conveyor belting - ashworth · lntralox thermodrive belting is a patented, homogeneous...
TRANSCRIPT
~ Oesignedwith fl iglu to move mads up a I'I!rtiGll ndine, this homogeneous thennoplastic flat belt is positive driven. ",.,.'"
CONVEYOR BELTING
Conveyor belt designs continue to evolve and provide processors the most efficient means to transport products. BY SHANE WHITAKER
Conveyors and conveyor belts play nn important role in an auromated bakery. They are essential to mo~ing products
from one processing area to the next. After ingredients have been mixed together. conveyor belts generally become the highways and byways on \\ilich the products transfer from one process to another and then to packaging without being handled by laborers.
&lkeries usc a widenssortment of dif· ferent belt types from fabric to pLlstic to steel to hybrids, and these can include open-mesh or band belts. There is belting for ovens and cooling. transferring and f'lckaging. Belting manuf.lctuters continue to improve the designs of their S}'Sterns to increase throughputs; sa\'e costs by reducing labor. downtime and energy consumption; and assist witll sanitation and maintemnce. Bakers "'\Ilt long-lasting. economical belts, according to Michad G.llvanauskas, business de\'elopment manager. bakery. Habasit America, Suwanee. GA. Processors desire belts thar fearure modt~ar construction thar aUoy,~ for fast installation and repairs, as "dI as trouble-free products y,ith designs that ,,;thstand long production cycles, he said.
~terrber 2009 I BAKING & SMCX
CONVEYOR BELTING
~ With 7())i open area for increased airflow. this belt uses include cooling. proofrlg. baking and reclaiming. WII( 'nr coOf~'"
NEW RELEASES. The latest introductions from Ash· worth Bros. , [nc., Winchester, VA. include the Omni· Pro stainless steel and Advantage plastic spi ral belts, both
engi neered to maximize throughput and minimize life·
cycle costs. according to Joe Lasecki. the company's chief engineer. O mni· Pro. which is available in various pitches from ~. up to I IO · in .• features a patented link design and weld that inc reases strength and runs smoother to im· prove belt life and reduce system wear. he said.
Omni· Pro belts, which are used in spiral coolers.
proofers and freezers, can be supplied as rod only or
with a mesh overl ay. "The l ero·tension. 360" weld on
the Omni·Pro increase.s strength and completely en· closes the end of the rod to prevent product entrap·
ment;' .'vir. Lasecki noted. "The patented protrusion leg
and coining process of the Omni· Pro link reduces wear
and inc reases belt life." Additionally. the company offers the Omni· Pro Flex·
Lite. a strong, lightweight belt that allows customers to load more products on their cooling. proofing and freez·
ing conveyors without adding to energy consumption to
drive the belt , according to Mr. Lasecki. Spiral ovens are being used in other industries more
often. and .'vir. Lasecki predicted that soon these will be
evaluated in the baking industry. "The reduced foo tprint
compared with a baking oven that may be 300 ft long can
save both energy and valuable floor space; he said. Wi re Belt Co. of America's latest conveyor belt innova'
tion for the baking and snack industry is the Compact· Grid. which is designed with 70% open area for increased
airflow. according to Jamie Card. marketing special ist for
the Londonderry. NH·b.1sed company. "TIle belt's unique grid pattern and small opening size are perfec t for small products such as potato chips. tortilla chips. pretzels. etc.;' she said.
111e belt is ideal for moving doughy products such as cookies that have just been baked and are still soft.
"Comp.1ctGrid provides opt imal cooling cllpabilities and
offers enough support so that the product does not de· form down into the belt during transfe r; Ms. Card said.
"Products that are soft and doughy have a tendency to
In 1959. tW6'lIy-1WO 51. Mary's Cdlege students set the WOt1d record by O'lnlmng Inlo a phor'e booth
22 is Still The Record
The Industry's Original CB5 Baking BancP is Still Inspected with 22 Quality Checkpoints to Guarantee True Tracking and a Long Operating Life.
Ashworth THE CONVEYOR BELT EXPERTS
Ashworth introduced and patented the CBS Baking Band- in 1963 and after 46 years. it remains the industry leader. Ashworth's CBS is hand wOII9n by expert craftsmen and inspected with 22 different checkpoints to ensure the highest quality belt . Each CBS is tested for true tracking prior to leaving the factory. The dense breathable weave provides even heating and outstanding rehef of cooking gases.
For perfectly baked products. rely on the performance of Ashworth 's Original CBS Baking Band-
For more Inlonnadon. see Page 133 U. S. A .
Contact Ashworth Today - We're Just a Phone Call Away! + 1-800·682-4594 [email protected] www.ashworth .com
CONVEYOR BELTING
fall. or nose. into the pitch of widerspaced belting."
