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Bucket elevator moving pet food through a processing line

Incline Belt Conveyors vs. Bucket Elevators

Written by Howard on .

Both incline belt conveyors and bucket elevators help food producers maximize their production, efficiency, and footprint by elevating their products within a processing line. These machines share benefits such as optimal product handling, flexible configurations, easy integration, and sanitary design. Though incline belt conveyors and bucket elevators serve a similar purpose, these machines have numerous differences. This article will discuss what makes each machine unique and provide insight into which machine would be more effective for various applications. This article will cover:

 

 

HOW DOES AN INCLINE BELT CONVEYOR WORK?

Incline belt conveyors are driven by a pulley, belt, and drive lugs. In effect, an inclined belt moves continuously, transporting materials along the conveying path.

COMPONENTS OF AN INCLINE BELT CONVEYOR

The four primary components of an incline belt conveyor are a conveyor belt, rollers, drive system, and head and tail pulleys.

  • Conveyor Belt: A continuous loop of material that rotates around two or more pulleys.
  • Rollers: Support the conveyor belt and allow it to move smoothly.
  • Drive System: A motor, gearbox, and pulleys drive the conveyor belt.
  • Head and Tail Pulleys: Redirect the conveyor belt and maintain tension.

 

OPERATION STEPS OF AN INCLINE BELT CONVEYOR

The three fundamental steps in an incline belt conveyor’s operation are as follows:

  1. Loading: Material is placed on the conveyor belt at the loading point.
  2. Inclined Transport: The conveyor belt moves the material on an incline.
  3. Discharge: Material is unloaded from the conveyor belt at the desired location.

BENEFITS OF AN INCLINE BELT CONVEYOR

The top three benefits of incline belt conveyors are as follows:

  • Reliable operation with simple washdowns and maintenance
  • More sanitary design with fewer moving parts and open-frame construction
  • More flexible designs with multiple shapes and belt options

HOW DOES A BUCKET ELEVATOR WORK?

Unlike an incline belt conveyor, a bucket elevator is driven by a chain and sprocket. Its buckets are attached to the chain and move vertically to elevate bulk materials.

COMPONENTS OF A BUCKET ELEVATOR

The four primary components of a bucket elevator are buckets, a chain, a drive system, and head and tail pulleys.

  • Buckets: Attached to a chain, the buckets transport the materials.
  • Chain: Driven by a motor, the chain facilitates the vertical movement of the buckets.
  • Drive System: A motor and gearbox provide the necessary power for vertical lifting.
  • Head and Tail Pulleys: Guide the chain, changing the direction of material flow.

OPERATION STEPS OF A BUCKET ELEVATOR

The three fundamental steps in a bucket elevator’s operation are as follows:

  1. Loading: Material is fed into the buckets at the bottom of the elevator.
  2. Vertical Transport: The buckets move vertically, lifting the material to the desired height.
  3. Discharge: At the top, the buckets tip over, and the material is discharged into one or multiple discharge points.

BENEFITS OF A BUCKET ELEVATOR

The top three benefits of bucket elevators are as follows:

  • 90-degree elevation in a small footprint
  • Large processing volume
  • Gentle handling of dry and wrapped bulk products eliminates degradation, yield loss, and breakage

INCLINE BELT CONVEYORS VS. BUCKET ELEVATORS

As discussed above, though these two machines serve a similar purpose, they differ in how they operate and how they handle materials. The table below summarizes the similarities and differences between the two machines.

Incline Belt Conveyors Bucket Elevators
Design an Incline Belt Conveyor, the Eleveyor, by PFI A Bucket Elevator from PFI
Drive System Pulleys, belt, and drive lugs Chain and sprocket
Material Handling Mechanism Belt Buckets
Incline Angle Varies 90 degrees
Maximum Width 72” 48”
Infeed Options 1 1
Discharge Options 1 Can have multiple discharge points
Sanitary/Food-Grade Design ✔ ✔
Stainless Steel ✔ ✔
CIP Available ✔ ✔
Fragile Foods ✔
Raw/Sticky/Wet Foods ✔
Bakery Items ✔
Fruits & Vegetables ✔
Bulk Dry or Wrapped Food ✔
Nuts ✔
Pet Food ✔
Candy ✔
Pasta & Rice ✔
Cereal ✔

WHEN TO USE AN INCLINE BELT CONVEYOR

A primary advantage of incline belt conveyors is that they are easier to clean. A smoother surface and more open frame provide easier access for cleaning and fewer places for bacteria to build up and hide. This makes them the ideal conveyance solution for raw or sticky products, bakery products like cookies or bars, and fruits and vegetables. If the product you need to convey requires a full washdown sanitation, we recommend an incline belt conveyor.

As compared to bucket elevators, incline belt conveyors require less maintenance. This allows you to spend less time training employees on maintaining the machine and less money on labor and other maintenance costs. If you have a smaller or less experienced staff, an incline belt conveyor may allow you to more effectively use your resources by saving time and money on machine maintenance.

Another benefit of choosing an incline belt conveyor is the additional customization opportunities. Although both machines can be custom-configured for your application and facility requirements, incline belt conveyors are a bit easier to customize. If your process and/or application constantly evolves, an incline belt conveyor may allow you to be more nimble and update the necessary machine features as your application changes.

WHEN TO USE A BUCKET ELEVATOR

A significant advantage of bucket elevators is that they allow for more space savings in your facility. By elevating your products vertically at no angle, a bucket elevator is the easy choice if you have horizontal space restrictions in your building’s layout. Also worth noting is that the maximum width of a bucket elevator is 48” while an Incline Belt Conveyor can be as wide as 72”, allowing for a smaller footprint.

Bucket elevators are the ideal solution for producers of bulk-wrapped or dry foods such as nuts, candy, pet food, pasta, rice, and cereal. These products need gentle handling to avoid breakage and degradation, move in large volumes, and often have fewer sanitary requirements.

A bucket elevator is also the preferred option for food producers with significantly high throughput requirements. For example, an 18” wide Incline Belt Conveyor at a 90° angle has a throughput capacity of 0.2 Cu/FT, while an 18” wide bucket elevator has a throughput capacity of up to 0.525 Cu/FT; in this example, a bucket elevator has over double the throughput capacity as compared to an incline belt conveyor of equal proportions.

Another notable advantage of bucket elevators is that they can be customized to have several discharge points on the same unit. This allows food producers to keep their products flowing into several different processes from a single machine, providing a more streamlined operation.

ADDITIONAL PURCHASE CONSIDERATIONS

Two additional considerations regarding these machines are their total cost of ownership and machine lifespan. For the same application, the initial prices of these machines are very similar, with Incline Belt Conveyors, on average, being slightly more expensive. As for machine lifespan, bucket elevators tend to last much longer if properly maintained. Though they require a bit more maintenance, they can operate successfully longer.

TRUST PFI WITH YOUR FOOD CONVEYANCE NEEDS

Whether you’re still unsure which machine would work best for your application or you’re certain which machine is the right choice, PFI is here to help. Contact us to speak with one of our food conveyance experts to ensure you’re food processing line runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible or click the link below to explore our incline belt conveyors and bucket elevators.

