Unit Load (Case) Spiral Conveyor
Ryson Case Spiral conveyors move cartons, cases, trays, totes and packaged goods vertically in a continuous flow while minimizing floor space. They are commonly used in warehouse automation, distribution centers, food and beverage packaging, consumer packaged goods, and industrial manufacturing lines where products need to move up or down without slowing throughput.
- Overview
Increase Throughput with a Smaller Footprint
Replace long incline conveyors or intermittent lifts with a compact vertical conveying solution engineered for reliable unit-load handling, smooth product transitions, and low-maintenance operation.
The Ryson Unit Load Spiral Conveyor, often called a Case Spiral, is designed for vertical movement of packaged products. Available slat widths include 12, 16, 20, 24 and 26 inches, with total product weight capacity up to 1,800 lbs at any one time. Ryson Case Spirals can move products up or down and are available in powder-coated carbon steel, stainless steel, hybrid and freezer versions.
The Ryson Unit Load Spiral Conveyors – or case spiral – can convey cartons, cases, trays, totes and all sorts of packaged goods up or down in a continuous flow. Central to our design is the Ryson proprietary slat-style belts designed with rolling friction without any sliding movements or wear strips. This facilitates a small footprint, high speed, low noise, low maintenance and a long life. Ryson Spirals are available in powder coated carbon steel, stainless steel, hybrid and freezer versions.
Most of our Spiral Conveyors are shipped without controls because they normally integrate with an overall conveyor control system. Our spirals always include an inverter duty gear motor and two proximity sensors, one for the automatic chain tensioner and one for the overload protection device. We also offer a number of controls and pre-wiring options.
Integration and controls
Most Ryson Spiral Conveyors ship without controls because they typically integrate with the facility conveyor control system. Each spiral includes an inverter-duty gear motor and two proximity sensors: one for the automatic chain tensioner and one for overload protection. A Variable Frequency Drive, or VFD, is required for proper operation. Ryson shop tests all spirals before shipment and provides integration guidance for optimum system performance. Read about our Integration instructions.
- Gallery
- 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.
Most Spirals ship in one piece and leave our factory pre-assembled and pre-tested. 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.
Only one drive motor is required, resulting in substantial savings in energy, controls and systems integration.
All Ryson Spiral Conveyors are made to order and comes in a wide range of sizes and configurations.
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.
All Ryson Spirals are designed with a horizontal section at the in and outfeed. This assures a safe and reliable transition between the spiral and adjoining conveyors without product damage and undue wear.
Our proprietary chain slat belt assures a low noise operation, less than 75 db in most cases.
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 powder coated carbon steel with choice of any standard RAL color. They are also available in hybrid versions suitable for wet environments or stainless steel versions for washdown applications.
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
Width
Width
Standard Case / Unit Load Spirals
- Videos
When to choose a Case Spiral instead of another vertical conveyor
Choose a Case Spiral when you need continuous vertical movement of cartons, cases, trays, totes or packaged goods in a compact footprint. A case lift may be acceptable for intermittent or lower-throughput transfers. A bucket elevator is typically a better fit for bulk or loose products. A long incline conveyor may work where floor space is not constrained, but a spiral is often stronger when space, throughput and reliability are priorities.
Why choose a Ryson Spiral?
Ryson specializes in vertical conveying solutions and builds Case Spirals around practical operational needs: small footprint, continuous flow, low maintenance, product protection, and integration flexibility. Spirals are pre-assembled, shop tested and supported by factory-trained service technicians. Ryson also offers powder-coated, stainless steel, hybrid and freezer versions to match application and environment requirements.
- Single-drive design can reduce energy use, controls complexity, and integration cost.
- Low rolling friction operation eliminates sliding movements and wear strips in the spiral.
- The spiral can stop and start fully loaded.
- The belt has a load-carrying capacity of up to 75 lbs per linear foot where applicable to the Spiral design.
- Sealed-for-life bearings, replaceable nylon composite slats, and infrequent chain lubrication support low maintenance.
- Automatic chain tensioning and built-in overload protection help protect the conveyor and products.
- Low-noise operation is less than 75 dB in most cases.
- Powder coated, stainless steel, and wet environment versions are available.
- Most spirals ship pre-assembled and pre-tested to reduce installation and integration time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Case Spiral used for?
A Case Spiral is used to move cartons, cases, trays, totes, and packaged goods vertically in a continuous flow while using less floor space than conventional incline conveyors.
What kinds of products are best for a Case Spiral?
Case Spirals are best for stable unitized loads such as cases, cartons, trays, and totes that can transfer reliably onto a slat-style conveying surface. The maximum product size dictates which model Spiral to specify.
What slat widths are available for Case Spirals?
Ryson Case Spirals are shown with 12 inch, 16 inch, 20 inch, 24 inch, and 26 inch slat widths, giving operations several options for different case and package sizes. High Capacity Spirals come with 30 and 36 inch slats.
What is the weight capacity of a Case Spiral?
The Ryson Unit Load Spiral’s total weight capacity at any one time as 1,800 lbs for the Case Spiral family.
Why use a Case Spiral instead of a case lift?
A Case Spiral provides continuous flow, while many case lifts operate in cycles. Spirals are typically better for high-throughput applications that need steady product movement between elevations. A Spiral Conveyor can also convey many different product sizes without the need for adjustments.
Can a Case Spiral integrate with plant controls?
Most Ryson Spirals ship without controls because they typically integrate with a facility conveyor control system. Ryson includes an inverter-duty gear motor and proximity sensors; a VFD is required for proper operation.
How does the Ryson chain-slat design work?
Ryson uses a proprietary chain-slat belt that rolls inside two tracks that are designed rolling friction without sliding movements or wear strips. This supports low friction, smooth handling, reduced wear, low noise, and the ability to stop and start fully loaded.
How does a Case Spiral improve throughput?
A Case Spiral moves loads continuously rather than cycling one load at a time like many lift-style systems. Ryson notes that many spirals can operate at speeds above 200 FPM depending on the application.