Baking & Snack - November 2004 - 78

PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY

ᮡ This new flat-top radius belt is made of plastic,
which can reduce wear on bread and bun pans.
INTRALOX

tems feature inverters so they can be
adjusted to different speeds, and PLCs
can be used to set various parameters
for the conveyors. These systems are
generally used for high-value products such as taquitos; therefore, the
conveyors are designed to not chip or
break product, she said.
This supplier also introduced small
electromagnetic shakers designed
specifically for tight-fitting processing
and packaging lines at PackExpo in
Chicago, IL, earlier this month. The
compact conveyor is ideal for product
mixing lines, ingredient feeding and
scale feeding, and it stops and starts
quickly to accurately meter products.
The compact conveyor is available in
sizes ranging from 8 in. to 15.7 in.
(20 cm to 40 cm) wide and from 5 ft
to 6.5 ft (150 cm to 200 cm) long. The
electromagnetic drives are oil-free,
which help to ensure food safety and
product quality.
This manufacturer's vibratory and
electromagnetic conveyors can also be
set to a low-force mode, which it refers
to as "S" mode for smooth, so that
product is shuffled along as if it were
a horizontal-motion conveyor, thus
minimizing product damage, according to the product marketing manager.
This mode is used for conveying fragile
products such as potato chips or cereals to multihead weighers.

82 / BAKING & SNACK / November 2004

GATELESS GAP. A new "gateless"
distribution system is the latest addition to a horizontal-motion conveyor
that uses programmable servo drives.
Rather than using a sliding or rotating
gate, which has potential for hygiene
issues and can damage product, the
manufacturer developed a distribution system that uses the connection
point between the modular conveyors as a way to bypass one packaging station for those downstream.
"Sometimes the simplest idea is the
best, and this is very simple," said the
vice-president of operations.
The low force generated by the
servo-driven conveyor ensures that
product is conveyed as a single entity,
with virtually no relative movement
from one product particle to the next.
It offers optimal transfer speed, minimal loss of flavors or coatings, and no
product damage. The gentle motion
also reduces operating noise levels.
The on-demand conveyor ensures
that product does not go in a loop,
which offers the freshest product to
the packaging machines. Its hightransfer speeds package product as
time-efficiently as possible, which
means a better product, according to
the supplier.
PLASTICS PROMISE. Several new
plastic modular belts have been
introduced for the baking industry
this past year. One manufacturer
launched a new texture-top plastic
modular belt at Baking Expo in
August. Designed specifically for the
baking industry, the belt features an
innovative new surface for improved
handling of wet dough, according to
the company's marketing analyst.
High-moisture doughs often stick
to a flat plastic surface. "This belt's
strategic patterns of specially engineered nubs greatly reduce surface
tension between products and the

ᮣ Introduced at Pack Expo in Chicago this month,
the plastic modular belt features a 69% open area,
making it ideal for tortilla cooling lines.
KVP

belt surface," the manufacturer explained. "Its new surface design enables dough with a higher moisture
content to be easily released from the
belt, resulting in improved productivity, less waste and greater profit."
Another supplier developed a
similar style belt originally for the European market, according to the industry manager, bakery team, but it is
now being used in the United States.
The nub-top belt reduces product
loss, provides gentle transfers and
is easily cleaned. The closely spaced
points lift the product to prevent it
from sticking, and it offers a 1-in.
pitch for tight transfers. The belt features cam-link hinges that open wide
around the roller for more effective
sanitation, and underside drive bars
channel water and debris to the edge
of the belt for easy removal.
Also launched this month at Pack
Expo was a plastic modular belt that
features a 69% open area, making it
ideal for tortilla cooling applications,
according to the supplier's marketing
analyst. The belt has 1-in. by 1-in.
openings and offers the same surface
configuration as steel flat wire belts
with all the advantages of plastic,
noted the manufacturer. A benefit of
plastic is energy savings, she noted.
Because the belts are lighter, they do
not require as much energy to convey
them, yet they also do not lose any
strength, said the marketing analyst.
Belting
manufacturers
also
reported that there is a big move
toward retrofitting spiral conveyors
with plastic modular belts. Besides
being lighter weight than metal
belts, the plastic belts do not produce

Baking & Snack - November 2004

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