See our Incline Belt Conveyors & Bucket Elevators

The PFI bucket elevator is a great choice for conveying pasta to another level of the processing line.

Bucket Elevator Capacity for Various Sizes & Applications

Written by Howard on .

There are many ways to lift food products, but bucket elevators remain a processing industry stalwart for one reason: an unmatched ability to meet producers where they are with simple, robust lifting capacity rightsized to their product, process, and pocketbook.

JUST THE LIFT YOU NEED: BUCKET ELEVATORS IN FOOD HANDLING 

Whether you’re an artisan kitchen on the up or a global household name, bucket elevators provide safe, efficient lifting that respects your product, reduces waste, and delivers the throughput you need at a price you can afford.

Here, we take a look at the technology behind bucket elevators and specifically why they are so good at matching efficient lifting capacities to different levels of demand. Along the way, we’ll also look at the best applications for bucket elevators and calculate the bucket elevator design capacity you will need. 

A WORKHORSE WITH PEDIGREE

Bucket elevators enable you to raise bulk products to elevated platforms and mezzanines using an “endless” series of overlapping containers or buckets on a vertically mounted chain loop system. It’s a simple design that comes with some big benefits.

Big Reach, Small Feet

Unlike almost any other lifting technology, bucket elevators can raise product to almost any practical height, and do this within a very small shop floor footprint. As height increases, there is also little or no increase in an elevator’s required footprint.

That makes bucket elevators an efficient and cost-effective way to add space and functionality to your facility, especially for drop-down applications like mix/blend systems, scales, and packaging that require additional height.

Straight Up Versatility

Bucket elevators also work pretty much the same, no matter how big or small they are. Their tried-and-true technology is also relatively easy to customize for your system’s specific needs.

That makes integration with other line equipment simpler. Experienced equipment providers like PFI can design horizontal, C, S, or Z-shaped elevators capable of accepting and distributing products in almost any configuration and with multiple discharge options for maximum flexibility.

Good bucket elevator equipment is also famously durable. With regular maintenance, some PFI conveyors are still running after upwards of 60 years on the job. 

Strong but Gentle

Bucket elevators’ overlapping containers are designed primarily to lift dry bulk loose products while minimizing loss through spillage or degradation. V-shaped buckets minimize sticking and entrapment. When sized correctly for the application, they also protect brittle or friable foods from breakage.

As a result, bucket elevators are preferred for lifting a huge range of foods, including:

PFI bucket elevator for pet food processing

RIGHT SIZE, RIGHT PRICE

There is also no doubt about bucket elevators’ appetite for work. Machines equipped with fundamentally the same technology move loads as small as 135 cubic feet per minute and as large as 3,780 cubic feet.

That strength and versatility means affordable, game-changing lifting capacity at the scale that matters to your business. It’s powerful but right-sized to your specific needs. 

Let’s take a closer look at how that works.

Calculating Bucket Elevator Capacity

Are you a bulk handler of raw staples like flour or rice, an added-value processor of cereals or mixed snacks, or a specialist in packaging delicate products like pasta or wrapped hard candy? 

Even if your overall production capacities are the same, your throughput requirements in each case will be very different. 

Here’s how to calculate bucket elevator capacity to meet your needs. There are several factors to be considered: 

  1. Bucket Capacity: The overall volume of each bucket on your system in cubic feet is calculated from bucket width and depth.
  2. Bucket Spacing: The spacing between buckets on the elevator chain overlap which helps to avoid spillage.
  3. Chain Speed: The speed at which your elevator chain moves in feet per minute, depending on the strength of your system’s motors, the weight of your product, and how delicate it is. 

From these measurements, elevator capacity can be calculated using this simple formula:

Capacity = Bucket Capacity x Bucket Spacing x Belt Speed

The result is the cubic feet per minute delivered by your elevator system. For example, for a system with buckets each holding two cubic feet of product spaced at one-foot intervals along a chain moving at 30 feet per minute, the overall capacity of the conveyor would be 60cfm.

Rightsizing Capacity

Every producer varies, of course, by the differing amounts of product that would fit into a given volume without excessive degradation or loss and by the number and weight of buckets that a system of a given power could safely handle. 

The beauty of bucket elevators’ time-tested design and flexibility is the ability to customize almost any factor affecting its capacity to meet your needs, including the size and capacity of individual buckets, the number of buckets on a chain, and the speed of the chain itself. 

And, with over 60 years of experience supplying vertical handling solutions worldwide, PFI knows how to deliver bucket elevator solutions built for maximum capacity at any scale.

Low, Medium, and High-Capacity Options

We deliver bucket elevators in low, medium, and high-capacity models. The elevator’s size determines the buckets’ width, which in turn, determines capacity. Height and speed also dictate capacity as do the food product’s weight and size. 

Buckets are available in nine different capacities based on widths of 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 36, and 48-inch widths to fit different frames, products, and application needs. 

PFI designs stainless steel bucket elevator frames tailored to your bucket width, lift, and integration specifications. Where sanitary needs are highest, our frames include IP69K-compliant closed-casing tubing for maximum contamination protection. 

Where needed, bucket elevator units can also be equipped with:

  • Positive motion controls for smooth, rapid bucket movement to protect your product 
  • Sanitary clean-in-place (CIP) systems to maintain hygiene during operation
  • Waste-reducing slide-out catch pans

More Bucket Options

PFI matches our equipment to your unique processing needs in other ways too. Our highly customizable buckets are designed to maximize both capacity and performance. 

For example, most applications prefer our trusted standard v-shaped bucket shape for efficient emptying with minimal sticking and entrapment. However, we also offer:

  • Optional ribbed surface texture for stickier foods
  • Stainless steel, polycarbonate, and polyethylene to meet your specific sanitary, cleaning, and durability needs
  • A wide choice of colored plastics
  • Metal-detectable plastics for improved food safety

Up-Front Affordability, Long-Term Value

Bucket elevators’ scalable, flexible technology delivers hard-to-match performance at an unbeatable entry point. You’ll get the lifting power you need today to deliver on customer expectations or take your growing business up a notch.

In addition, few industrial solutions can match bucket elevators’ track record of reliability and long-term return on investment. When you invest in high-quality bucket elevator technology, you’re adding value to your operation by ensuring: 

  • Durability: Premium quality equipment from a reputable supplier can deliver decades of trouble-free service.
  • Low maintenance: Simple technology, quality construction, and readily available parts keep long-term operating costs low.
  • Low wastage: Properly designed and calibrated equipment minimizes food wastage over your equipment’s long life.

Flexible, affordable, and durable, bucket elevators offer the performance you need to aim higher and the long-term value you’ll need down the line.

PFI Eleveyor incline belt conveyor

IS A BUCKET ELEVATOR RIGHT FOR YOU? 

The food industry is changing and there is more than one way to effectively lift dry or loose bulk foods up a level. So why stick with a “legacy” technology like bucket elevators?

Bucket elevators may not be ideal for every food product lifting application. The type of food you handle is important, as is connecting equipment and the layout of your facility. However, they make a lot of sense when you need a reliable, durable, and compact way to lift loads of almost any size.

