Beyond Cooling: How a Spiral Elevator Makes Better Use of Production Space

Our recent spice-roasting installation in Sleaford reduced roasted spice temperature from 95°C to 15°C, achieving an 80°C temperature reduction. But the benefit goes beyond the temperature at the outlet.

With 60 metres of product travel within a 3-metre-tall spiral, the system brings cooling and material handling together—helping the manufacturer make better use of factory space, reduce separate handling stages and maintain an automated production flow.

How does it compare with other cooling solutions?

Manufacturers have several options for cooling food products. Belt cooling conveyors transport products while they cool, while fluid-bed systems use air passing through a bed of particles to deliver effective heat transfer. Each has its place, depending on the product and production requirements.

A vibrating cooling spiral is particularly useful where a process needs both cooling time and a change in elevation. Instead of allocating floor space to a long horizontal cooling route and installing separate lifting equipment, manufacturers can combine these functions in one unit.

For the Sleaford installation, the spiral provides a substantial travel distance without requiring a 60-metre straight conveyor layout.

Fewer transfers and less manual handling

Compared with a process that relies on cooling in trays or containers before transferring material onwards, an integrated spiral can reduce loading, unloading and movement between stages.

That means fewer occasions when operators need to handle hot product, fewer containers moving around the production area and less dependence on someone being available to transfer the next batch.

Combining conveying and cooling can also remove intermediate transfer points. Each transfer avoided is one fewer place where product could spill or require additional collection and cleaning.

A simpler conveying mechanism

A vibrating spiral moves material along its trough through vibration, without a travelling conveyor belt. This removes belt-specific maintenance tasks such as tracking, tensioning and belt replacement from that section of the line.

The equipment still requires routine maintenance, but the difference matters when comparing the practical demands of alternative conveying systems over years of production.

Keeping production moving

The time-saving benefit comes from overlapping two necessary tasks: transporting the spices and removing heat.

Where a separate batch-cooling stage could leave material waiting for transfer, the spiral allows product to keep progressing through the process. Automatic operation supports the processing of tonnes of material and is suitable for 24/7 production, with scheduled cleaning, inspection and maintenance.

This can help reduce intermediate product accumulation and make the flow between roasting and subsequent operations easier to manage.

Food-grade construction and wider applications

The Sleaford spiral’s food-grade stainless steel construction provides a durable surface suitable for food-processing use. Effective hygiene also depends on the equipment’s finish, accessibility and cleaning procedures—particularly when switching between spices or handling allergens.

The same cooling-and-conveying approach can be assessed for other bulk food products, including seeds, grains and pulses. Product trials and process specifications establish the appropriate throughput, residence time and cooling arrangement for each application.

For manufacturers, the value is a system that performs several jobs within the available space: moving product, changing its elevation and bringing its temperature down as part of one continuous process.

Contact Spiral Elevators Ltd to discuss how spiral cooling and conveying could fit your production line.