Machine Overview
| Machine type | Screw conveyor (horizontal auger feeder), driven by a gear motor |
| Feeds | Auger fillers and dosers, measuring cup and auger vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machines, multihead weighers, pre-made pouch fill-seal machines, bag weighers and bag fillers |
| Products | Powders and fine dry products, such as milk powder, whey, cheese and creamer powders, coffee, spices, flour, maize meal and building plaster |
| Layout | Level, or rising at an angle from a floor hopper to the filler’s inlet |
| Feeding pipe | 114 mm or 115 mm on lines we have supplied |
| Loading hopper | 200 L to 250 L on auger feeders we have supplied |
| Capacity | 500 to 1,500 kg/h on a horizontal feeder; 5 m³/h on an angled auger screw conveyor; depends on the product |
| Operation | Automatic, in step with the filler |
| Construction | SUS304 stainless steel, or SUS316 for products containing salt; 3 mm auger blades; removable motor for cleaning |
| Power | 750 W to 1.5 kW feeding motor |
| How it is bought | As part of a powder filling line, or on its own to add to a line you already run |
Configurations
A screw conveyor, which we also call a horizontal auger feeder, moves powder from a hopper to the filler with a turning screw inside a closed tube. It is usually supplied as part of a powder filling line, any of our semi-automatic fillers can be fed with one, and we also supply it on its own to feed a filler you already run. The layout is set by the filler it feeds and the height of that filler’s inlet.
01
A horizontal auger feeder carries powder from a hopper to a bag weigher. On the feeder we have configured for 5 kg to 25 kg ready-made bags, an 800 mm hopper feeds a 114 mm tube that discharges into the weigher above the bag. For maize meal, flour and building plaster in 5 kg to 50 kg bags, a screw conveyor feeds the gross-weighing bag filler.
Best for
•Powders in bags from 5 kg to 50 kg
•Maize meal, flour and plaster
•Dairy and flavour powders
Benefits
Keeps the weigher hopper supplied
Removable motor for cleaning
3 mm auger blades
02
An auger feeder lifts powder at an angle from a hopper at floor level into the hopper of a semi-automatic auger filler or doser. On one line we have supplied, an auger feeder with a 200 L hopper and a 114 mm tube keeps a servo-driven auger doser supplied for 10 g to 50 g doses. On a semi-automatic auger filler for 100 g to 5 kg pouches, an auger feeder with a 250 L container keeps the filler’s 50 L hopper full.
Best for
•Spices, coffee and milk powder
•Small doses from 10 g
•Pouches up to 5 kg
Benefits
Loading hopper at floor level
Runs in step with the filler
Closed tube keeps powder contained
03
On an automatic line, the screw conveyor feeds the auger filler mounted on a vertical form-fill-seal machine, which forms, fills and seals the bags from roll film. On an auger VFFS we have supplied for powder sachets up to 325 g, an auger screw conveyor with a 230 L container and a 115 mm tube lifts powder at 5 m³ an hour.
Best for
•Automatic powder bagging
•Bags formed from roll film
•Longer production runs
Benefits
Feeds while the VFFS runs
Matched to the auger’s output
No hand loading at the top of the machine
04
On a measuring cup VFFS machine we have supplied, an auger screw conveyor in SUS316 stainless steel, with a 230 L container and a 115 mm tube, lifts product at 5 m³ an hour to the machine’s measuring cups. The machine fills 9 g to 50 g sachets and pillow packs at 20 to 60 a minute.
Best for
•Small packs from 9 g
•Free-flowing dry products
•Sachets and pillow packs
Benefits
SUS316 stainless steel
230 L loading container
Keeps the cups supplied
05
On a line we have supplied, an auger feeder feeds the auger head of a fill-seal machine that opens, fills and seals pre-made pouches: stand-up and zipper pouches, three- and four-side seal bags, and paper and laminated bags. It fills 100 g to 800 g at 15 to 30 bags a minute, to within 1%.
Best for
•Seasoning, milk and coffee powders
•Glucose and starch
•Pre-made pouches from 100 g
Benefits
Feeds the auger head while the machine runs
Loading hopper at floor level
No bag, no fill on the pouch machine
Applications
Food powders. Dry food powders carried to an auger filler or weigher:
Spices and seasonings
Milk, whey and protein powders
Cheese and creamer powders
Flour, maize meal and plaster in bags. Heavier powders fed to a bag filler or bag weigher:
Maize meal and flour
Building plaster
Bags from 5 kg to 50 kg
Sachets and pouches. Powder fed to automatic packing machines:
Sachets up to 325 g on an auger VFFS
Pre-made pouches from 100 g to 800 g
Small packs from 9 g on a measuring cup VFFS
Other powders. If your powder is not listed here, send us a sample and tell us which filler it will feed, and we will check how it flows before we specify the screw conveyor.
