What is a chip conveyor system? A metal scrap conveyor system automatically removes metal chips, turnings, and swarf from a machine tool and transports them to processing, storage, or load-out equipment. PRAB offers 13 configurable conveyor types — including steel belt, drag chain, magnetic, oscillating, pneumatic, and screw conveyors — each engineered for a specific chip form, moisture level, and throughput requirement.

Heavy-duty metal scrap conveyors designed for high-volume metalworking. Steel belt conveyors and industrial conveyor systems are engineered and built for long service life.

PRAB engineers metal scrap conveyors for the full range of metalworking operations, from high-speed CNC machining and stamping to die casting and foundry production. PRAB conveyor systems have been proven to increase productivity by up to 50% and improve worker safety by up to 25%, with service lives that routinely reach 20-30 years in continuous production environments. Backed by the Performantee® Guarantee, every system is lab-tested and performance-verified before shipment.

Choosing the right chip conveyor depends on three things: what your chips look like (fine and powdery vs. heavy tangled turnings), how wet they are, and how they need to route through your plant. PRAB conveyors are engineered to solve all three — connecting directly to machine tools on one end and to chip processing or Guardian coolant recycling equipment on the other, so scrap moves through your plant as one automated line instead of a series of manual handoffs.

Read our full guide to chip conveyor types and how to choose the right one →

Up to 50% 20-30 Years Up to 25%
Productivity Increase Typical Service Life Worker Safety Improvement

 


The PRAB Conveyor Selection Framework

PRAB‘s Conveyor Selection Framework evaluates four variables to specify the right system for your operation: scrap type, coolant load, throughput volume, and plant layout. This evaluation is conducted by PRAB’s engineering team using your actual scrap and coolant data before any system is specified or quoted.

Scrap type: Chip size, chip form (fine vs. bushy), and material (aluminum, steel, cast iron, titanium) determine belt style, trough geometry, and drive sizing.

Coolant load: Wet vs. dry scrap affects belt perforation, carryover prevention, and fluid retention design. Pivot Belt Conveyors handle oily, sticky scrap. Oscillating Conveyors excel in wet, abrasive environments, with over 98% uptime documented in stamping operations.

Throughput volume: High-volume multi-shift operations require continuous-duty designs with long-life wear components. Steel Belt Conveyors and Drag Chain Conveyors are specified for the highest throughput environments.

Plant layout options, Z-style, L-style, straight, in-floor trough, and pneumatic routing, accommodate virtually any floor plan. Pneumatic Conveyors are specified when scrap must travel over long distances or overhead without floor-level routing.

Click to Use PRAB’s Conveyor Selection Tool

 


Automated Conveyor Controls and Integration

PRAB conveyors feature integrated PLC programming, sensors, and HMI controls for automated operation, jam detection, and energy-efficient performance.

PRAB conveyors are engineered to integrate with the full downstream material value chain. When integrated with chip processing systems, conveyors move scrap directly to wringers, centrifuges, or briquetters, recovering up to 98% of embedded cutting fluid before the chips leave the system. When connected to a Guardian Coolant Recycling System, recovered fluids are returned clean to your machining operation, closing the loop on both scrap and fluid management costs.

PRAB’s closed-loop approach extends beyond individual systems. Combining chip reduction, fluid separation, and coolant recycling into a single integrated line lets manufacturers reclaim up to 75% of cutting fluid and reduce waste disposal costs by up to 90%. One metal stamping operation that partnered with PRAB on a full conveyor and processing upgrade saw measurable gains in scrap handling efficiency and reduced downtime within the first year of operation.

Every PRAB conveyor is backed by the Performantee® Guarantee, with ROI verified through lab testing and throughput analysis before shipment. PRAB also offers a Managed Maintenance Program that, in one documented machining operation, reduced unplanned downtime by 40% over 18 months through scheduled inspections, OEM parts, and 24/7 technical support.


Conveyor Types at a Glance

→ See this MSN.com article featuring PRAB Metal Scrap Conveyor solutions.


 

De-Risking Your Investment

PRAB does more than build equipment. We engineer results.

Through our Demo Before You Buy™ and Materials Testing and Fluid Testing programs, we validate your application and define measurable performance specifications before you purchase.

FREE Materials Testing FREE Fluid Testing On-site Demo Equipment Performantee™ 

Guarantee

■  Eliminate uncertainty by providing real, tested performance data.

■ Select correctly sized components and configurations

■ Quantify expected ROI and payback timelines

■ Support accurate conveyor, hopper, and system design

■  Prove that your fluids can be recycled, reused, or treated to meet environmental compliance

■  Solids removal performance

■ Filtration clarity and turbidity reduction

■ Expected throughput and operating parameters – and more

■  Engineered Confidence,  Documented Results.

■  Your materials

■  Your infrastructure

■  Your team

■  De-Risking with on-site and our Kalamazoo, MI Facility

PRAB’s Performantee is a true performance guarantee. We ensure that our equipment will achieve the specific results for which it was designed and manufactured. If it does not, we will revise, repair, or make any necessary changes to deliver the results you specified. So when you have questions or concerns about the performance of your PRAB equipment. 24/7 Live support.

