MATERIALS HANDLING
and any potential contamination from that source. Te enclosed nature of the systems ensures no dust escapes that could lead to an unsanitary and potentially dangerous coating of dust on the floor or process equipment. Te result is a safer, cleaner, dust-free work environment and reduced risk of dust explosions if the product is in powdered form.
Te enclosed systems also eliminate the
inherent risk of slip and fall incidents due to product discharge onto the processing area floor. Enclosed conveyors prevent the product loss intrinsic to open systems such as belt or bucket utilising units. Once food product is in the enclosed tube, it cannot fall out, and no powdered product is lost in the form of escaped dust. Preventing product loss can offer considerable benefits to the food processor’s profitability with surprisingly quick ROI in some cases. In the example of an international pet food manufacturer processing dog kibble, a bucket elevator was allowing excessive product loss due to spillage. “When the pet food manufacturer switched to an 8in tubular drag cable conveyor, it minimised product spillage and reported a onw-year ROI for the system,” says Owen. For product that is delicate or presents a higher value in undamaged form, preserving product integrity is important. However, the rough mechanical action of scooping/dumping product from buckets can cause incidental damage, lowering value. So can the high-velocity conveyance of pneumatic systems through vertical/ horizontal tubing, turns and sweeps, which can batter product during the process. In contrast, tubular cable conveyors offer a gentler alternative. When the systems move product through a sealed tube using a coated, flexible stainless-steel drag cable pulled through on a loop, the solid circular discs attached to the cable push the product at low speed through the tube without the use of air, preserving product integrity and minimising waste. “After a cereal manufacturer turned to a
high-volume tubular cable conveyor it was able to reduce product damage,” he says. Te premium for processing high-value products whole and unblemished can be even greater for products such as nuts. “One food processor that used almonds
in its recipe was only able to sell its product for 40 cents a pound if the almonds were damaged. Te same product sold for US$4
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Enclosed 8in cable and disc systems can safely and gently convey volumes comparable to belt or bucket systems with less power, product loss, damage and downtime
a pound if the almonds were whole and undamaged,” says Owen. He notes that the processor chose to use a tubular cable conveyor to minimise product damage and optimise the sales price.
PRODUCTION UPTIME To reduce production downtime, food processors also increasingly expect conveyor systems to be designed for easy cleaning and maintenance. In this regard, bucket elevators are particularly difficult to clean in preparation for production line changeovers. To clean them, each bucket must be time consumingly removed and cleaned inside and out to remove accumulated residue. Belt conveyors are usually cleaned with scrapers, but this can still leave product residue that must be removed with a more thorough method. If not cleaned properly, the food product conveyed must be discarded due to contamination, which equates to lost profit. Or worse, consumers could be harmed, resulting in costly recalls, damage to brand and reputation, or even potential litigation and liability. With closed conveyors, cleaning is also
a mixed bag. Pneumatic conveyors can still be relatively time consuming to clean
and sanitise if any manual procedures are involved. With regard to maintaining cleanliness, tubular drag cable conveyor systems generally offer more options for dry and wet tube conveyor cleaning. Tese include brush boxes, urethane wipers, air knives, inline sponges, inline bristle brushes, and multi-step, essentially automated clean-in-place (CIP) wet cleaning. “Using more automated forms of cleaning such as inline wipers, sponges and air knives or CIP wet cleaning can result in hours of additional production uptime after every product change, compared to conventional manual methods,” says Owen. Food processors are generally more familiar with traditional belt, bucket or pneumatic systems than with tubular drag cable conveyor systems. Previously, processors had selected these familiar systems when they required higher capacity. Today, however, 8in tubular drag cable units can basically match the high-volume output of the traditional systems but with significant advantages in power consumption, safety, product preservation/quality, and production uptime.
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