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Key Features

  • Four cable hoist drive system offers enhanced stability and improved cable service factor over traditional two and three cable hoist drive systems

  • Center mount motor mounted beneath the main pan housing for better protection from the elements of its surrounding environment

  • Three-piece pulleys are computer numerical control (CNC) machined with rounded edges and precision cable grooves

  • Outer sleeve encompasses the spout’s internal stacking cones and contain fugitive dusts generated during the loading process

  • Outer sleeve material construction options are flexible and durable, allowing the spout to extend and retract without creating tears or other wear

  • Low profile inner support rings, used in conjunction with extruded outer support rings.

  • Designed with internal cones which stack upon one another as the spout retracts -(in doing so, the spout’s overall height is condensed to a low profile that maximizes clearance available overhead)

  • Available in a variety of sizes

  • Food friendly options available

Hoist Drive System

Four cable hoist drive system offers enhanced stability and improved cable service factor over traditional two and three cable hoist drive systems.

Power of Comparison: Because four cable hoist drive systems have one or two additional lifting cables, compared to traditional two and three cable hoist drive systems, it creates a more even weight distribution across a greater number of lifting cables. This results in less stress on each lifting cable, which reduces cable wear, increases cable service factor and prolongs cable service life. Vortex lifting cables are breakage-resistant. Individually, they can withstand up to 400 lb | 180 kg of tension. Collectively, a spout’s four lifting cables provide total breakage resistance of 1,600 lb | 725 kg of tension.

Center Mount Motor

Mounted beneath the main pan housing for better protection from the elements of its surrounding environment. The main pan housing is constructed from A36 mild steel.
Motor Voltage Options: (**Other motor voltage options available upon request.)
•  400 volt/50 hertz
•  460 volt/60 hertz
•  575 volt/60 hertz

Vortex® Loading Spout motors are three-phase motor/reducer drive units which feature an integral braking system. Single-phase motors are available.

Power of Comparison: In other loading spouts offered by the industry, a braking system must be sourced separately from the spout’s motor. The Vortex Loading Spout is factory supplied with an integral braking system, as a standard. *One year warranty on all motor and electrical components.

Machined Pulleys

The Vortex® Loading Spout’s three-piece pulleys are computer numerical control (CNC) machined with rounded edges and precision cable grooves.

Power of Comparison: Many alternative loading spouts offered by the industry feature standard pulleys as part of their hoist drive systems. Often, these standard pulleys have rough edges which cause the lifting cables to fray. To eliminate cable fraying, the Vortex Loading Spout features two CNC-machined three-piece pulleys with rounded edges and precision cable grooves. This design prevents cable failure and other costly downtime for cable repair. Vortex is confident in the durability of their lifting cables, compared to other industry suppliers; so much so that Vortex Lifting Cables carry a 10-year warranty for wear, tear and workmanship. With less cable wear comes reduced maintenance cost, which allows for more efficient loading operations. In other loading spouts offered by the industry, fabricated pulley grooves can be inconsistent, which can cause the lifting cables to bind or overlap. This results in poor lifting performance, accelerated cable wear, spout imbalances and backlash. To address this concern, the Vortex Loading Spout’s CNC-machined pulleys are also designed with precision cable grooves to ensure smooth, balanced spout extensions and retractions.

*Travel or rotary limit switches are available to set boundaries on spout full-extension and full-retraction. An absolute encoder is available to set boundaries for intermediate positions.

Sleeve Support Ring Construction

The Vortex Loading Spout incorporates low profile inner support rings, used in conjunction with extruded outer support rings. The rings are fastened together using a high performance clamping method. Both the inner and outer support rings are constructed from aluminum.

Power of Comparison: Many alternative loading spouts offered by the industry feature inner and outer support rings which are fastened together using rivets, nuts, bolts and/or screws. In order to thread these fasteners, punctures must be made in the outer sleeve material. This creates vulnerable areas where the outer sleeve can cut, tear or experience other forms of failure early on in the spout’s lifecycle. To resolve this issue, Vortex’s high performance clamping method eliminates punctures in the outer sleeve material. Also, over time, the mechanical fasteners used in alternative loading spout designs can break and/or loosen, allowing them to fall away into the material load. To eliminate this potential source of foreign metal fragment contamination, the Vortex Loading Spout’s high performance clamping method rids the inner support rings of exposed mechanical fasteners.