In particular, bucket elevators’ tried-and-true design, scalability, and versatility can be a good fit for processors who: 

  • Handle very small or very large loads
  • Process dry bulk foods, packaged goods, fresh produce, or frozen products
  • Handle delicate, brittle, or friable foods
  • Have limited space to add new equipment to the facility

To get the most out of your bucket elevator solution, it’s essential to invest in high-quality equipment that is optimized for your application. That’s why it’s critical to partner with an experienced, reliable food-handling partner like PFI, who can advise you on the ideal solution.

PFI: YOUR BUCKET ELEVATOR EXPERTS 

PFI has been building, installing, and servicing bucket elevators for decades. As the leading supplier of safe, reliable, and durable conveying equipment to the global food processing market, we use our unparalleled experience and know-how to design and build better products.

Today, our fully customized bucket elevators offer unmatched lifting capacity in a minimal shop floor footprint and feature:

  • Flexible configurations: Capacities, frames, and buckets to fit your application
  • Optimal product handling: Minimal degradation, breakage, spillage, and sorting
  • Trusted performance: We’ve been building long-lasting, low-maintenance bucket elevators for more than 60 years
  • Service: Including installation, maintenance, training resources, and 24-hour support

Contact us today to find out how we can help you solve your food product handling challenges,  or click below to learn more about our class-leading bucket elevator products.

See Our Bucket Elevators

Walnuts are sorted in a PFI bucket elevator food conveyor system.

How to Choose The Right Food-Grade Conveyor System

Written by Howard on .

As a food processor, you’ve built (or are building) a plant full of specialized machinery designed to prepare your product exactly how you want it. 

Protect your investment by selecting a food conveyor system that maintains the quality and safety of your product.

Choosing low-cost or generic conveyor machinery may allow you to hit your productivity targets while keeping your project investment low.

However, damaged or poorly processed products and mounting maintenance bills will cost you more in the long run.

Worse, potential hygiene and food safety issues from using poorly designed or inappropriate equipment can cost your business millions and permanently damage your brand reputation.

Here, we look at how to choose safe, efficient food-grade conveyors that meet your company’s needs. We’ll lay out some key questions to consider as you work through the equipment procurement process and longer-term factors to remember.

We’ll also explain why partnering with an experienced, reputable food conveying solutions provider can help you get more value from your investment in conveying equipment.

SELECTING THE RIGHT FOOD CONVEYOR: 8 QUESTIONS

It’s tempting to see food conveying equipment as an “add-on” investment that just moves your ingredients and product where it needs to be for processing and packaging.

Smart manufacturers know that money spent on quality conveyor systems can add real value to your operation by helping protect and even enhance the quality of your products and the efficiency of your process.

It all starts with making wise, up-front decisions about the equipment you need and where you choose to source it. If you’re in the market for food-grade conveyor systems, here are nine key questions to consider when choosing the best solution.

1. Is It Really a Sanitary Conveyor? 

Not all conveyors are designed specifically for handling foodstuffs. If you’re buying an off-the-shelf solution, be sure it is indeed a food-safe sanitary conveyor that can handle the elevated hygiene requirements that come with processing foods.

Look for conveyor designs that include:  

  • Materials that resist bacteria growth, like stainless steel and food-safe plastics 
  • Washdown-resistant materials and construction
  • Sloped surfaces to drain water and limit condensation build-up
  • Radiused corners and smooth, well-placed welds
  • Tight tolerances and smooth joins to limit bacteria harboring
  • Minimal food contact with fasteners, washers, or threads

If you’re handling foods that are particularly susceptible to bacterial contamination, like fresh meats or dairy, you’ll need to be sure that all food-contact surfaces on your conveyor are of stainless steel, and that its construction includes no hollow tubing that could harbor moisture.

A vibratory food conveyor system made of stainless steel trays keeps chicken tenders sanitary.

For these applications, it’s also best to look for conveyors that meet the IP69K standard that ensures maximum water-tightness to better resist repeated high-temperature washdown and sanitation procedures. 

2. Does It Meet (and Exceed) Food Safety Regulations?

In reality, whether a conveyor is suitable for handling food is not just up to you. If you’re considering buying a new or used conveyor, be sure to ask for proof that the equipment meets the minimum regulatory food safety and hygiene requirements for your application.

Depending on the planned application, true sanitary conveyors must meet a range of regulatory and industry standards. These include benchmarks determined by:

What’s more, regulations have evolved and become consistently tighter over time. That’s why many leading food manufacturers only buy equipment from suppliers whose equipment already exceeds the existing regulations and industry benchmarks.

3. Which Conveyor Type Is Best for My Product?

Different conveyor types move products differently. Belt, bucket and incline conveyors, tote dumpers, horizontal motion, and vibratory conveyors are all designed to solve particular food handling problems. But which one is right for you?

A lot depends on the specific handling requirements of your food products at any point in your process. Some key questions to ask include:

  1. What are the sanitary requirements of my product at this point in my process? These change as raw foods are processed into cooked, packaged products.
  2. What are the handling characteristics of your food at this point? Are foodstuffs frozen, raw, or cooked? Solid or liquid? Fine or granular? Hot or cold? Oily, waxy, or sticky? Large, small, or irregularly shaped? Are they fragile or susceptible to bruising?
  3. Does your product require handling or processing while being conveyed? Do foodstuffs need to be cooled, heated, or frozen? Do they need to be dewatered or dried, graded, screened, or positioned? Do products need to be mixed at a set ratio?
  4. What are the physical constraints of this production zone? This might include the maximum space available, distance to the next line process, and necessary changes in height or direction.
  5. How will my conveying equipment integrate with other equipment? Custom modifications might be required to allow one or more OEM units to work together.

The answers to these questions will narrow your options. For example, raw and frozen meats and dairy products may require vibratory or horizontal motion conveyors with the highest level of sanitary protection, while packaging operations may require less. In addition:

  • Conventional belt conveyors are a versatile choice for many foods from grains and dry bulk ingredients to baked products, produce, and packaged goods. Belt conveyors are also the preferred choice for precise food placement for pick-and-place applications. 
  • Horizontal motion conveyors are not suitable for fine materials but are effective at moving frozen foods and hard, granular products like pasta. Their gentle, gliding motion also makes them the go-to choice for delicate or seasoned items like snacks or pastries.
  • Vibratory conveyors are effective for moving small or powdery products like nuts and grains and delicate items like chocolates. The controlled agitation of these machines is also good for dewatering, grading, screening, or mixing of foods while in transit.

Be aware, though, that the physical constraints of your process or plant may also affect which conveyor you choose. Belt, horizontal motion, and vibratory conveyors can raise and lower product within limits, but significant height changes will require a bucket elevator conveyor system. 

Belt and vibratory conveyors move foods at a steady rate and are preferred where foods need to be heated, cooled, dried, or frozen while in transit. Horizontal motion conveyors allow many food products to be visually inspected while moving through the final stages of production.

Horizontal motion and, to some extent, vibratory conveyors are constrained in the lengths individual machines can cover. It may take a series of several units to cover the same distance that a single belt conveyor could span.

