Flow Bin Sales & Service in Iowa — Cement Additive & Catalyst Bins | Ames Hydraulics

A flow bin is a small-to-mid-capacity storage bin used for additives, catalysts, and secondary ingredients that get metered into a larger process — typically alongside a main cement silo, a plastics extrusion line, or a bulk-materials plant. Ames Hydraulics sells custom-built flow bins and services flow bins across central Iowa. Free jobsite visits within 60 miles of Ames.

What a Flow Bin Actually Is

A flow bin is smaller and more precisely engineered than a full silo — it usually stores an additive, a catalyst, or a specialty ingredient (fly ash, slag, colorant, admixture) that has to be metered accurately into a main mix. The bin sits next to the primary silo or process, is filled either pneumatically or by hand, and discharges through a controlled feeder into the main flow. Because the material is expensive per pound and the mix ratio has to be right, the bin needs tight sealing, accurate metering, and reliable pneumatic conveying.

Custom-Built to Your Application

Every operation has different requirements, and flow bin sales here are custom — not off-the-shelf. Bin capacity, material type (carbon steel, stainless, or specialty coating), discharge feeder, dust collection integration, and control-panel type are all decided based on what you’re storing and how you’re metering it. We handle the sizing, manufacturing coordination, local install, and service under one roof.

Common Flow Bin Applications

• Cement additive bins — fly ash, slag, and other supplementary cementitious materials at ready-mix plants and precast yards
• Colorant and admixture bins at concrete producers
• Catalyst bins at chemical and refining operations
• Plastics colorant and additive bins at extrusion and injection molding plants
• Ingredient bins at feed and food-processing plants

Flow Bin Service

The wear points on a flow bin are the discharge feeder (usually a rotary airlock or a small screw), the pneumatic fill hardware, the internal walls where product friction can score the coating over years, and the dust collection connection at the top. We service all of that. If a bin is leaking, metering unevenly, or making noise it didn’t used to make, that’s the visit to schedule before the mix quality suffers.

Integration With Existing Equipment

A flow bin rarely stands alone — it plumbs into a main silo, feeds into a mixer, and connects to dust collection. When we install one, we handle the whole integration: pneumatic fill line from the delivery truck, product line to the mixer, dust collection connection, and control panel integration. Doing it in one visit avoids the finger-pointing between vendors when something doesn’t work right at startup.

Related Equipment

Flow bins are part of a full bulk-handling system. See the cement silo sales & installation page for main storage, the dry bulk blower page for conveying, and the dust collector page for the air-cleaning side.

Get a Flow Bin Quote

Call or text 515-292-2599 or bring your process specs to 210 Freel Dr in Ames. We’ll walk through what you’re storing, how you’re metering, and what capacity fits, then quote a custom flow bin built to your application. Open Monday through Friday, 7AM to 5PM.

Sizing and Capacity

Most flow bin customers we quote are running capacities between about 50 and 500 cubic feet — smaller than a main silo, big enough to buffer a shift or a day’s worth of additive without constant refills. Sizing depends on how much additive you use per batch, how many batches you run in a shift, and how often the delivery truck comes. We’ll walk through those numbers with you before spec’ing capacity, because oversizing wastes floor space and undersizing means constant refill downtime.

Discharge Feeders and Metering

The most important piece of a flow bin for most customers is the discharge feeder — because metering accuracy is what makes an additive worth adding in the first place. Rotary airlock feeders give consistent volumetric metering; small screw conveyors give higher accuracy at lower flow; direct gravity discharge is simplest when the bin sits above the receiving vessel and metering isn’t tight. We spec the feeder to match how precisely you need to meter the material.

Materials and Coatings

Standard carbon-steel construction is fine for most flow bin service, but corrosive materials, food-grade applications, and hygroscopic products (materials that grab moisture from the air) call for stainless steel, epoxy-lined carbon steel, or specialty coatings. Tell us what you’re storing when you inquire; we’ll match the material of construction to the application.