The screw conveyor supplies the filler; for the filler itself, see semi-automatic filling machines and powder packaging machines. A screw conveyor can also feed a multihead weigher; on semi-automatic machines that weigh granules and loose pieces, the Z-type bucket elevator is the usual feeding configuration.
Specifications
A screw conveyor is matched to the product, the filler it feeds and how far and how high it carries the powder, so the figures below come from screw conveyors we have supplied rather than a fixed catalogue.
Capacity depends on how the powder flows: a free-flowing powder moves through the same tube faster than a dense or sticky one. The screw conveyor runs in step with the filler, so in practice it delivers what the filler uses.
| Screw conveyor | Feeding pipe | Capacity | Hopper | Build | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horizontal auger feeder for a powder bag weigher (5 kg to 25 kg bags) | 114 mm | 500–1,500 kg/h, depending on the product | 800 mm hopper; about 1 m from inlet to outlet | Gear motor, removable for cleaning; 3 mm auger blades | 380 V, 50 Hz, 1.5 kW |
| Auger feeder for a semi-automatic auger doser (10 g to 50 g) | 114 mm | Matched to the doser | 200 L | Runs with the doser and its agitator | 1.5 kW feeding motor; system on 220 V, 50 Hz |
| Auger screw conveyor for a measuring cup or auger VFFS (packs from 9 g to 325 g) | 115 mm | 5 m³/h | 230 L | SUS316 stainless steel; 130 kg | 380 V, 50 Hz, three-phase, 1.5 kW |
| Auger feeder for a semi-automatic auger filler (100 g to 5 kg pouches) | Matched to the filler | Matched to the filler | 250 L container | 130 kg | 750 W |
Not sure what your powder needs? Send us a sample and tell us which filler the screw conveyor will feed.
ABOUT THE MACHINE
A screw conveyor, or auger feeder, moves powder along a closed tube with a turning screw. Powder drops from the hopper onto the screw, and each turn pushes it along the tube to the outlet, where it falls into the filler’s hopper. The screw conveyor is synchronised with the filler, so powder arrives as the filler needs it without anyone topping up the hopper by hand.
Also known as
The powder moves through these steps:
On the horizontal auger feeder we have configured, the tube is 114 mm across and the auger blades are 3 mm thick, which stops them bending under dense powders. The gear motor is removable, so the tube and screw can be cleaned.
A screw conveyor can run level or rise at an angle. Set at an angle, the auger feeder lifts powder from a hopper at floor level up to a filler mounted higher, as on an auger VFFS line. We name it after the auger that moves the powder, not its shape; shapes such as Z-type and incline describe elevators.
See it running in our auger powder packing line video, which follows the powder from the screw conveyor to the finished bags.
Granular products such as rice, nuts and cereals are fed by a Z-type or incline elevator instead. Powder stays on the auger feeder, because on an elevator it spills and the dose is less accurate.
For how the auger filler doses the powder once it arrives, see auger filler vs measuring cup.
Case Studies
A spice producer feeding a semi-automatic auger filler with a screw conveyor, filling 1 kg to 3 kg pouches.
“Highly recommended! Excellent customer service, great prices, and they always go above and beyond.”
Ratings and reviews are published on our Google Business Profile, where they can be read in full and in context.
PackMan purchased an Automatic 6-Lane, 4-Side Seal Vinegar Packaging Machine, and it has been performing reliably since installation. The machine delivers consistent packaging quality, operates efficiently, and has met our production expectations.
SA Packaging Machinery delivered a solution that has met our expectations. The equipment has been reliable in daily production, and we’re pleased with its performance. We found the team knowledgeable, professional, and willing to assist whenever required.
We’ve been very happy with the equipment supplied by SA Packaging Machinery. It’s straightforward to use, performs consistently, and has helped us improve our production process. The team was easy to work with and made the entire experience smooth.
Comparison
A screw conveyor and an elevator are both feeders that carry product to the packing machine. A screw conveyor, or auger feeder, pushes powder along a closed tube with a turning auger. An elevator lifts granular products such as rice, nuts and cereals in buckets: a Z-type elevator is closed all the way, and an incline elevator is usually open, though it can be closed.