Standard Cone Cable Clips

The Vortex Loading Spout’s stacking cones are suspended from three internal cables. As a standard, each cone is fastened to the internal cables by a series of u-bolt and nut harness guides. This fastening method provides ease of maintenance. If a cone must be maintained or replaced, that cone’s u-bolts and nuts can be simply unfastened and the cone removed from service without manipulating other cones above or below it.

Food Friendly Cone Cable Clips

The Vortex Loading Spout’s standard u-bolt and nut harness guides are replaced with steel pegs. Each steel peg features a precision-drilled hole for the cable to pass through. The peg is locked in place along the internal cables using a Loctite®-treated set screw.

Power of Comparison: When using u-bolt and nut harness guides in food grade applications, either of the fasteners can break and/or loosen, allowing them to fall away into the material load. To eliminate this potential source of foreign metal fragment contamination, machined steel pegs are welded to the outside of each stacking cone to replace the standard u-bolt and nut harness guides.An added benefit to steel pegs is they reduce the number of crevices and pockets where materials can become lodged as they pass through the spout. This brings ease to sanitation procedures.

Outer Cable Guide Construction

The Vortex Loading Spout is designed with spiral cable guides to assist with lifting cable and/or outer sleeve maintenance and replacement. For strength and durability, the spiral cable guides are constructed from spring steel.

Power of Comparison: Many alternative loading spouts offered by the industry incorporate eyebolts to guide the sleeve support rings during spout extension/retraction. The primary disadvantage to eyebolts is their maintainability. If either the lifting cables or the outer sleeve must be replaced, eyebolts must either be:

1) Removed from the sleeve, which is challenging while the lifting cables are still connected; or

2) Physically distorted (i.e. “opened”) in order to free the sleeve from the lifting cables.  

To resolve this maintainability issue, the Vortex Loading Spout incorporates four spiral-shaped cable guides along the circumference of each outer support ring. The primary advantage of spiral guides over eyebolts is that the lifting cables and/or the outer sleeve can be removed without having to manipulate the spiral guides. The lifting cables can be extracted from the spiral guides while the guides remain connected to the sleeve support rings.

Stacking Cones

Vortex® Loading Spouts are designed with internal cones which stack upon one another as the spout retracts. In doing so, the spout’s overall height is condensed to a low profile that maximizes clearance available overhead.

Cone Material Construction Options:
•  304 stainless steel
•  316L stainless steel
•  235 BHN abrasion-resistant steel
•  400 BHN abrasion-resistant steel
•  Polyurethane

Sleeve Material Options

The purpose of the Vortex Loading Spout’s outer sleeve is to encompass the spout’s internal stacking cones and contain fugitive dusts generated during the loading process. Vortex outer sleeve material construction options are flexible and durable, allowing the spout to extend and retract without creating tears or other wear points along the outer sleeve.

•  Vinyl (PVC)-coated polyester (18 & 22 oz.)

•  Hypalon coated nylon:Abrasion Resistant

• Material Temperatures: -40° F to 400° F | -40° C to 205° C

•  Silicone fiberglass:For high temperature materialsFDA compliant to 21CFR170-199

•  Neoprene Polyester (ATEX)

Motor Starter Panel

As a convenience to the end user, all Vortex Loading Spouts can be factory supplied with a Motor Starter Panel. The Vortex Motor Starter Panel is specifically designed to be compatible with the Vortex Loading Spout’s three-phase motor requirements, as well as the spout’s other electrical components. Without a Vortex Motor Starter Panel, end users must supply a motor starter panel before the spout can be operated, which can be a timely and expensive process.

Tech Specs

Spout Type

Stacking, cone-in-cone

Loading Type

Open and/or enclosed loading applications

Conveyance Type

Gravity drop in the presence of slight negative pressure

Material Temperatures

250°F | 120°C for standard spout, with modifications that allow up to 400°F | 205°C

Extended Travel

Spout lengths will vary, based on models and application. Contact us to discuss custom sizing options.

Overall Height (Retracted)

Overall height (retracted) will vary, based on models and application. Designed to below profile, paying mind to clearance available overhead and extended travel required to reach the necessary vessel(s).