With so many factors in play, it’s important to choose a reputable sanitary equipment supplier offering the full range of conveying options. Only leading brand manufacturers have the experience and engineering expertise to:

4. Will My Conveyor Deliver the Throughput and Capacity I Need?

With all of the details in place, it’s time to assess whether the technology, customizations, and integrations you have put in place are going to deliver the daily throughput and overall line capacity you need.

Some conveyors are available in wider belt or pan configurations to boost capacity, while variable speed equipment (such as many horizontal motion models) allows you to fine-tune throughput according to your changing needs.

Better integration with existing equipment will normally also help boost overall line capacity. That said, if a given piece of equipment is not able to deliver the raw capacity you need on your line, you may need to reconsider your options.

5. What About Customization Options?

Different customization options can allow conveyors to be used for dramatically different applications. 

Adding non-stick pans to horizontal motion conveyors allows them to be used to handle greasy or sticky foods in the final stages of processing while using specially designed screens on vibratory conveyors allows them to be used to drain dipped or fried foods.

There’s no substitute for experience in understanding how different types of foodstuffs act when handled in bulk. That’s why it’s best to work with a food conveyor equipment specialist to identify the best mix of technology and customization for your operation.

6. Will It Fit My Plant Configuration?

The preferred handling technology for your product must be balanced against the realities of your plant and line setup. 

For example, bucket elevators or incline belt conveyors are the go-to solution when a product must be moved up or down more than just a few feet, while U-shaped curved conveyors are used to move around structures and equipment or add cooling loops into a line.

A bucket elevator conveyor system moves pet food in a vertical motion.

You might also need to plan for system support infrastructure like adjacent mezzanines and catwalks.

7. Will It Integrate With My Existing Equipment?

Additionally, your new conveying equipment must link as seamlessly as possible with your existing line equipment. Consider the speed and temperatures at which different pieces of equipment operate and the height and width of the entry and exit points to make sure they will align with your current system.

Also, consider whether your equipment will need to work with:

  • Customized infeed and discharge modifications 
  • Specialized safety requirements like vision, metal-detecting, and X-ray equipment
  • Process-specific options like clean-in-place systems, gates, or belt scrapers
  • Safety equipment such as emergency stops, cut-offs, and failsafes

Clearly, there is more to choosing a conveyor system than picking out a standalone piece of equipment. It’s essential to work with experts who can take a “whole plant” approach to help you plan how a conveyor will both meet and enhance your system integration.

8. How Much Will It Cost?

Finally, consider the upfront sticker price for a food-grade conveyor system. Is it within your project budget, and will the added capacity of your operation or the improved quality of your product justify the expense of purchasing, integrating, and commissioning the new equipment?

ADDING PROCESSING VALUE DOWN THE LINE

There is, however, more to choosing a food-grade conveyor system than upfront performance and cost. 

While the above questions will help ensure the conveyor system you choose meets your minimum requirements, it’s important to look at factors that affect the long-term value that food conveying equipment will bring to your company.

1. Durability

The lower price you might pay for generic or off-the-shelf conveying solutions might start to look expensive if you find yourself having to replace equipment within just a few years.

You’ll pay more upfront for a premium conveying solution customized to your specific needs, but you’ll also get more value for your money, including: 

  • More sanitary, longer-lasting materials 
  • Better equipment design, often with fewer moving parts
  • Conveyors designed to work with your product and process

This can mean a food-conveying system that delivers safety and efficiency for decades rather than just a few years, making your initial investment more valuable as time goes on.

2. Reliability

Higher quality equipment also runs better for longer, thereby boosting productivity and saving you money on downtime and maintenance. Leading brand equipment is designed to operate longer between services and to be easier to maintain. 

Consumable components and parts like belts, vibratory springs, and dumper cylinders are also easier to access and quicker to switch out on true professional-grade equipment—meaning your line is up and running sooner.

3. Safety & Sanitary

Quality food-grade conveyor systems are designed specifically for your application and process. This protects your staff from workplace accidents resulting from inappropriate handling techniques or poor integration with other equipment.

It also makes equipment easier to keep clean. Better-designed equipment is easier to strip down to wash and features fewer rough or exposed surfaces, such as bolt threads or panel joins. At the same time, this equipment has higher-quality welding, making surfaces easier to swab for food safety. 

Premium equipment also allows more regular maintenance to be performed without tools. This helps keep non-sanitary equipment off your line and reduces the likelihood of scratches or dents on food-exposed surfaces that could potentially harbor bacteria.

4. Value-Added Conveying

Food conveyors that are built with your process and application in mind also offer long-term value in other ways.

Integrated conveyor systems designed by a single supplier are easier to upgrade and expand as your business grows and develops. It’s easier to increase capacity and add functionality to equipment that comes from the same vendor.

It’s also possible to build more functionality into equipment that can be customized to your specific needs.

A food-grade conveyor sizes pieces of chewing gum.

For example, professional-grade vibratory conveyors can be designed to reorientate, spread, grade, and even separate materials on the go. They can even dewater washed products or allow cooked foods to cool while in motion, allowing you to reduce or even eliminate processing steps.

5. Vendor Experience

This value-added flexibility and functionality is only available, however, when you work with a professional food conveyor supplier capable of delivering solutions tailored to your needs. It also helps to partner with a company with extensive experience in the same food sector you work in. 

These dedicated suppliers offer extensive experience in best practices of food handling and processing you won’t find elsewhere, and the skills needed to put this knowledge to work.

In fact, across the food processing industry, while sector newcomers tend to look for the lowest price when sourcing conveying equipment, established players prefer to use equipment provided by one of just a few trusted suppliers.

6. After-Sales Service

There’s also a big difference in the levels of service provided by dedicated, established food conveyor equipment makers and more generic suppliers. For maximum return on your investment, look for a vendor that stands behind their equipment after the sale is completed. 

The best suppliers follow through on the work done to design and customize your equipment by ensuring the equipment is properly installed and your staff is fully trained.

Look also for companies that provide:

Of course, not all equipment providers have the scale and experience to provide this level of ongoing support. If you’re looking for a food conveyor partner for the long haul, make sure to find one that meets this criteria. 

PFI: YOUR PREFERRED FOOD CONVEYOR SYSTEMS PROVIDER

If you’re a project manager overseeing a plant build-out or line upgrade, conveying equipment might be one of the last items on your list. But don’t let your food conveyor system become the weak link in your business’s value chain. 

Not only can skimping on the connections between your processes cost you more down the road, but you could be missing out on opportunities to add value to your operation by simplifying, streamlining, and combining steps into a single, seamlessly integrated whole.

PFI is a global leader in providing best-in-class sanitary conveying solutions that meet and exceed leading regulatory and industry food safety standards. With extensive experience across the food-processing sector, we are a trusted partner to many of the world’s leading food brands.

We have the knowledge and experience to help you find the best sanitary conveying solutions for your food processing needs plus the skills, scale, and dedication to deliver it to your exact specifications and support it for years—or decades—to come.

Learn more about our industry-leading sanitary equipment or contact us directly today.

See Our Food-Grade Conveyors

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A distribution system as part of a food processing line for potato chips

Integrating Conveyors with Other Food Processing Equipment

Written by Howard on .

