In today’s technology and within certain temperature levels, lump size, inclination and lenght, the equipment commonly used to transport bulk materials in an enclosed casing is the Drag Chain Conveyor.

But this system is bringing O&M issues, which the Magaldi Ecomag/Ecobelt can eliminate, leading to substantial cost savings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following table shows the main differences:

MAGALDI ECOMAG/ECOBELT	DRAG CHAIN CONVEYOR
Dependability
It is with no doubts its best feature. Even if some components break, the belt never stops. There are no possibility of sudden failures. Maintenance can be performed during scheduled shut-downs. Magaldi guarantees no sudden breaks of Superbelt for 5 years.	Any chain can suddenly break in its weakest point. In case of chain breakage, the conveyor stops with consequent loss of production. A chain breakage cannot be predicted.
High temperature resistance
The Magaldi Superbelt withstands higher temperatures than standard chain conveyors, because the belt components are free to expand in any direction without permanent deformation. And all rotating component are placed outside the steel casing in a cool environment.	Drag Chain conveyors have a limited resistance to high temperatures. Hot environment temperature over (T>350°C – 660°F) causes loss in hardness of chains and sprockets.
Ability to handle big lumps of any hardness
The Magaldi Ecobelt is based on a belt technology, therefore it can be sized to handle any big lumps. It is available in widths that range from 300 mm (1 ft) to 1.200 mm (4 ft).	Drag chain conveyors work fine with bulk material of almost fine grain size. Should the material contain also very hard lumps or metal pieces, the chain will be subjected to overload with consequent possible chain sudden breakages.
Inclination ability
The Magaldi Ecobelt can incline up to 45°. The belt is provided with transversal cleats to form a sort of “bucket” conveyor that can efficiently transport any material at high inclination.	Inclination reduces quickly the capacity of drag chain conveyors. The steeper the incline, the lower the tonnage they can handle. This results in a useless over-sizing of the conveyor with consequent cost increase.
Wearing resistance
The Magaldi Ecobelt, based on a belt technology, simply transport the material without dragging it. Abrasive materials do not affect its life because there is no relative movement between handled material and the belt’s pans during conveyance. Even in the heaviest applications the expected life of the belt is 10 years and the belt comes with a standard 5 years warranty.	Drag chain conveyors, as the name suggest, continuously “drag” the material in the conveyor casing. The handled material is continuously “grinded” between the chain scrapers and the casing itself, resulting in a quick wearing of those components. Regular maintenance is therefore required and life of the component can be very short, depending on material abrasiveness.
Low operational cost
The Magaldi Ecobelt requires less power than drag chain conveyors. It lasts longer and requires less spare parts stock.	Drag chain conveyors require high installed power due to the friction between the transported material and the casing. Moreover they require to have a complete set of spare chain and sprocket because of sudden breakage.