Baking & Snack - March 2022 - 80

BELTING & CONVEYING
Making repairs on the fly, however,
poses a different challenge.
" It is difficult to foolproof a conveyor
assembly in a processing plant
due to the day-to-day running conditions, "
said Ricky Milner, product line
support leader, Wire Belt of America.
" If possible, conveyors can incorporate
easy-snap parts that could eliminate
the need for any bolts or screws
in a normal conveyor design. Each
conveyor should have easy-to-read
instructions for disassembly and reassembly.
If all drive shaft components
are welded, there would be no need
to worry about realignment of these
components and any other similar
shafts on the conveyor. "
Fast and furious
Like race cars, conveyors can run
for only so long before they need a
pit stop.
" NASCAR
Conveyors offer toolfree
disassembly
for easy access
and stainless
steel motors and
gearboxes to simplify
sanitation.
CBF Bakery Systems
easier maintenance and reassembly, " he said. " At Rexfab,
we use anodized laser-etched nameplates on all of the
frames and electric and pneumatic components. Where
pneumatic is required, red and blue tubing are used to
identify the airflow direction. "
Eliminating unnecessary maintenance frees up the
schedule to focus on other projects for enhanced efficiency.
Bob Harrington, vice president, sales and marketing,
Capway Automation, recommended conveyor
drives with pre-lubed bearings that do not require regular
greasing or a direct coupled gearmotor on the drive
shaft to eliminate chains, sprockets, belts or pulleys.
" These variable-frequency drives give the conveyor a
variable-speed range that is recipe-driven to provide optimal
performance for each product run on the conveyor
system, " he said.
Many bakeries are also scouting out conveyors with
enhanced sanitary design.
" We incorporate wash bars, tool-less disassembly for access
and sealed no-lube bearings, " said Clint Adams, vice
president of sales and marketing, CBF Bakery Systems.
" More bakeries are choosing to install stainless steel motors,
gearboxes and disconnects for no-worry sanitation. "
For mobile conveyors with multiple sections, he added,
CBF Bakery Systems uses an easy-to-identify pin system
where the conveyor will only be attached in one position.
Its Sanitary Series conveyors come with tool-free wear
strips and other parts for cleaning while minimizing the
number of parts by making them interchangeable.
80 Baking & Snack March 2022 / www.bakingbusiness.com
does
this
to keep
their cars on the track, " Mr. Milner said. " If they miss
their stop, the tires could be well past their scheduled
life, and the results will not only end their day but
also any other car around them that is affected by this
poor maintenance. "
It's the same with belts and conveyors.
" The more revolutions on a tire, the quicker it will
wear, " he added. " Well, the more revolutions on a
conveyor belt and the components, the quicker they
will wear. "
On high-speed lines, Mr. Lasecki said, the challenge
involves designing belts for quick repair.
" Can they do it with their hands with a screwdriver
and the tools they have in their pockets? " he asked. " If
so, they don't have to go back to their shop, which could
be 20 minutes away. Can they fix it on the fly? That's
what we're thinking about as we do future development
on our belts. "
Snap-on components eliminate the need for tools, but
there could be a drawback.
" The disadvantage of tool-free parts would be that if
a conveyor stretches or elongates, there can be no adjustments
unless you completely change the parts, " Mr.
Milner pointed out.
Overall, Mr. Harrington said, many conveyors are
modular so that the drive and tail sections require little
labor to remove or replace. In addition, belting support
runners are modular, which makes them easily
replaceable.
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - March 2022