Whether you’re building an all-new food processing facility or retrofitting an existing line, successfully integrating conveyor machines with OEM food processing equipment is a key piece of your project management puzzle.

A big part of the solution is understanding food processing conveyors not as individual pieces of equipment necessary for moving your product from one application to the next, but as a unified system that forms the backbone of your entire production process.

Well-designed and fully integrated conveyor systems should:

  • Allow food to move through your plant at a controlled, efficient rate
  • Ensure food reaches each process stage at the right speed and in the right quantities
  • Enable food processing units from different suppliers to work together

In addition, conveyor systems designed with your specific application in mind can add value to your entire production process by:

  • Managing bottlenecks, slowdowns, or outages 
  • Maintaining food quality and sanitary standards across your production process
  • Allowing food to be cooled, dried, sorted, or re-oriented in transit

Of course, all these benefits require seamless integration of your conveying equipment at every stage of your production process. 

Keep reading to learn what goes into integrating conveyor systems with other food processing equipment.

BEFORE YOU BUY: YOUR INTEGRATION CHECKLIST 

As a project manager for a food processing build or retrofit, it pays to start with integration front of mind as you plan your production flow and equipment purchases. 

Here are some key things to consider when you are evaluating conveying equipment for a particular handling or integration challenge.

1. Production Specifications

Let’s start with your “whole plant” approach to integration, whether you’re building a new line or retrofitting an existing one. What are your overall production goals, daily throughput, and volume requirements for your line? 

These should provide maximum and minimum parameters for selecting suitable conveying equipment.

2. Machine Specifications and Dimensions

Now let’s drill down to individual integration challenges. Note the input and output rates and volumes of the equipment a conveyor or series of conveyors will be connecting. Compare these to the capacities of the conveying equipment. 

Also consider the required infeed and discharge widths, heights, and lengths, as well as utilities like power, water, and ventilation. This will give you a shortlist of compatible conveyor equipment and an idea of any customized integration equipment that might be needed.

3. Zone-Specific Needs

Consider the specific requirements and constraints of the production area you are working in. These might include machine specifications, product make-up, and sanitary requirements, and the process stage, from receiving to final packaging.

For example, are there site-specific restrictions on the size or type of equipment that could be used? What is the state of the food at this point and how does that affect how it needs to be handled? Are there special sanitary requirements at this point?

4. Plant Specifications

Think about the plant’s needs. How can the equipment be integrated to benefit processes upstream and downstream? Do conveyors need to be supported from the floor, ceiling, mezzanine or existing structure? Can variable speed equipment be installed to prevent bottlenecks? Are additional structures like catwalks or platforms needed?

An incline to packaging conveyance system that also includes a vibratory conveyor to the scale.

5. Food Application

Now consider your product carefully. What are the needs of the food being handled and how will your integration solution affect its quality? Is it solid or liquid? Hot or cold? Sticky, slippery, fine, or granular? Is it large, small, or irregular in size? And, is it fragile or sensitive to bruising?

Does the state of the product change during handling? Does it need to solidify, dry, or cool? Does the product need to be graded, separated, or reorientated as it moves? If so, what additional equipment needs to be mounted on the conveyor to do this? 

Finally, what about applications that handle ingredients for multiple end products, or recipes that require different foodstuffs to be combined as they move?   

6. Worker Safety

Are there special considerations to ensure conveying equipment and integration solutions meet safety standards and do not endanger workers? Equipment must adhere to regulatory and industry standards to protect workers from burns, cuts, entrapment, and trip and fall hazards.

Customized integration solutions might also require additional safety features, like guardrails, safety covers, and emergency stops, depending on the application and its environment.

7. Sanitation

Any conveying solution needs to meet and, ideally, exceed sanitation requirements for your products in its designated zone. That includes any modifications to the conveyor or customizations to integrate it with other process equipment.

Be sure to select only professional sanitary conveyor equipment from a reputable supplier that is designed for use with your food product and be sure any additional integration equipment, including custom hoppers or extenders, does not introduce potential sanitary hazards.

8. Controls and Automation

Finally, think about how your conveyor equipment not only integrates with controls for the equipment it is directly attached to but with systems automating the operation of other equipment and the line itself. 

For example, being able to slow down some types of food processing conveyors, can help prevent bottlenecks further down the line. Also, consider whether you need to add any automated monitoring or performance-tracking equipment. 

MAKING THE CONNECTION

To deliver effective conveyor integration for your operation, be it a single-point retrofit of OEM equipment on an existing line or a conveying “backbone” for your entire operation, you will need to find the right partner.

While cheaper, off-the-shelf conveyors may appear to check many of your boxes, choosing purpose-built equipment from a specialist sanitary conveyor equipment maker will save you money over the long run by ensuring:

  • You receive conveyor equipment designed for your specific application
  • Your equipment meets or exceeds regulatory and industry health standards
  • Your conveying systems are fully integrated with your process equipment

Integration is Partnership

That said, sourcing, installing, and integrating sanitary conveyor equipment can be a time-consuming process. The following steps will help you work with an equipment supplier to ensure on-time delivery and rapid integration of your new conveying systems.

  1. Preparedness: Approaching an equipment company with a clear idea of your needs will save time. The above checklist is a start, but for large or plant-wide integrations, allowing your supplier access to your full project plan is ideal. 
  2. Project management: Accurate information will avoid confusion and make it easier to develop a project quote. Double-check your proposed line layout and plant dimensions or allow the manufacturer on-site to do their own measurements. 
  3. Open Communication: Complex integration challenges require close partnership. Your project engineers need to work as one team with conveyor equipment specialists to see to it that you get a long-term solution that meets your needs and budget.
  4. Get Help: Consider handing off your integration challenges to engineers at a leading equipment supplier like PFI. You’ll benefit from our years of specialized experience while taking pressure off your already busy in-house engineering team. 

Projects Scale, Time Doesn’t 

While these tips will help speed along any conveyor integration project, they’re especially critical for plant-wide or new-build installations. 

Here, equipment lead times, installation, and commissioning need to be carefully coordinated with your project deadlines. By working together, we can make sure the product, brand, and bottom line all get the maximum benefit of an efficient, fully integrated conveying system. 

No matter the size of your project, rapid, seamless integration of your conveyor equipment comes with clear short- and long-term benefits, including:

  • Faster commissioning and capacity ramp-up
  • More predictable project costs
  • Faster returns on equipment capital investment

TRUST PFI WITH YOUR INTEGRATION CHALLENGES

PFI is a leading provider of sanitary conveyor systems for your food processing line.

PFI is the world’s leading provider of sanitary conveyor systems. Every PFI sanitary conveyor is custom-built to meet and exceed the highest food safety and engineering standards and deliver performance and returns on investment long into the future.

PFI offers our customers:

  • Seamless integration: Our equipment is designed to work seamlessly with your new or existing OEM manufacturing equipment.
  • Factory testing: Ensure your process solution runs the way it’s supposed to with full-scale testing with FATS at our Algona, Iowa facility.
  • Unmatched Support: We back our long-lasting products with ongoing support and customer service. We also install all our products.
  • Full-service solutions: As part of the Grote family of companies, we can source end-to-end solutions for a wide range of food processing applications.

