Solutions · Flake Storage
Flakes are light, flat, and fragile. They interlock, bridge, and create fines. PW Silo Systems designs aluminum and stainless steel silos for rolled oats, corn flakes, soy flakes, and potato flakes – with mass-flow discharge and discharge aids.
Flake Storage at a Glance
A flake silo stores rolled or flaked products – such as rolled oats, corn flakes, soy flakes, or potato flakes – close to production for cereals, muesli, snacks, or instant foods. It protects them from moisture and contamination and feeds them in a controlled way to mixers, dosing systems, or packaging.
Flat flakes interlock and form bridges, and their low bulk density changes how a silo has to be designed. PW Silo Systems designs geometry and discharge around your flakes.
Why Flakes Are Demanding
Light, flat flakes behave very differently from grain or flour. Every challenge below affects product quality and uptime.
Flat flakes interlock and form stable bridges above the outlet.
Flakes absorb moisture and lose their crisp texture or start to clump.
In coated carbon steel silos, flaking paint and steel particles can end up in the flake.
Fine flake dust is combustible. Filling and conveying release dust into the silo and its surroundings.
In funnel flow, flakes can stay in the silo for a long time while fresh product passes through the center.
Food plants often handle several flake products side by side – including allergen-relevant or specialty products.
Silo Materials
Aluminum and stainless steel silos are widely used for flour, sugar, starch, and other food ingredients. Both materials offer high corrosion resistance, good hygiene, and a long service life.
Carbon steel is not an option for us: its coating is the only protection against corrosion. Once it wears, paint particles and steel can get into the product. Which of our two materials fits your flake silo depends on your product, your process, your cleaning requirements, and your site – we review it with you.
Your Flake Silo System
Silo, discharge, blending, filtration, and safety equipment are engineered as one system. That means fewer interfaces for your team and components that are designed to work together.
Storage
Concentric mass-flow discharge without asymmetric flow zones – as standard, site-assembled, indoor, or multi-compartment silos.
Learn moreBlending
Gravity blending and homogenizing with four technologies, including PW ConeBlend with a hopper that is quick to clean.
Learn moreDischarge
Air fluidization for uniform discharge of poorly flowing products – prevents bridging and can be retrofitted to existing silos.
Learn moreDischarge
Vibration from unbalanced motors breaks up cohesive forces, resolves caking, and keeps the outlet clear.
Learn moreFiltration
Dust separation during filling and conveying, in a hygienic design for the food industry.
Learn moreSafety & Monitoring
Rupture discs or explosion vents for combustible dust, level measurement for reliable monitoring of the silo content.
Learn moreFlake Types
Raw material, flake size, and thickness change how flakes flow. Products marked “Tested in our lab” are on our list of bulk materials.
Tested in our lab
Rolled oats, oat flakes, oatmeal, quick oats
Rolled oats are the classic flake for cereals, muesli, and baked goods. Discharge aids keep flat flakes from bridging at the outlet.
Tested in our lab
Corn flakes, maize flakes
Corn flakes are light and crisp. A closed silo protects them from moisture, and mass-flow discharge keeps stock rotating.
Tested in our lab
Soy flakes, soybean flakes
Soy flakes are used in food and plant-based products. A dedicated silo keeps soy – an allergen – separate from other products.
Tested in our lab
Potato flakes, dehydrated potato flakes, instant mashed potatoes
Potato flakes are the base for instant mashed potatoes and snacks. Storage is matched to their low bulk density.
Tested in our lab
Rye flakes
Rye flakes are a specialty flake for muesli and whole grain bread. They are on our list of bulk materials tested in our lab.
Also tested in our lab:
These products are not on our tested list yet. Send us your material data and we will review the right solution with you:
Flake Check
Type in your flake product or any other bulk material to see whether it has already been tested in our lab. The list covers 287 bulk materials.
Try: , ,
Service in the U.S.
With more than 40 years of experience in silo engineering, we support your flake silo project from the first design discussion to commissioning. We deliver to every U.S. state and install with our own qualified personnel.
FAQ
Answers to the questions plant managers, engineers, and buyers ask most often about storing flake products in silos.
These flake products are on our list of bulk materials tested in our lab:
Spelt, barley, millet, and quinoa flakes are not on our tested list yet. We review them with you based on your material data.
Both. Aluminum and stainless steel silos are widely used for flake and other food ingredients because they offer high corrosion resistance, good hygiene, and a long service life. Which material fits your project depends on your product, your process, your cleaning requirements, and your site. We review the options with you.
In a carbon steel silo, the coating is the only protection against corrosion. If it wears or flakes off, paint particles and steel can end up in your flake. That is why we build silos exclusively in aluminum and stainless steel.
Flat flakes interlock and form bridges above the outlet. Our PW StoreLine silos use concentric mass-flow discharge, and bin activators or PW SpeedBlow fluidization break up bridges and keep the outlet clear.
In mass flow, the entire silo content moves downward when material is discharged – not just a channel in the center. Your flake leaves the silo in the order it came in (first in, first out), and no product is left behind in dead zones where it could age or cake. Our PW StoreLine silos are designed for concentric mass-flow discharge without asymmetric flow zones.
Fine flake dust is combustible, and many bulk solids carry an explosion risk. For combustible bulk solids we supply explosion-protected silos designed in accordance with applicable codes and regulations. Venting devices – rupture discs or explosion vents – are selected for your silo, your product, and your application. Integrated filters and dust collectors reduce dust during filling and conveying.
Deliveries vary, and a silo filled in batches forms horizontal layers of different quality. PW BlendLine gravity blending silos homogenize the content so your production receives a consistent product. We offer four blending technologies; the right one depends on your flake and on whether you operate continuously or in batches.
Hygiene starts with the materials: aluminum and stainless steel offer good hygiene and corrosion resistance. In addition, our flat-roof designs support high cleanliness standards, PW SpeedBlow uses high air flow for cleaning, and the PW ConeBlend blending silo has a hopper that is quick and easy to clean – well suited to frequent product changes.
The right size depends on your daily consumption, delivery intervals, the number of products, and the space available at your site. PW StoreLine silos are available in a wide range of sizes and diameters, and silos too large for road transport are assembled on site. We size the system with you – without oversized investment.
Yes. We deliver to every U.S. state and support your project with silo transport, field assembly, silo installation and supervision, and site relocation of existing systems.
Very likely. Our silo systems are designed for nearly all free-flowing, granular, and powdered bulk solids. Send us your material details, and we will review the right storage and discharge solution with you.
Tell us about your products, required storage capacity, how the silo is filled and discharged, and your site conditions. Based on this, we work out the material, silo type, and configuration with you and send you a detailed quote.
Your Project
Whether you need a single flake silo, several silos for different products, or a complete system with blending and discharge, tell us about your requirements. We'll develop a solution that fits your product, your process, and your site.
Send a Request NowWhat Happens Next
Tell us about your bulk material, your process, and your site conditions.
We work with you on material, silo type, and configuration – based on a bulk material analysis if needed.
You receive a custom-engineered solution with a detailed quote.