For example. the soft edge of the cookie may fall into the wide sp~ce of a ladder- type belt and harden in that position. increasing the chance for product breakage and waste. Com-
RAklNG &SNACK I SMt~IJj>r 2000
pactGrid is engineered for performance "ith 10 nun square openings. providing plenty of support fo r smaller products with no catch points.
CompactGrid also can be used in ovens and proofers as well as for red aiming. "A potato chip manufac-
turer uses CompactGrid on an oil
reclaimer on the exit of a fryer. al· lowi ng the excess oil to flow through and be recovered;' Ms. Card noted.
After changi ng fro m its existing flat wire belt to CompactGrid. one processor's drai nage capabilities improved significantly. 'The new bel!"s thi nner profile allowed the oil to flow though easily. eliminating the previous issues with the higher profil e flat wire belt.
Additionally. the belt is a current prospect to replace balance-weave belts in ove ns. according to Ms. ca rd. "Our conveyor belts are generally better for oven applications
versus balance-wea"e styles because they are more open. have smaller belt mass and are easier to clea n;' she obse rved. "Our belts use much less material and have increased open area, allowing the customer to bake the product faster, sav ing energy costs on both the drive motor and burners ~nd increasing the speed of production.
"Many processors are able to speed up the oven using a more open mesh. which. in turn. speeds up the entire line of production;' she continued. "The baking time in the oven generally determines the speed of a production lint. If the oven speed can increase. so can every other conveyor. thus increasing production:'
The belt also handles raw dough and does a great job at releasing the product, according to .\1s. Ca rd. "One customer changed to CompactGr id conveyor belt after their raw dough became embedded in the previous belt. re sulting in damaged and lost product, which also made the belt very di ffic ult to clean:' she said.
Increased open area of the CompactGrid belt combined with its proven-to-be superior f1owthrough characteristics will enable easier and more thorough cleaning and sanitation of the processor's conveyor systems.
lntralox, Harahan, LA, recently
• This piaSlic modular~ting pro\ides increased airflow, exc~IIMlt product release, ealY dBlning and quia no-lWld repai~ UIl\lllOlnt ' 1IIC&
, The dark surface offers good acceptance of radiant heat, h~h thermal conductivity and low !hennal expan!ioo for reliable baking of products such ascookie~ KKNDOUIB.T15CItMt\.OCi.YIlU
partnered with Mol Industries to become the exclusive provider of ThermoDrive conveyor belts. lntralox ThermoDrive belting is a patented, homogeneous thermoplastic flat belt with a 100% closed surface. Like the company's modular plastic belts, it is a positive (sprocket) driven, low-tension system
especially suited for hygienic applications in food proceSSing.
BAKING BELTS. Ashworth's CBS Baking Band has been a baking oven industry standard since 1963, according to Mr. Lasecki. "The tight herringbone weave provides stable product support, even heating and al
lows cooking gases to be released uniformly, leaving a consistent and preferred pattern on the baked product;'
he said. "To ensure true tracking and long belt life, the Ashworth CBS Baking Band is precision woven wi th the tightest industry tolerances and inspected with 22 different quality checkpoints."
The trend in the bake oven industry has moved toward wider and longer belts, according to Daniela Weiszhar, marketing director, Berndorf Belt Technology, Elgin, IL. While standard widths in the bake oven industry are 800, 1,000, 1,200, 1,250 and 1,500 mm, she said the company has even supplied belts, terminals and belt-tracking systems for a speCial oven in which the belt was 2,380 mm wide.
Berndorf recommends its CARBO 13 belt for the baking industry. "During the production of this belt, the steel goes through a complex heat treatment process to achieve the required tensile strength and surface composition;' Ms. Weismar said. ·CARBO 13 with its dark
black su rface, good acceptance of radiant heat, high thermal conducth'ity and low thermal expansion is a reliable base for bakery products."
111e company also oficrs a wide range of carbon and stainless steel belts for other food applications depending on the process and product. Berndorf belts are designed to meet the high requirements of baking, cooling, deep freezing and transporting bakery and snack goods, accord ing to Ms. Weiszhar. "Our belts are used in various applications because they can yield high-quality products at fluctuating operating temperatures and high load cycles; she noted.
Berndorf h)troduced a belt traOOng sys tem for trouble-free operation, according to Ms. Weiszhar. "This tracking system can ,.ithstand variable conditions including pressure and temperature while protecting the belt from excessive stress:' she said
PLASTIC MODULAR. Taking advantage of the strength of stainless steel rods, Ashworth's Advantage plastic spiral belts are guaranteed not to sag and eliminate the need for a center rail, reducing installation and operating costs, according to Mr_ Lasecki. Also, he noted that the belts have been tested and proven to have the greatest open area of all plastic spiral belt s, increasing airflow for the shortest dwell times and providing unsurpassed cleaning characteristics.