Talk to us about your unique conveyor integration challenges — whether you’re aiming to boost performance on an existing line, struggling to get existing OEM machinery to play together, or looking to build an ultra-efficient handling backbone for an all-new plant. 

Click below to learn more about how PFI can help you add value to your food processing operation with industry-leading sanitary conveying products.

Planning for Sanitary Conveyor Designs [A Guide]

A PFI conveyor for food processing

Conveyors: Critical to Food Safety in Processing Plants

Written by Howard on .

Your plant’s conveyors touch food at every point of production from receiving to packaging, and before and after critical processing stages like slicing, thawing, pasteurizing, and cooking. 

That makes your conveyor equipment a crucial part of your plant’s food safety infrastructure.

We take a look at how today’s food-grade sanitary conveyors are built to protect both consumers and your business from bacterial contamination that can cause foodborne illness. 

We’ll examine what sanitary conveyors do and explain how they contribute to food processing plant safety. We’ll also consider some of the direct and indirect costs to your business of a food recall and the ever-tighter sanitary regulations that processors need to meet.

We’ll also look at some specific ways that well-designed and well-implemented food-grade conveyor systems can help ensure safety on your processing line. Read on to learn more.

SANITARY CONVEYORS AND FOOD-PROCESSING PLANT SAFETY

Conveyors move ingredients and product between processing stages in any production plant. They ensure the different applications in your plant are integrated into a single process and automate handling challenges like lifting, lowering, or reorienting product for further processing. 

In food manufacturing, conveyors are critical to allowing large amounts of product to be processed quickly and efficiently, but they also perform another crucial function: your conveyor equipment needs to maintain the same food hygiene standards as the rest of your plant.

SANITARY CONVEYORS AND FOOD SAFETY

Bacterial contamination is the most serious threat to food safety, especially where consumable products are being handled in bulk. Harmful bacteria can grow quickly if food becomes trapped or equipment is not properly sanitized and can spread quickly through any exposed product. 

Food-grade conveyor equipment is designed to avoid contamination of your product. 

Modern conveyor food processing systems include food-safe components and special features designed to maintain hygiene to both prevent dangerous bacteria from contaminating your product and limit its ability to spread. 

A PFI Eleveyor can move product in a vertical motion.

However, sanitary conveyor equipment also helps protect your product by:

  • Limiting the time that food is exposed to potential contamination
  • Combining and reducing processing steps to minimize handling
  • Matching handling techniques to your specific product.

Today, food-grade conveyors provide effective sanitary control while offering a full range of sanitary handling solutions that can be customized to the needs of your product or the constraints of your production space. These include:

THE REAL COSTS OF FOOD CONTAMINATION

Food-safe solutions designed with your product and process in mind are critical when you consider the real cost of a food safety failure or product recall.

The CDC estimates that sicknesses caused by food-borne pathogens affect 48 million Americans every year, with up to 128,000 people being hospitalized by bacterial pathogens such as campylobacter, listeria, salmonella, and E. coli. 

Beyond the seriousness of causing your product’s consumers to become ill, increasingly sophisticated industry monitoring means manufacturers are subject to ever-higher hygiene standards and more sophisticated contamination tracing techniques. 

Today, even a limited product recall can cost your company up to $10 million. The cost of downtime and lost product of a complete line shutdown to deep clean, sanitize, and test equipment can be far higher.

In addition, the indirect costs to your business can be hard to measure but just as real. Among other things, these can include:

  • Damage to your brand
  • Damage to your company’s reputation
  • Loss of public confidence in your product category
  • Loss of key staff
  • Lower workforce morale

MEETING TODAY’S FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS

To minimize the risk to consumers and the food system as a whole, regulators and industry groups require food processing equipment, including sanitary conveyors, to meet a wide range of standards. Common standards in the U.S. today include:

Compliance with these standards is enforced by regular equipment inspections and testing for processors falling into particular industries or product categories. Typically, any food-exposed surface needs to pass a rigorous surface-swab test to meet sanitary requirements.

Safety standards are also constantly improving. For example, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act is being rolled out and will raise standards significantly in several sectors. 

The best equipment already exceeds current standards to help ensure your process continues to comply with advancing food safety requirements for years to come.

HOW DO SANITARY CONVEYORS IMPROVE FOOD SAFETY?

Let’s take a look at how today’s food-grade conveying equipment works to protect food safety, including good design, practice principles, and specific technologies.

1. Minimizing Handling

Perhaps the most significant contribution conveyors make to food safety is to minimize the amount of physical handling that your product receives. By reducing the need for human contact with food in order to move product between processes, a major source of contamination is removed. 

The ability of different types of conveyors to move, raise, lower, and change the direction of travel means the need for human handling of food is often eliminated entirely. Some, like horizontal motion conveyors, can even slow down or reverse direction to allow parts to be cleaned or replaced without stopping the line. 

2. Matching Technology to Process

Choosing the right conveyor for your product or process is critical to maintaining a consistent level of hygiene. For example, vibratory conveyors are best for preventing the sticking of cooked food, while horizontal motion conveyors keep frozen product like seafood moving.

A vibratory conveyor system keeps french fries from sticking together.

While many smaller operators may be tempted to choose standard off-the-shelf conveyor equipment that seems to meet their needs, seasoned, at-scale producers usually prefer to work with an experienced equipment provider who can match conveyor equipment to their needs.

3. Sanitary Materials

The best food-grade conveyor equipment is made from high-quality sanitary materials. To minimize the risk of contamination, any surface that comes into contact with food must be:

  • Smooth and free of cracks, crevices, or dents
  • Nonporous and nonabsorbent
  • Non-reactive to food products
  • Corrosion resistant
  • Requires little or no maintenance to maintain these characteristics.

This applies particularly to painted, coated, or electroplated surfaces. Here there should never be any flaking, bubbling, or chipping of food-exposed surfaces.

Instead, to preserve hygiene, most leading brand manufacturers of sanitary conveyors choose either FDA-approved food-grade plastics for belting or bucket systems and a range of metals for contact surfaces, depending on the application.

 

Metal Characteristics / Uses
Stainless Steel Materials of choice for quality sanitary food conveyor equipment:

  • Strong and durable
  • Resistant to corrosion
  • Natural anti-microbial properties.
Titanium Superior strength and corrosion resistance but very expensive: 

  • Used only in special stainless steel alloys for handling very acidic foods.
Copper Durable but susceptible to leaching when exposed to high-acid foods.

  • Used mainly for brewing and cheese applications
Carbonized metal & cast iron Tough, heavy materials used only for direct cooking surfaces and frying equipment.
Aluminum Lightweight metal susceptible to corrosion. 

  • Scratches and warps over time.
  • Used only in cheap equipment.

While a range of metals might be appropriate for applications handling dry materials like hard candy or pasta, dairy, and meat processors must meet much tighter sanitary standards. 

Here, true food-grade stainless steel is preferred for its naturally antimicrobial properties and resistance to high-temperature wash-down, pasteurization, and sterilization procedures.