 

Case Study: 

When Youngers and Sons Manufacturing moved from third-party metal scrap and coolant hauling to a PRAB Crusher/Wringer Chip Processing System paired with Guardian coolant recycling, the company began capturing value from material it had previously paid to have removed. Read the full case study →


How We Work With You

Industrial conveyors are the backbone of automated manufacturing. PRAB conveyor systems are engineered for continuous duty, long equipment life, and energy-efficient operation in demanding metalworking environments. We collaborate with your machine tool builders, integrators, and maintenance teams to ensure the conveyor system fits seamlessly into your production flow, improving uptime, safety, and overall plant efficiency.

  1. On-site assessment of metal scrap type, coolant/media conditions, and plant layout
  2. Fabrication and installation with factory-testing and the PRAB Performantee® guarantee
  3. Integration with upstream/downstream systems (metal chip processing, fluid recycling)
  4. Long-term service, preventive-maintenance programs, and 24/7 support
65+ Years

Conveyor Lifetime

We’re still providing parts for conveyors sold 65+ years ago.

60%

Increased Productivity

Using the right conveyor for the right application.

25%

Improved Workplace Safety

Less forklift traffic and ergonomic production

24/7

Technical Support

Keep your process moving whenever you need it most.

Each solution is tailored to your process and requirements.

We can guarantee results like this because of our experience building and servicing conveyors that are still operating after 70+ years. Our team collects application data to provide a solution that moves your material in your unique plant situation. We back it up with 24/7 support to keep your equipment working for you around the clock. When you’re ready to start, contact us or use our conveyor selection tool.

Conveyor, Metal Scrap Conveyor, Metal Scrap Handling, Steel Belt Conveyor, Pneumatic Conveyor, Magnetic Conveyor, Metal Scrap Conveyors, Oscillating Scrap ConveyorMetal Scrap Conveyors

Conveyors for Any Metalworking Application

Stamping

Clean, efficient transfer of metal stamping scrap from presses to load-out.

Stamping Conveyors

Forging

PRAB Conveyors are built to handle extreme temperatures and weight.

Forging Conveyors

Scrap Yards

Ruggedized, high-volume conveyors built for the toughest working conditions.

Scrap Yards Conveyors

Finished Parts

Move non-fragile finished parts through your metalworking operation.

Finished Parts Conveyors
Not sure which conveyor is right for you? Try our conveyor selection tool.

Heavy-duty Metal Scrap Conveyors - See the entire range

Metalworking’s most versatile conveyor for transporting metal scrap. Move wet or dry metal with multiple options for directional configuration. Convey bushy wads, turnings, die scrap, stamping scrap, or small chips.

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Perfect for moving oily, thin-gauge trim scrap, stamping slugs, motor laminations and eyelet press scrap without carryover. Rigidized™ belt surface prevents scrap from sticking to the belt, and exclusively-designed pivoting hinges flip scrap into hoppers.

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Vibrating system ideal for moving hot, dry, or wet abrasive metal chips, die scrap, or finished parts across horizontal distances. Built for machine-side or in-pit operation.

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Liquid-tight scrap handling system to collect, transfer and elevate stamping scrap. Leak-proof construction retains 100% of cutting fluids when moving scrap to its destination.

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Cost effective scrap conveyor system for collecting, transferring, meter feeding, and distributing a wide range of wet or dry metal chips and turnings.

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Move highly abrasive, severe-duty metal scrap- both wet or dry. Exclusive bolt-free flight bar connection to stay strong under grueling conditions.

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Air transfer system for moving wet or dry chips from CNC machining centers to a central chip processing system or load-out. Reconfigurable when modifying plant floor.

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Cool parts and metal scrap where air cooling is not sufficient or practical. Liquid-tight conveyors for die cast, heat transfer, parts cooling and coating operations.

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Ideal for air cooling of hot die castings. Eliminate misting and air quality issues associated with water quench conveyors.

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Meter feed abrasive die scrap directly to the melting furnace. Batch-loaded or used as the final component in a complete scrap-to-remelt system.

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Transfer wet or dry ferrous scrap including metal chips, stamping slugs, turnings, parts or die scrap without carryover.

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Ideal for high-volume, coolant-flow applications. Quiet, efficient transfer of metal chips, fines and turnings, wet or dry bushy wads, die scrap and tramp metal solids.

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Scrap handling system designed for final load-out of metal scrap into large trailers or railcars for maximum container fill.

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Custom-built, system-integrated solutions remove contaminants so that water can be used, reused, or disposed of.

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Choosing the right conveyor depends on five variables: scrap form, fluid content, abrasiveness, volume, and layout.

  • Use a Steel Belt Conveyor for mixed, sharp, heavy, hot, or abrasive scrap, and when you need long-term durability.
  • Use a Pivot Belt Conveyor for thin-gauge, oily, or sticky stamping scrap that tends to cling to belts.
  • Use an Oscillating Conveyor for gentle, horizontal chip or scrap movement, especially machine-side or in-pit transport.

Rule of thumb:

  • Versatile & heavy-duty: Steel Belt

  • Sticky/oily stamping scrap: Pivot Belt

  • Horizontal chip transfer: Oscillating