Nerak Pendulum Bucket Elevator

Nerak’s pendulum bucket elevators are designed for the gentle, high-throughput handling of bulk materials in applications requiring multiple infeed and discharge points. Suitable for products such as food materials, powders, aggregates and recycled materials, these systems support controlled conveying while maintaining product integrity.

The system uses free-swinging buckets to transport materials along horizontal, vertical and inclined paths within a single bucket elevator system, eliminating the need for additional transfer points. This allows materials to be conveyed between multiple process stages efficiently, while reducing handling and minimising product degradation.

Pendulum bucket elevators are typically selected where flexible routing and multi-point discharge are required. Independent discharge positions enable accurate material distribution across complex layouts, making the system well suited to processes involving sorting, staging or product separation.

Each system is driven by Nerak’s proprietary rubber block chain, reinforced with embedded steel cables. This link-free design supports quiet operation, eliminates lubrication requirements and reduces wear, resulting in low maintenance demands and reliable long-term performance.

The compact system footprint allows integration into space-constrained environments, while easy-clean design options support hygiene-sensitive applications where cross-product contamination must be controlled.

As a UK manufacturer, Nerak designs and builds each system to suit the specific material characteristics and operational requirements of the application, ensuring consistent performance within integrated handling systems.

Product Trials

If you would like to understand how your products will perform within a Nerak system, our Product Trial Service allows you to test materials under real operating conditions.

Trials can be carried out by our team or attended in person at our Brecon facility, where you can work directly with our engineers to assess system suitability and performance. Contact us to arrange a trial or discuss your requirements.

Installation

Nerak supports every project through to installation and commissioning, ensuring systems are delivered and integrated efficiently within your operation.

To understand typical installation timescales and what to expect on-site, visit our Installations page for further information.

The Nerak pendulum bucket elevator consists of two endless and parallel rubber-block chains with robust, plastic or steel buckets running between the two. The buckets are generally suspended in ball bearings with the bucket opening always facing upwards. At the end of the conveyor the buckets are emptied by tilting mechanisms that are pneumatically or electromagnetically controlled
The elevators are available in both S and C configuration
Depending on the application, the Nerak pendulum bucket conveyor is equipped with one or more in-feeds. At the infeed, the product is fed into the buckets from the top at a controlled rate. The feed opening is sealed to the bucket belt
Nerak pendulum bucket elevators can be provided with any number of discharge points and by tilting the buckets by up to 180 degrees, the product is carefully discharged by gravity
Each elevator is built with safety and inspection panels (in solid or mesh materials) allowing internal monitoring and ease of access for maintenance and cleaning
The elevators are manufactured from mild steel (with a powder-coated finish), stainless steel or galvanised steel
For food environments, easy-clean and magnetic-detectable bucket options are available
Conveying heights of up to 50m are possible and ATEX compliance options can be incorporated during the design process
All safety and control devices are wired back to a locally mounted junction box for connection to the customer’s control system

Food
Chemicals and soap powder
Aggregates and minerals
Pharmaceuticals
Recycling and waste

A pendulum bucket elevator is usually the right choice when you need very gentle handling, flexible routing or multiple infeed and discharge points. It is especially suited to fragile, premium or easily damaged materials, and the ability to clean buckets outside the elevator can also help where cross-contamination needs to be avoided.

Yes, pendulum bucket elevators are suitable for fragile products. A pendulum bucket elevator is designed for very gentle product handling, making it a strong option where shape, coating, texture or overall product integrity needs to be protected.

Yes, a pendulum bucket elevator can have multiple discharge points. This makes it useful when one elevator needs to feed several destinations while still maintaining controlled, gentle handling of the product.

Yes, pendulum bucket elevators are suitable for food-grade applications. They can be specified with hygienic construction, gentle conveying, low-dust handling and easy-clean features to support food production requirements.