4. Designed for Safety

There’s more to building true professional-grade food conveying equipment than just choosing the best materials. Leading equipment is distinguished by smart design thinking about sanitation, often based on years of industry experience. 

Minimal Moving Parts

Keeping machinery simple makes equipment easier to keep clean, maintain, and sanitize. 

  • Reduces wear and tear to minimize downtime and maintenance calls 
  • Fewer connections and other potential contamination points
  • Key components are easier to access for cleaning and maintenance
  • Simplifies sanitation and validation processes

Making equipment simpler also enables the toolless replacement of key components, reducing the likelihood of damage or contamination of your line by non-sterile maintenance tools. 

Active Water and Condensation Management

The best equipment is designed to minimize moisture accumulation and actively manage liquids released by cooking, draining, and dewatering. Look for:

  • Angled surfaces
  • Tilted or grooved belts and conveyor surfaces
  • Self-draining piping systems

Water Ingress Control

For equipment exposed to high-temperature washdown and sterilization processes, such as conveyors handling dairy or raw meat products, look for features that seek to minimize water ingress between components. Look for:

  • Solid stainless steel tubing
  • Minimal unwelded joints, crevices, or fasteners
  • IP69K compliance: the top industry standard for limiting water ingress between parts

Minimized Bacteria Harboring Opportunities

Simple design, premium materials, and quality construction all help to minimize food-exposed places where bacteria could build up. They also make it easier to swab-test and validate equipment. Look for:

  • Properly designed and installed fasteners
  • Tight, overlapping joints and connections
  • Smooth, polished welds and well-milled contact surfaces
  • Radiused corners without welds

Also, be sure to look beyond direct contact surfaces when checking for harboring opportunities. Look carefully at the top edges and contact points with coverings or lids where moisture or waste could accumulate.

WHAT IS VALUE-ADDED SANITARY CONVEYING?

In addition to these industry-standard features, leading equipment providers offer technologies or features that add value to your food safety investment above that offered by standard sanitary conveying equipment. Here are some ways value-added sanitary conveying is achieved:

The VFII is one of PFI’s more advanced vibratory conveyors.1. Combining/Eliminating Processes

Advanced equipment like PFI’s Magnaflex and VFII vibratory conveyors offers value-added processing that allows product to be laned, spread, de-watered, or reoriented while in motion, allowing the ability to combine or eliminate processes that were previously separate steps.

Fewer steps mean less overall handling or exposure time for vulnerable materials like sliced fresh produce, raw meats, or cheeses. 

2. Improved Quality Control

Variable-speed horizontal motion conveyors allow finished products to be more easily inspected on moving trays prior to final packaging, thereby improving the quality of your output and allowing more opportunity to spot substandard product.

3. Clean-in-Place

Premium conveying equipment is generally customized for your specific application and may include option features, such as clean-in-place equipment. This allows food-exposed surfaces to be cleaner or to self-clean while the machine is still in operation.

Value-added equipment like belt scrapers, flip-down guarding, belt lifts, and quick-release take-ups minimize hands-on maintenance, helping to ensure sanitary conditions for longer.

PFI: INDUSTRY-LEADING SAFETY, VALUE-ADDED FEATURES

There’s no room for compromise when it comes to the safety of your product. PFI Conveyors is the recognized leader in supplying high-quality sanitary equipment that is the preferred choice of many of America’s most recognized food brands. Trust PFI to deliver: 

At PFI, we are committed to helping you find the best sanitary conveying solution for your needs and to working with you at every stage of the design and delivery process. 

Click below to learn more about how investing in quality and safety upfront pays dividends over time. Contact us today to discover how we can put our unparalleled skills and experience to work for you.

10 Factors That Affect the Price of a Sanitary Conveyor System

Sanitary material handling and conveyor system

Planning for Sanitary Conveyor Designs [A Guide]

Written by Howard on .

Better sanitary conveyor design can help increase efficiency, save space, and eliminate steps in your manufacturing process. If you’re building a plant or overhauling a product line, it makes sense to put conveyor design at the heart of your project planning process.

In this guide, we look at why smart conveyor design adds value to your investment in higher-quality equipment and increased process automation. We also suggest concrete steps to plan correctly for food-grade conveyors in your project.

LINE ITEM: WHY SANITARY CONVEYORS MATTER

For many plant managers and project teams, efforts to increase productivity focus on boosting the performance of key pieces of standalone processing equipment.

Increased automation means you can often do more to your product at each stage of your process, while intelligent sensors and advanced optics allow you to run operations faster and integrate processes more closely. 

With all the hype, it’s easy to forget that the productivity of individual processes is only as good as the network that links them all together. 

Your sanitary conveyor systems connect the individual parts of your lines into a unified whole, ensuring the product arrives where it’s needed next in exactly the volumes and proportions it’s needed in, all while maintaining your plant’s safety and hygiene protocols.

More Than an Add-On

Food-grade conveyor systems are more than an add-on. They’re a critical production component that drives productivity and adds real value to your process. On many food processing projects, however, effective conveyor design has become an afterthought.

Sanitary conveyor design is typically considered late in the front-end process, and equipment and layout decisions tend to be shaped around the constraints of more expensive “core” equipment rather than being approached as an integral part of your process.

Failing to plan for sanitary conveyor design can be a big problem for a couple of reasons:

  1. Gains from investment in big-ticket processing capacity and increased automation are limited by under-investment in relatively inexpensive conveying equipment. 
  2. Poor handling, sanitation standards, and integrations can threaten product quality and food safety. 
  3. Performance gains can be wiped out from downtime required for modifications and fixes on inadequate conveyor equipment and poor system integrations. 

Smart Conveyors Move You Forward

Most importantly, failing to think ahead about conveyor equipment is a missed chance to leverage bottom-line gains in efficiency, safety, and product quality driven by advances in sanitary conveyor design itself. 

Today, sanitary food conveyors can do far more than move your product from point A to point B. As the industry has evolved, conveyors of all types have kept up, streamlining their design and functionality and increasing their capacity.

Value-Added Conveying

They’ve also become an increasingly active part of the food-handling process, adding and combining operations and in some cases even taking over processes that were handled by a dedicated stand-alone unit.

Leading conveyor manufacturers now speak about “value-added conveying” to describe the benefits smarter design and an integrated approach to planning can bring to your project. 

For example, next-generation vibratory conveyors such as PFI’s Magnaflex can now be configured to spread, lane, or orientate products while in transit, combining or even eliminating process steps that once required their own dedicated application.  

INTEGRATING SANITARY CONVEYOR DESIGN

Your sanitary conveyor system is no longer an add-on to your food handling process; it’s a critical part of your plan. Planning for conveyor equipment should be included in every stage of your front-end process, from initial scoping to final design.

It’s also critical to get advice from industry experts as early on in your planning process as possible. Consulting with a reputable equipment supplier can provide valuable insights about how the latest conveying technology can benefit your project. 

Talk to your conveying equipment provider about:

Space Maximization

Increasingly flexible and compact elevating solutions and curved belt conveyors can help you get more out of a smaller plant footprint or make it easier to expand your existing plant configuration by adding a mezzanine platform or adjacent floor space.