"Advantage belts uses 'double slotted' links instead of the 'slotlhole' combination of competitors;' he said. "The double-slotted design provides a very open construction that is easy to clean. 1l1e Ad,'antage rod lock· ing system allows quick installation and repair using only a screwdriver:'
The Advantage family of belts include the 120 and 200 for spi ral coolers, proolers and freezers, and these belts provide increased airfl ow, excellent product release, easy cleaning and quick no-weld repairs. Advantage RL75, suited for cooling baked
products on straight, turn-curve and spiral conveyors, reduces downtime with a patented rod locking system, allowing fast and easy no-weld repairs , according to Mr. Lasecki.
•••• l1li lntralox offers a wide range of plastic modular
!iJiII!!!!!i!JItllllillI!!!tl\IIII.I belts for dough handli ng, pan handling, proofing, cooling, spiral freezing, general conveyance and packaging. "At lntralox, our mission is to work with all of our customers to provide the right solution to their most challenging conveyance needs that delivers maximum productivity and profitability to their operations;' said Don Osborne, bakery team leader. "We have extensive experience in developing speCialized solutions tailored to the needs of many different bakery industry segments. With a deep understanding of bakery processes, we are able to
CONVEYOR BELTING
invest in new materials and products to create solutions that satisfy the many specific needs and also aUow for significant savings - from dough to packaging:'
Habasit offers plastic modular belts in pitch sizes ranging from 0.3 to 2.5 In. to accommo· date a wide range of applications . .\iIicropitch, its smallest pitch belt , is capable of extremely small transfers by using nosebars as small as 0.25-in. in d iameter, while its largest pitch belt handles loads in excess of 6,800 lb per ft.
Habasit's extensive range of radius belts in a wide range of styles are de
signed to meet the requirements of every application in the baking and snack industries. "The unique materials offered in the HabasitLINK and KVP product ranges can withstand temperatures from -100 to greater than 450'F,' s.1id Steve Fesperman, director of marketing for plastic division, Habasit America. "In addition to the standard range of plastic modular belts, Habasit offers the most innovative belts specifically for spiral applications:'
Phlstic modular belts are commonly used on cooling lines because of the large percentage of open area that promotes faster product cooling, as well as with packaging lines and pan and tray handling. "Plastic is an exceptional choice fo r these applications because its low coefficient of friction minimizes pan damage."
.\Ilr. Fesperman said. Habasit recently introduced a
reinforced extruded thermoplastic belt known as Cleandrive that can be positively driven by sprockets. The completely smooth surface eliminates areas that can be diffi cult to clean on conventional plas
tic modular belts. The company also launched its HabaG UARD product line for fabric and plastic modular belts. These belts contain an antimicrobial additive on all cover coatings and all running-side impregnation materials that pro-
CONVEYOR BELTING
~ Calendar<oated fabric feature sup<rior ply adhesion, and the coating helps white covelSto stay llilili! . MM,urr ..... UlICA
vides additional insurance to help
prevent the growth of microorgan
isms in food processing.
SPECIAL FEATURES. Habasit's
fabric belts for the baking industry are made on sophisticated belt manufacturing machines, accord
ing to Mr. Galvanauskas. ' Our fabric belts are calendar coated, which allows superior ply adhe
sion and minimizes the chances
of ply separation ; he said. "This
means that white covers stay white
and pin holes in the cover of the belt are eliminated. It also allows
easy joining and no need for films and foils. Our advanced fabric de
sign allows for fl ex ibili ty to wrap
around small pulleys, the ability to withstand the temperature and
oil intluences found in baking and snack plants and protects the in
termediate strength member of
the belt:' For tight transfers, Ashworth of
fers the Cleatrac belt and sprocket system, which moves around the
smallest nosebar diameters in the in
dustry, down to 0.2 in., to accurately transfer small products and mini
mize product damage. How easy a conveyor belt is to
clean is one the biggest factors (\ com
pany considers when purchasing. And because more companies are
initiating sustainability initiatives,
they are also looking at reducing water consumption during cleaning operations. 'Our style of belting is easier to clean, resulting in less water
consumption;' Ms. Card said. "Also
our belts are one of the lightest types of stainless stcel belts in the market.
The lighter the belt, the less energy
consumption is needed: Beiting is a key component in
making today's processing operatiolls work with limited labor, and
belting manufacturers continue to
respond to indust ry needs with new belts to help them move products
more efficiently through processing
and paclmging. •