Flexible Wall Feeder
Flexible Wall Screw Feeder for Powders That Won’t Flow
Some materials bridge over the screw, form ratholes or pack into a solid mass the moment a conventional hopper stops moving. The TiERMAX flexible wall feeder solves that problem from the outside: paddles gently massage a flexible hopper wall, keeping the entire load in motion without any agitator touching the product.
The feeder handles fine and dusty powders, spices and flavors, pigments, granules, flakes, chips, tablets and even frozen food pieces. It can be built as a volumetric feeder or mounted on load cells for loss-in-weight dosing, and the hopper material is chosen for your application: FDA-compliant food grade, anti-static, acid-resistant or high-temperature.
Flexible Wall Feeder - Models
Flexible wall feeders are available as loss-in-weight and volumetric models, plus custom hopper and screw arrangements for especially difficult materials.
Gravimetric Flexible Wall Feeder
Loss-in-weight control for tight dosing accuracy and automatic compensation when bulk density varies.
Volumetric Flexible Wall Feeder
Volumetric control for materials with stable bulk density where speed-based dosing is sufficient.
Custom Hopper / Screw Arrangement
Hopper, paddle action and screw geometry engineered around severe bridging, ratholing or refill challenges.
Flexible Wall Feeders - Benefits
The flexible wall feeder keeps hard-to-handle dry materials moving and dosing accurately, cutting the stoppages, manual hopper tapping and off-spec batches caused by bridging.
Prevents Bridging and Ratholing −
Continuous wall movement stops bridging, channeling and compaction inside the hopper.
Accurate Feeding of Difficult Materials +
Steadier Delivery to Downstream Equipment +
Gentle Material Handling +
Configurable for Variable Materials +
Low Maintenance Operation +
Easy Cleaning and Changeover +
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Contact us todayFlexible Wall Feeders - Features
Each flexible wall feeder is configured for the required feed rate, cleanability, containment, control approach and connection to upstream and downstream equipment.
- Application-Specific Screw and Hopper:Screw and hopper geometry are selected for your material and feed rate.
- External Paddle Agitation System:External paddles keep material flowing without touching the product.
- Load Cells, Refill and Controls Integration:Supplied with load cells, refill valves and controls as required.
- Independent Drive Configuration:Separate drives tune agitation independently of the feed rate.
- Automation and Plant Communication:Interlocks and PLC communication for integration into automated lines.
Typical Flexible Wall Screw Feeder s configuration
TiERMAX supplies the flexible wall feeder as a stand-alone unit or as part of a complete powder handling system, with refill, weighing and controls engineered together.
Standalone feeder or dosing module −
Mounted directly under a bag dump, bulk bag discharger or silo to meter material into the next step.
Integrated feeder below bag/bulk-bag discharge or silo +
Feeding into mixer, conveyor, extruder, packaging or process vessel +
Flexible Wall Feeder Options
Integrated feeder below bag/bulk-bag discharge or silo
Feeding into mixer, conveyor, extruder, packaging or process vessel
Why ingredient dosing fails in rigid hoppers
More ingredients, smaller additions and tighter specifications put pressure on every feeder in the plant. When a cohesive powder bridges in a rigid hopper, the screw runs partly empty, the feed rate drops and the batch goes off-spec. Adding internal agitators can help, but they shear fragile products and become another part to clean.
How the flexible wall design works
The TiERMAX hopper is made from a flexible material. Paddles mounted outside the hopper press the walls in a slow, alternating rhythm, so material near the walls keeps sliding toward the screw. Because nothing moves inside the product zone, delicate particles are not damaged and the risk of segregation is low. Separate drives for the paddles and the screw let the agitation be tuned independently of the feed rate.
Looking for a Reliable Flexible Wall Feeder?
Our experts can help you select the right flexible wall feeder solution for your material and production requirements.
Easy cleaning and fast color changes
The hopper lifts off and can be swapped for a spare, which shortens cleaning time dramatically on pigment, color or allergen changeovers. Expansion hoppers extend capacity up to roughly 260 gallons (1,000 liters) for long runs between refills.
Loss-in-weight or volumetric
In the gravimetric version the complete feeder sits on precision load cells and the controller corrects screw speed continuously to hold the target rate, even as bulk density changes. The volumetric version controls output by screw speed and suits materials with stable density. Both use interchangeable feed screws so one unit can cover several products and rates.
Typical installations
Flexible wall feeders are installed under bag dump stations and bulk bag dischargers, above extruders and continuous mixers, and as minor-ingredient dosing modules in food, chemical, plastics and pharmaceutical plants. Our engineers can test your material and recommend the hopper size, screw and paddle settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
A flexible wall feeder meters difficult powders and bulk solids using a flexible hopper that is massaged by external paddles, combined with a screw that discharges the material at a controlled rate.
A volumetric model controls output by screw speed. A gravimetric model weighs the feeder and adjusts screw speed automatically to hold a precise rate by weight.
Paddles outside the hopper flex the walls continuously, so material near the walls never stops moving. That prevents bridges and ratholes from forming.
Cohesive powders, flakes, fibers, granules, lightweight materials, pigments, spices and other bulk solids that flow poorly.
Choose loss-in-weight when you need tight accuracy or when the material's bulk density changes during production.
Better flow, less product build-up, minimal segregation, gentle handling and accurate feeding with low maintenance.
Food and flavors, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics and masterbatch, battery materials, minerals and water treatment.
Consider material behavior, feed rate, hopper capacity, required accuracy, cleaning frequency and how the feeder will be refilled.
Clean or swap the hopper at changeovers, inspect the flexible wall and screw for wear, and check drives and load cells regularly.
Yes. Hopper size and material, screw design, materials of construction, sanitary finishes and controls are all configurable.
