- Overview
What Is a Ryson High Capacity Spiral Conveyor?
A Ryson High Capacity Spiral Conveyor is a heavy-duty vertical conveyor designed to move larger, heavier, or higher-volume loads between elevations in a compact footprint. It is built for operations that need more capacity than a standard spiral conveyor while maintaining continuous product flow and reliable handling.
The High Capacity model is larger and more robust than Ryson standard spirals, while still using the space-saving spiral layout that helps facilities avoid long incline conveyors or batch-style lifting equipment. It is well suited for heavier items, varied product sizes, and operations that use overhead space to maximize plant or warehouse efficiency.
Where Are High Capacity Spiral Conveyors Used?
High Capacity Spirals are used anywhere a facility needs reliable vertical movement of unit loads without sacrificing floor space or throughput. They are especially valuable in multi-level warehouses, order picking systems, packaging lines, distribution centers, and production environments where cartons, cases, totes, trays, and packaged goods must move continuously between elevations. They can optionally be configured to allow loads to enter or exit at intermediate elevations.
What Capacity Can Ryson High Capacity Spirals Handle?
Ryson High Capacity Spirals are designed for demanding vertical conveying applications. The low-friction chain system supports up to 75 lb per linear foot of conveyor, speeds up to 200 FPM, and a total spiral load of 3,600 lb at any one time. The conveyor can also start and stop fully loaded.
This capacity makes the system a strong fit for heavier unit loads, larger products, high-volume warehouse automation, and production environments where continuous flow is required. Final sizing should be based on product weight, dimensions, stability, line speed, elevation change, available footprint, and integration requirements.
How Does the Spiral Design Save Floor Space?
A spiral conveyor moves product vertically around a central tower, allowing facilities to connect elevations within a compact footprint. Compared with a long incline conveyor, this can preserve valuable production or warehouse space while still supporting continuous product movement.
This is especially important in brownfield facilities, distribution centers, mezzanine systems, packaging lines, and operations where floor space is constrained but throughput cannot be sacrificed.
Our High Capacity Spirals can also optionally be configured to allow loads to enter and exit the spirals at several intermediate elevations. Special induction and divert conveyors have individually adjustable conveying surfaces to match the spiral pitch, assuring a safe and reliable product transfer. See our Multiple Entry and Exit Spirals page for more information. Ryson Spirals are designed for low maintenance and long life. An innovative modular design allows Ryson to customize with ease and modify in the field to accommodate emerging needs.
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- Features & Benefits
Ryson Spiral Conveyors have many unique features that make them ideal Vertical Conveying Solutions. Many of our features are designed to save money in the long term, essentially lowering your total cost of ownership.
Design Flexibility: Our unique design offers flexibility of configuration. It also adds the ability to field modify to accommodate changing future needs at a fraction of the cost of a new conveyor.
Overlapping slats provide a smooth and efficient conveying surface, ensuring gentle product handling and suitable for all types of conveyable items. Our efficient rolling friction chain-slat design only needs a single drive, resulting in substantial savings in energy, controls and systems integration.
Our innovative chain-slat design enables a low friction operation without any sliding movements or wear-strips. This allows the Spiral to stop and start fully loaded.
Our efficient rolling friction chain-slat design only needs a single drive, resulting in substantial savings in energy, controls and systems integration.
Simple to Install: Many models ship in one piece. All are pre-tested. Our larger units may require some disassembly for shipment. Installation is generally an efficient process and reduces time for implantation and integration.
Our Spirals and components are designed for reliability, low maintenance and long life. They have an impressive up-time record reducing the total cost of ownership.
Click below to read details about more of our features:
The proprietary low friction chain slat belt allow Ryson Spiral Conveyors to operate within a small footprint, saving valuable floor space. See the chart below for specific dimensions on our most popular models.
Our innovative modular design allows Ryson to customize any spiral conveyor with ease and can also be economically modified in the field to accommodate changing needs. All spiral conveyors are made to order and can operate up or down in a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation and can optionally be reversible. The position and length of the in feed tangent on up spirals and out feed tangent on down spirals can be customized to meet specific layout requirements.
