being considered for deployment in a food production area must be designed with the highest hygiene standards in mind,” says Paul Wilkinson, Business Development Manager at Interroll. According to Paul there are two main aims when it comes to good hygienic design for conveyor systems in confectionery production – reducing the amount of debris that is left behind on machinery while it is in operation and ensuring ease of cleaning of these challenges involves choosing materials that have no cracks or pores where small amounts of material can collect and allow microorganisms to build up, and which are not prone to corrosion or degradation over time,” says Paul. “Beyond material choice, designing out inaccessible corners and crevices from conveyor systems is also important when it comes to reducing potentially hazardous accumulation of product residues and making thorough cleaning easier.” Because regular, thorough cleaning and sanitation is a crucial aspect of hygienic operation, conveyor systems that can be cleaned to a high standard more quickly will reduce down-time and help boost productivity without compromising on hygiene standards. “Maximising the proportion of ‘clean-in-place’
KennedysConfection.com
Any conveyor solution being considered for deployment in a food production area must be designed with the highest
hygiene standards in mind”
components is key here,” continues Paul. “It reduces the amount of disassembly and reassembly required. Ensuring equipment is resistant to cleaning agents and water jets is equally important.”
As well as preventing water ingress to machinery, it is also important to avoid any ‘water traps’ where possible. These are parts of the machinery where water can pool after cleaning, again creating a potential risk for microbial build-up.
“In about 70% of cases, the conveyor belts in food factories are used to transport boxes. Typically, conveyors are used in ‘zero pressure accumulation’ mode. In other words, as each box reaches the end of the conveyor, it is automatically held in a queue that are waiting progress.
“While plastic modular conveyors are a popular option for creating these systems, a steel-roller based approach does have some
key advantages – they remove the possibility of plastic particles being created and they reduce plastic waste by removing the need to replace worn out modular sections. “Ultimately, while boosting operations confectionery producers, equipment that isn’t optimised for hygienic environments could achieve, and at worst bring in contamination and its customers,” concludes Paul. The moral of this story? Don’t make any hasty decisions when it comes to choosing a conveying solution. There are plenty of your application and think carefully about the longer-term implications of your choice, not just the initial costs.
Kennedy’s Confection August/September 2024 45
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