Over 10,000+ customers' choice, Focus on screening industry 40+ years
In food powder processing, feeding, screening, storage and conveying are the essential steps that every batch must go through. Under the traditional model, these steps are often completed by separate, independent machines. Material is unbagged at the feeding station, then transferred – manually or mechanically – to the screening machine, then to the storage silo, and finally conveyed to the next process. Each time the material is transferred, it faces the risks of dust escape, contamination, and manual intervention.
This "segmented operations" model brings a cascade of problems. Dust is generated during feeding, making it difficult to maintain workshop cleanliness. Material is exposed to the air during transfer, accumulating moisture and contamination risks. The lack of coordination between steps means that the feeding speed fluctuates, causing downstream equipment to either wait for material or receive too much at once. With many manual intervention points, the risk of foreign matter entering the product is ever‑present.
Is there a way to combine feeding, screening, storage and conveying into a single system?
The Gaofu modular vacuum conveying system for food powders is the answer to this question. Using a modular design architecture, it integrates four functional modules – dust‑free feeding, in‑line screening, enclosed storage and vacuum conveying – into a complete automated feeding solution. From raw material entry to downstream processes, food powders are handled in a fully enclosed, continuous and controlled manner.
The Gaofu modular vacuum conveying system for food powders consists of four core units: feeding module, screening module, storage module and conveying module. Each unit is seamlessly connected through enclosed pipelines and signal interlocking. From the moment material enters the system until it reaches the downstream receiving equipment, the entire process runs in a closed environment without manual intervention.
Module 1: Dust‑Free Feeding – Controlling Dust at the Source
The front end of the system is equipped with a dust‑free feeding station, using a fully enclosed bag‑opening and feeding structure. The dust collection fan creates a continuous negative pressure environment at the feed port, so the dust generated at the moment of bag opening is drawn into the filtration system before it can disperse. Dust collection efficiency can reach 99.9% , and workshop dust concentration can be controlled to ≤0.1 mg/m³. The collected dust is automatically recovered into the hopper by the pulse reverse‑cleaning device, and material loss can be controlled to ≤0.5%.
Module 2: In‑Line Screening – Impurity Removal During Material Flow
After feeding, the food powder directly enters the in‑line screening module without intermediate transfer. The system has a built‑in vibrating screen (safety screen). As the material passes through the feed port, lumps, packaging debris, fibre impurities and other foreign matter are effectively intercepted. Screening accuracy can be flexibly configured according to material characteristics – from coarse impurity removal to fine classification, all completed in the same machine. This design turns "screening" from a separate step into a built‑in part of the feeding flow. Material is classified as it moves, requiring no additional floor space or transfer time.
Module 3: Enclosed Storage – Clean Temporary Storage, On‑Demand Feeding
After screening, the acceptable material enters the enclosed storage module. The storage hopper has a fully enclosed structure, keeping raw materials isolated from air and manual contact from storage to conveying, avoiding dust contamination and foreign matter entry. Level sensors monitor the material level in the hopper in real time, automatically controlling the start/stop of upstream feeding and downstream conveying. The storage hopper design gives the system a "buffer" capability – upstream feeding and downstream supply do not need to be perfectly synchronised; the system automatically adjusts according to production rhythm, avoiding the problems of "supply interruption or over‑accumulation" common in traditional models.
Module 4: Vacuum Conveying – Continuous Feeding in Enclosed Pipelines
Material from the storage hopper is delivered through the vacuum conveying system along enclosed pipelines to downstream equipment – whether a mixer, packing machine or other receiving equipment. The system uses negative pressure vacuum as the driving force. The inner walls of the pipelines are mirror‑polished, with no hygiene dead corners, minimising material residue. The system supports horizontal conveying distances of 8 to 40 metres and vertical lifts of up to 15 metres, with pipeline routing flexibly configured according to workshop layout. The conveying capacity covers a wide range of 200 to 6,000 kg/hour , adapting to the capacity needs of food production lines of different scales.
When feeding, screening, storage and conveying change from "segmented operations" to "integrated process flow", the operation of food powder processing lines undergoes three fundamental changes.
Change 1: From "dust everywhere" to "enclosed and dust‑free". In the traditional model, material is exposed to the air multiple times during feeding, transfer and screening. The modular system places all steps inside enclosed pipelines and sealed equipment. Food powders run from feeding to conveying without contacting the external environment. The negative pressure dust collection system of the feeding station keeps dust concentration at the feed port low, while the enclosed pipelines of the vacuum conveying system prevent dust escape during conveying.
