Air supported-belt conveyors have been used for over 20 years, and offer a number of benefits in the bulk handling industries. After a long acceptance period in bulk handling, they have recently found successful applications in the cement industry. Air-supported belt conveyors were developed In over 20 years ago and have since been used extensively in the movement of bottles and cans in packaging operations and for the conveying of unprocessed grain. However, innovations in bulk solids conveying are slow to take hold in practice, with major advances being accepted only after significant introduction periods that are as long as 20 or 30 There are many reasons for the slow acceptance of new technology in bulk material handling. In the case of air-supported conveying it was due in part to the systems's counter-intuitive operating principles and in part to its perceived cost. The installed price of air-supported conveyors has often been several times the price of 'conventional' idler conveyors. In addition, the mention of 'air' in most industrial facilities immediately creates a vision of expensive high-pressure compressed air, which is frequently in short supply.
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