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Dairy Packaging

Metal-free conveyors for specialty applications

Marcie Palmer

Marcie Palmer is marketing manager at Dynamic Conveyor Corp., www.dynamicconveyor.com. Prior to joining the company, she was owner of Champion Resources, a contract marketing agency. She also spent 15 year in the distribution industry.

In today’s ever-changing industrial space, where the speed and complexity of innovation in manufacturing are increasing daily, the need for specialty equipment to support these operations continues to rise. This holds true for material handling, where increased automation improves efficiencies, reduces maintenance and drives an overall improved bottom line for end users.

One specialty application in material handling that few original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have been able to effectively deliver on is providing a metal-free conveyor. Many may ask where would this be necessary? Let’s dive into a few applications for metal-free conveyors.

There are two primary areas where the use of a mostly plastic conveyor is critical to the success of the operation: metal detection and caustic/corrosive environment applications.

• Metal detection conveyors

The use of metal detectors or a metal detector conveyor system in manufacturing, food, pharmaceutical and other industries continues to increase as a way of improving safety and quality, while reducing manual labor. While it would make sense to assume that a metal detector would require an entirely metal-free conveyor, in most cases, only a metal-free zone is required. The required metal-free zone depends on several factors including, but not limited to, the type of metal detector (plate or aperture style), sensitivity and mounting location on the conveyor.

• Caustic and corrosive-resistant conveyors

The second application where the use of a metal-free conveyor can add significant value to an operation is in caustic or corrosive environments. Examples of these environments include the manufacturing, handling, bottling or packaging of highly corrosive or caustic chemicals where metal materials and components will quickly be destroyed by the product or even the atmosphere. Specialty manufacturing operations such as battery cell manufacturing, agricultural products and pharmaceuticals are examples of applications that warrant the use of metal-free conveyors. Corrosion not only compromises the structural integrity of metal conveyors, but also poses serious contamination risks to the materials being transported.

• Challenge #1: Construction of metal-free conveyors

In today’s world of conveyor manufacturing, steel and aluminum frame conveyors are overwhelmingly the most common conveyor design on the market. In addition to the metal framing, they utilize steel fasteners, drive shafts, leg supports and idler assemblies, all of which combine to make them a challenging fit. Metal conveyors and metal components don’t work well in a caustic environment because the caustic substances can cause rapid corrosion and deterioration of the metal components, causing increased maintenance costs, more frequent replacements and potential production downtime. End users have been challenged to find solutions for metal-free conveyance because the options are limited.

• Challenge #2: Design of metal-free conveyors

When designing a metal-free plastic conveyor, there are several considerations that must be taken into account to ensure the proper form, fit and function for the application. In the food industry for example, conveyors are routinely integrated with metal detectors to ensure food safety. However, it is imperative that in doing so, sanitary design standards are considered to align with the sanitary standards of the facility. With proper planning and the right partner, a metal-free plastic conveyor can be designed and manufactured while complying with sanitary

conveyor standards. Other considerations that impact conveyor design and need to be considered include:
• Products being conveyed;• Required speed/throughput of the application;
• Type of metal-free application, i.e., does it require a metal-free zone or a completely metal-free conveyor;
• Integrations with other equipment;
and
• Method and frequency of cleaning.
• Advantages of metal-free conveyors

With the continued advancement of high-performance materials outside of metals, alternatives to the traditional steel or aluminum framed conveyor are not only possible, but available on the market today. These metal-free, plastic conveyors offer end users the ability to truly implement the best equipment solutions for their operations, ensuring maintenance, repairs and ultimately downtime are reduced or eliminated.

Metal-free conveyors offer new capabilities to users with the most challenging conveyance needs. In doing so, they provide for a cost-effective upfront investment while ensuring significant reductions in repair and replacement costs over time relative to a metal conveyor. This results in a low total cost of ownership over the life of the machine.

Don’t settle. Alternatives to the traditional steel and aluminum conveyors exist and can provide for significant upside for their users when implemented into the appropriate applications. Selecting the right partner with appropriate experience for any application is an important first step.

CMN

The views expressed by CMN’s guest columnists are their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of Cheese Market News®.

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