Change 2: From "manual coordination" to "automatic synchronisation". In the traditional model, coordination between steps relies on manual judgment and operation – workers decide when to feed, when to start screening and when to start conveying based on experience. The modular system uses PLC intelligent control to achieve automatic synchronisation between modules. The built‑in intelligent coordination control module automatically adjusts the feeding speed according to the production process timing, achieving continuous operation of "feeding – screening – storage – conveying". One system can replace the feeding workload of 3 to 5 people , with automated feeding efficiency 3 to 5 times that of manual operation.
Change 3: From "data blind spots" to "full visibility". In the traditional model, data such as feed volume, screening efficiency, storage level and conveying speed are scattered across different steps, and managers cannot see the overall picture in real time. The modular system is equipped with an intelligent central control platform with a touch‑screen interface, monitoring raw material remaining, feeding speed, metering data, equipment status and more in real time. The system can be integrated with an MES system to achieve digital management and traceability of raw material usage data. Production managers can monitor material usage at any time, providing accurate data support for production decisions.
Food powders – milk powder, starch, protein powder, sugar powder, flour, etc. – have special requirements during conveying and storage that are different from ordinary powders. The Gaofu modular vacuum conveying system incorporates the following specialised design features:
Food‑grade stainless steel. All parts of the system that come into direct contact with food powders – pipelines, hoppers, storage bins – are made of food‑grade stainless steel, with mirror‑polished surfaces and no hygiene dead corners. Seals are made of food‑grade materials, ensuring that the entire process does not contact any non‑food‑grade materials.
Fully enclosed moisture‑proof design. Food powders are mostly hygroscopic and can become lumpy in humid environments. The fully enclosed structure effectively blocks external moisture, preventing secondary moisture absorption during conveying and storage. The mirror‑polished inner walls of the pipelines minimise material residue – "zero" residue.
Precise metering and recipe management. The system is equipped with an intelligent metering module that can automatically measure ingredients and add them precisely according to the recipe. The system features recipe confidentiality management, supporting password‑protected recipe access by position and authority level. Supports one‑click recipe switching, compatible with multiple product varieties.
Explosion‑proof safety configuration (optional). For potential dust explosion risks in food powder processing, the core equipment of the system can be certified by CNEX (China National Explosion‑Proof Certification).
About Gaofu Machinery
Xinxiang Gaofu Machinery Co., Ltd. was originally founded in the 1980s. After more than 40 years of development, the company has become a "National Specialized and Sophisticated 'Little Giant' Enterprise", a "National Green Factory", a "National High-tech Enterprise", a "National Intellectual Property Advantage Enterprise", and the "President Unit of the Vibration Association". It also hosts the "Henan Provincial Industrial Design Center", the "Henan Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Intelligent Online Screening Systems", and the "Xinxiang Municipal Engineering Technology Research Center for Fine Screening". The company has been granted more than 500 invention, utility model and design patents, has received the "Science and Technology Achievement Award" issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and has participated in drafting four "National Standards".
Gaofu's product portfolio covers several series and hundreds of varieties, including vibrating screening equipment, conveying equipment, and automated material handling systems. Its main products include one-stop solutions such as automatic feeding systems, powder feeding systems, pneumatic conveying systems, weighing and batching systems, minor ingredient batching systems, water supply systems, oil supply systems, fluid conveying systems, central kitchen powder feeding systems, powder conveying systems, and top-loading feeding systems. The food system production lines mainly include:
Bakery production lines: bread production line, cake production line, shortbread production line, croissant production line, toast production line, pizza production line, biscuit production line, hamburger production line;
Dough product production lines: steamed bun production line, stuffed bun production line, twisted roll production line, sesame paste baked bun production line, steamed dumpling production line, dumpling production line, youtiao (fried dough stick) production line, stuffed pancake production line.
Gaofu products are not only popular in Greater China but are also exported to more than 100 countries and regions, including Russia, Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, etc. They are widely used in many industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, metallurgy, building materials, mining, thermal power, and environmental protection, earning the trust and praise of over 10,000 customers worldwide. The company adheres to its mission: "Enhance material quality and efficiency, meet customer needs", walking side by side with customers for harmonious and win-win cooperation. Today, Gaofu has become an approved supplier to many Fortune 500 companies, including CNPC, Sinopec, Sinochem Group, China Resources Group, Sinopharm Group, COFCO Group, China National Building Material Group, China Aerospace, and Jinchuan Group.