| Screw conveyor (auger feeder) | Z-type or incline elevator | |
|---|---|---|
| Carries | Powders | Granular products such as rice, nuts and cereals |
| Feeds | Auger fillers and dosers, measuring cups, multihead weighers, bag weighers, bag fillers and any of our semi-automatic fillers | Multihead weighers and measuring cups |
| How it moves product | A turning auger inside a closed tube | Buckets that lift and tip the product |
| Enclosed | Yes, a closed tube | Z-type closed all the way; incline elevator usually open |
| Named after | The auger that moves the product | The path it follows: Z-type or incline |
| Figures from our lines and quotations | 114 mm or 115 mm tube; 500 to 1,500 kg/h, or 5 m³/h on an angled auger screw conveyor; 750 W to 1.5 kW feeding motor | Z-type: 3 L buckets lifting 7,200 L an hour to a 14-head weigher for extruded maize snacks. Incline: 4 L buckets, IP65, supplied to feed salad leaves to a 14-head weigher. 750 W |
Choose a screw conveyor for powder. Powder is loose and messy: carried on a Z-type or incline elevator it spills, product is lost and the dose is less accurate, so we do not recommend it. Choose an elevator for granular products going to a multihead weigher or measuring cup; see the Z-type bucket elevator and the multihead weigher packing machine it feeds.
A horizontal auger feeder suits a filler supplied from a hopper beside it at about the same level, such as a bag weigher. An angled auger feeder lifts powder from a floor-level hopper to a filler mounted higher, such as a semi-automatic auger filler or the auger on a VFFS machine. The layout is drawn for your line once we know where the filler inlet sits.
Advantages
Choose a screw conveyor when topping up the filler by hand is slowing the line. A screw conveyor keeps the filler’s hopper supplied while the line runs, carries the powder in a closed tube rather than in open scoops, and lets the powder be tipped in at a hopper near the floor instead of lifted to the top of the filler.
Quotation
Every screw conveyor is quoted to your product and line rather than from a list price. For what shapes the figure on any machine quotation, see the packaging machine cost guide.
Why us
Every screw conveyor we supply is set up and handed over by our own technicians, together with the filler it feeds.
Installation and commissioning.
We position the screw conveyor at your filler, connect the power, set it to run in step with the filler and hand it over once powder is arriving steadily.
Operator training.
Your operators learn to load the hopper, run the screw conveyor with the filler, and remove the motor to clean the tube and screw.
Service, spares and support.
Spares are held in Johannesburg, and our technicians support the line in person and over phone and video. Every machine carries a one-year warranty.
Choosing the right screw conveyor starts with the product, the filler it feeds, and how far and how high the powder has to travel.
You might also like
Browse the full range
Filling MachinesSealing MachinesFlow WrapHorizontal Fill-SealHorizontal Form-Fill-SealCartoningCup Fill and SealTube Fill and SealLabellingShrink Sleeve LabellingShrink TunnelSleeve Sealer and Shrink TunnelL-Bar SealerSide Bar SealerBlister and ClamshellBottle Filler-Capper-LabellerCan Fill-SeamWrapping MachinesPiston FillerAuger FillerZ-Type Bucket ElevatorVacuum PackagingPallet Wrapping
SA Packaging Machinery supplies screw conveyors across South Africa and Southern Africa, usually as part of a powder filling line and also on their own to add to a line you already run. Send us your product and tell us about your line, and we will specify the screw conveyor to suit and quote it.
Questions
Yes. A screw conveyor and an auger feeder are the same machine: a turning screw, or auger, inside a tube that moves powder from a hopper to a filler. We call the level version a horizontal auger feeder.
A screw conveyor feeds powders and fine dry products to an auger filler or doser, a measuring cup or auger VFFS machine, a multihead weigher, a pre-made pouch fill-seal machine, a powder bag weigher or a bag filler. Granular products such as rice, nuts and cereals are usually fed by a Z-type or incline elevator instead.
The horizontal auger feeder we have supplied for a bag weigher moves 500 to 1,500 kg an hour through a 114 mm tube, and the auger screw conveyor on a measuring cup VFFS line moves 5 m³ an hour through a 115 mm tube. The real figure depends on how the powder flows, and the screw conveyor runs in step with the filler, so it delivers what the filler uses.
Yes. Set at an angle, an auger feeder lifts powder from a hopper at floor level up to a filler mounted higher, such as a semi-automatic auger filler or the auger on a VFFS machine. A horizontal auger feeder runs level, beside the filler it feeds.
The gear motor on our horizontal auger feeder is removable, so the tube and screw can be opened up and cleaned between products. Product-contact parts are SUS304 stainless steel, or SUS316 for products containing salt.
The screw conveyors we have supplied use a 750 W to 1.5 kW feeding motor, on three-phase 380 V, 50 Hz, or on 220 V where the conveyor runs with a semi-automatic auger doser.
Yes. A screw conveyor is usually supplied as part of a powder filling line, but we also supply it on its own to feed a filler, weigher or packing machine you already run. Tell us the height of the filler’s inlet, where the loading hopper will stand and the output you need.