Considerations

Standard options are available. Some Vortex Loading Spouts may require additional design considerations to ensure their success in a given application.

Power of Comparison

Vortex Loading Spout vs. Alternatives

• Because four cable hoist drive systems have one or two additional lifting cables, compared to traditional two and three cable hoist drive systems, it creates a more even weight distribution across a greater number of lifting cables. This results in less stress on each lifting cable, which reduces cable wear, increases cable service factor and prolongs cable service life. Vortex lifting cables are breakage-resistant. Individually, they can withstand up to 400 lb | 180 kg of tension. Collectively, a spout’s four lifting cables provide total breakage resistance of 1,600 lb | 725 kg of tension.

•In other loading spouts oered by the industry, a braking system must be sourced separately from the spout’s motor. The Vortex Loading Spout is factory supplied with an integral braking system, as a standard.

• Many alternative loading spouts offered by the industry feature standard pulleys as partof their hoist drive systems. Often, these standard pulleys have rough edges which cause the lifting cables to fray. To eliminate cable fraying, the Vortex Loading Spout features two CNC-machined three-piece pulleys with rounded edges and precision cable grooves. This design prevents cable failure and other costly downtime for cable repair. Vortex is confident in the durability oftheir lifting cables, compared to other industry suppliers; so much so that Vortex Lifting Cables carry a 10-year warranty for wear, tear and workmanship. With less cable wear comes reduced maintenance cost, which allows for more efficient loading operations. In other loading spouts offered by the industry, fabricated pulley grooves can be inconsistent, which can cause the lifting cables to bind or overlap. This results in poor lifting performance, accelerated cable wear, spout imbalances and backlash. To address this concern, the Vortex Loading Spout’s CNC-machined pulleys are also designed with precision cable grooves to ensure smooth, balanced spout extensions and retractions.

• Many alternative loading spouts offered by the industry feature inner and outer support rings which are fastened together using rivets, nuts, bolts and/or screws. In order to thread these fasteners, punctures must be made in the outer sleeve material. This creates vulnerable areas where the outer sleeve can cut, tear or experience other forms of failure early on in the spout’s lifecycle. To resolve this issue, Vortex’s high performance clamping method eliminates punctures in the outer sleeve material. Also, over time, the mechanical fasteners used in alternative loading spout designs can break and/or loosen, allowing them to fall away into the material load. To eliminate this potential source of foreign metal fragment contamination, the Vortex Loading Spout’s high performance clamping method rids the inner support rings of exposed mechanical fasteners.

• Many alternative loading spouts offered by the industry incorporate eyebolts to guide the sleeve support rings during spout extension/retraction. The primary disadvantage to eyebolts is their maintainability. If either the lifting cables or the outer sleeve must be replaced, eyebolts must either be: 1) removed from the sleeve, which is challenging while the lifting cables are still connected; or 2) physically distorted (i.e. “opened”) in order to free the sleeve from the lifting cables. To resolve this maintainability issue, the Vortex Loading Spout incorporates four spiral-shaped cable guides along the circumference of each outer support ring. The primary advantage of spiral guides over eyebolts is that the lifting cables and/or the outer sleeve can be removed without having to manipulate the spiral guides. The lifting cables can be extracted from the spiral guides while the guides remain connected to the sleeve support rings.

• When using u-bolt and nut harness guides in food grade applications, either of the fasteners can break and/or loosen, allowing them to fall away into the material load. To eliminate this potential source of foreign metal fragment contamination, machined steel pegs are welded to the outside of each stacking cone to replace the standard u-bolt and nut harness guides. An added benefit to steel pegs is they reduce the number of crevices and pockets where materials can become lodged as they pass through the spout. This brings ease to sanitation procedures.

Motor Starter Panel

As a convenience to the end user, all Vortex Loading Spouts can be factory supplied with a Motor Starter Panel. The Vortex Motor Starter Panel is specifically designed to be compatible with the Vortex Loading Spout’s three-phase motor requirements, as well as the spout’s other electrical components. Without a Vortex Motor Starter Panel, end users must supply a motor starter panel before the spout can be operated, which can be a timely and expensive process.

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