BELTS & CONVEYORS
achieve and what do you want the belt and conveyor to do? Jeremy’s fi nal piece of advice is, before specifying a belt,
ensure that you understand all the processes that might be taking place while the product is on the belt. “Although the primary use of a conveyor belt is to move product from one process to another, they are often also expected to carry out other tasks such as cooling a product. Further, a line conveying a chocolate product will have different requirements to one conveying sugared products. Sugar can be abrasive so this needs to be taken into account. It’s about understanding the expectations of the equipment.”
Stainless steel options
Another well-utilised belt solution in confectionery production applications are steel belt-based conveyors which are suited to uses ranging from cooling to freezing and drying. We ask Marko Leber, Global Product Manager at IPCO, why someone would specify a stainless-steel belt. His answer: “For the very same reason that it’s the material of choice at all levels of the food and beverage production and processing chain – cleanliness.” Marko explains that there are two aspects to this – fi rst
of all, there is the inherent corrosion-resistance of stainless steel. It reacts with oxygen from water and air to form a very thin, stable fi lm that consists of corrosion-resistant metal oxides and hydroxides. “This acts as a barrier to limit oxygen and water access to the underlying metal surface, preventing
“The fact that stainless steel does not corrode means there is no risk of a reaction with the product being processed”
corrosion,” he says. “The fact that stainless steel does not corrode means there
is no risk of a reaction with the product being processed. Similarly, chemical and bacterial neutrality means there is no threat to human health and no risk of the taste of foods being tainted.” The second reason behind the unsurpassed hygienic qualities of stainless steel is its cleanability. A stainless- steel belt is perfectly fl at and smooth so there are no gaps, textures or hidden areas in which microbes could hide. Even the joint where the two ends of the belt come together is invisible,” continues Marko. “This means that cleaning and sanitising is quick – allowing rapid changeover of products – and effi cient. Stainless steel can be subjected to any method of cleaning – steam, pressure, detergents, brushes, chemicals, even aggressive scrapers – to ensure the lowest levels bacteria and highest standards of hygiene.” The most common application for steel belts in
16 Kennedy’s Confection August/September 2022
KennedysConfection.com
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