All Ryson Spiral Conveyors are made to order and comes in a wide range of sizes and configurations.
This innovative belt enables a low rolling friction operation without any sliding movements or wear strips on the spiral conveyor. The belt is pulled by a heavy duty steel roller chain and the slats are supported by precision steel roller bearings which ride on a polyurethane surface. This arrangement effectively takes up the side forces created by a tight radius and at the same time increases the load carrying capacity of the belt up to 75 lbs per linear foot. This enables the spiral conveyors to start and stop fully loaded and facilitates high speed, low noise and long life.
All Ryson Spiral Conveyors are equipped with an automatic chain tensioning device and built-in overload protection as a standard. This helps save both the Spiral and the product it is conveying.
Our proprietary chain slat belt assures a low noise operation, less than 75 db in most cases.
The Ryson modular design makes it easy to field modify our spirals in case of unplanned installation changes or to reconfigure and repurpose the spirals at a later date. Click to see some examples:
The Spiral Conveyors convey loads up or down in a continuous flow, facilitating high throughput. Many spirals can operate at speeds in excess of 200 FPM and are optionally reversible.
Ryson Spirals are designed for low maintenance and long life. Only high quality components are used throughout. All bearings are sealed for life and need no further lubrication. The chain is of heavy duty nickel plated construction and needs only infrequent lubrication. The slats are made of a nylon composite, need no maintenance and can easily be replaced as single components without the use of special tools. Ryson has a full staff of factory trained service technicians ready to assist. All of our service techs are PMMI Certified Trainers. All of these factors contribute to Ryson’s low total cost of ownership.
- Specs & Configurations
Most Common Models
Diameter
Diameter
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High Capacity / Wide Track Spirals
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Why Choose Ryson for High Capacity Vertical Conveying?
Ryson High Capacity Spirals are built for facilities that need heavy-duty vertical movement, continuous flow, compact footprint, and long-term flexibility. The design combines a proprietary low-friction chain-slat belt, single-drive operation, modular construction, and field-modifiable configuration options to help reduce integration complexity and total cost of ownership.
- Handles up to 3,600 lb total weight in the spiral at any one time.
- Supports up to 75 lb per linear foot of conveyor and speeds up to 200 FPM.
- Uses one drive motor to simplify controls, integration, energy use, and maintenance.
- Can start and stop fully loaded.
- Offers intermediate infeed and outfeed options for multi-level systems.
- Ships pre-tested, and many models ship in one piece.
- Designed for low maintenance with sealed bearings, infrequent chain lubrication, and replaceable slats.
- Backed by factory-trained service technicians and PMMI Certified Trainers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a High Capacity Spiral?
A High Capacity Spiral is designed for larger and heavier loads, higher throughput, and taller elevation changes than standard unit-load spiral conveyors. They can also be configured to allow loads to enter and exit the spiral at intermediate elevations.
When should a warehouse choose a High Capacity Spiral?
A High Capacity Spiral is designed for heavier loads, higher throughput, and taller elevation changes than standard unit-load spiral conveyors.
Can High Capacity Spirals support multiple levels?
Yes. High Capacity Spirals can be configured with intermediate entry or exit points when products need to enter or leave the spiral at different elevations. A perfect solution for multi-tiered picking operations.
Can a High Capacity Spiral start and stop fully loaded?
Yes. Ryson High- Capacity Spiral models can be stopped and started fully loaded, which is important for warehouse and order-picking reliability.
Can Ryson customize the conveyor layout?
Yes. Ryson Spiral Conveyors are made to order and can be customized for rotation direction, infeed and outfeed tangents, and layout requirements. Field modification may also be possible when future needs change.
How does a spiral conveyor compare with an incline conveyor?
An incline conveyor can work when floor space is available, but it often requires a long run to reach the desired elevation. A spiral conveyor provides vertical movement in a compact footprint, which is especially useful in brownfield layouts and space-constrained facilities.
What slat widths are available for High Capacity Spirals?
Ryson High Capacity Spirals are available with Slat widths: 16 in, 24 in, 30 in, and 36 in.