paired Solutions

Custom conveyor applications often require specialized complementary equipment for optimal performance:

Industries We Serve