In-Process Storage

Modern variable-speed and reversible conveyors such as the PURmotion horizontal motion conveyor allow you to smooth out stoppages and surges to keep production on track. Find out if this technology is right for your process.

Product-Specific Concerns

Established equipment makers have decades of experience across all types of food production. Let them flag potential problems and suggest industry-tested solutions for you early on in your design process. 

Expert Integration

Prevent bottlenecks by making sure your conveying equipment seamlessly connects your process from receiving to packaging. Choose a partner with the skills to deliver customized solutions to integrate a wide range of OEM equipment.

Whole-Plant Perspective

Your sanitary conveyor system is the central nervous system of your plant. Get expert advice on how proposed design changes or last-minute machinery moves will affect your sanitary conveyor system and every other aspect of your manufacturing process.

Processing in Motion

Food conveying is not just about moving products from step to step. Modern conveyor systems can also manipulate your product in the process to increase efficiency or even eliminate an entire step. 

Flexible value-added conveying equipment such as the VFII vibratory conveyor and other units can perform a wide range of “processing-in-motion” applications including:

Leveraging Industry Relationships

Working with a seasoned manufacturer with broad food industry experience offers benefits that go beyond your conveying equipment. 

Manufacturers with broad project experience and pre-existing relationships with other OEMs can help speed up your design process and reduce potential issues during installation, commissioning, and production.

PLANNING FOR SANITARY CONVEYOR DESIGN

Sanitary conveyor design offers a real return on plant investments.

Including sanitary conveyor design into your plant build-out or upgrade project has real benefits, from faster and more effective project implementation to better troubleshooting to immediate improvements in production and long-term return on plant investments.

Planning for effective sanitary conveyor design as part of your plant build-out or overhaul is all about communication. Above all, your organization’s own food safety experts and maintenance team must be engaged in the design process from Day 1. 

This helps keep stakeholders on the same page and ensures that equipment used across the project meets the required food safety standards. It also helps avoid costly delays later on in the process as equipment that has already been ordered is checked, replaced, or reconfigured.

Reputable manufacturers will be happy to share high-quality product information from basic spec sheets and demonstration videos to highly detailed CAD drawings of the actual units being built for your project.

4 STEPS TO CONVEYOR DESIGN SUCCESS

While it’s important to get expert assistance, conveyance equipment manufacturers will not be able to support you if you have not defined your own needs. The following steps will help your design team get their sanitary conveyor design process up and running. 

Step 1: Know What You Need To Do

The first step to developing an effective sanitary conveyor design for your process is understanding exactly what you need your equipment to do. 

That might sound simple, but for at-scale, multi-stage producers, it often means choosing between complex competing alternatives and aligning the interests of project stakeholders, from operations managers to food safety specialists.

Describing what you need to achieve is the first step in getting the help you need. At the very least, you need to know:

  • The process(es) and application(s) you need your conveyor equipment to enable, whether by linking existing equipment or as part of a “ground up” plan design.
  • The food characteristics, including hygiene, freshness, temperature, and integrity that you need to achieve or protect.
  • The current production volumes you need to achieve and the future production goals you need to plan for.
  • Your project budget and timeline

Step 2: Gather Your Documentation

Gather manuals, spec sheets, and CAD drawings for your existing or new process equipment. This includes plant layout and footprint plans, wiring schematics, and packaging requirements. 

You’ll need details on what utilities and hookups are needed and where in your facility the existing infrastructure is located. You’ll also need to include the required sanitary standards and best practices that your process is required to meet.

Together, this documentation details the performance limits and physical constraints within which any conveying solution needs to work.

Step 3: Define Your Core Team’s “Must-Haves”

Get your key stakeholders to put their cards on the table up-front. Understanding what features and standards are non-negotiable for your maintenance, safety, quality control, and sanitation teams will save time in the consultation process and simplify key design decisions.

Choosing between true “must-haves” and “nice to haves” is difficult, especially when your teams’ interests come into conflict, or when you need to consider your business’s future needs. Hashing this out now will help deliver a better thought-out solution later.

Step 4: Connect With a Reputable Conveyance Manufacturer

Understanding clearly how you want your conveyor solution to perform allows your equipment provider to make specific recommendations to achieve those goals. 

An experienced materials-handling partner can draw on solutions that work across a range of different applications. They can recommend the best option for your product, sanitation needs, and production volume and collaborate with you to design the best solution.

Building an effective sanitary conveyor system is about far more than simply fulfilling an order. To deliver a long-term return on investment, it needs to be an ongoing partnership with a company that understands your product and value proposition. 

Providing your equipment manufacturer with clear information upfront will save time and money, reducing pressure from overstretched project managers and engineers.

LOOKING DOWN THE LINE

sanitary conveying equipment offers industry-leading performance

Your relationship with an equipment manufacturer starts at the design stage but does not end when your equipment is delivered. Your planning team also needs to think about installation, commissioning, training, as well as ongoing maintenance and repair services.

Ordering the best equipment is not enough if it is poorly installed. Not all manufacturers install their equipment. If you are using your own installation team, make sure they are trusted by your conveyor equipment OEM and know how to install and configure your equipment correctly so that it meets safety and hygiene standards.

PFI: YOUR VALUE-ADDED SANITARY CONVEYOR PARTNER 

PFI is one of the most respected suppliers of quality sanitary conveyor solutions to the food industry worldwide. With more than 60 years of experience building safe, effective, and durable conveyors for food manufacturers of all types, we offer:

  • The best products: Our class-leading conveying equipment offers industry-leading performance and features – designed to provide years of reliable service.
  • The highest sanitary standards: Our precision-built equipment meets and exceeds existing industry benchmarks, including USDA, GMA, BEMA, and FSMA regulations. 
  • Seamless integration: Our equipment is designed to integrate seamlessly with your new or existing OEM manufacturing equipment.

At PFI, we are committed to helping you find the best sanitary conveying solution for your needs, and to working with you at every stage of the design and delivery process. 

Click below to learn more about PFI’s industry-leading sanitary conveyors or contact us today to discover how we can put our unparalleled skills and experience to work for you.

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SAVE TIME AND MONEY BY USING FOOD-GRADE CONVEYORS TO DO MORE

Written by Intero Web Division on .

Food manufacturing companies routinely use conveyors throughout their facilities to move food products along the line to get them processed, packaged, and out to customers.

Value-added conveyors can save time and money – AND produce more significant ROI. Let’s look at how they can help throughout the processing line.

How Value-Added Conveyors Can Help Food Processors

In a food processing plant, conveyors are used to move product around as it proceeds through the various steps of preparation. But, what’s not always considered is that conveying equipment can be enhanced to help complete steps while the product is in motion. This allows plants to perform more efficiently.

To understand how this might be incorporated, think about how a product might be manipulated while moving along on a conveyor. A manufacturer might need to add nuts, for example, or cover something in chocolate.

What Types of Actions Can a Value-Added Conveyor Do?

There’s a conveyor adaptation to fit almost any action that might need to be done to prepare the product for the next stage of the process.

Conveyors can be designed to manipulate the product so it can be ready for the next step in production. This may include completing actions such as:

● Flipping or turning
● Merging and sorting
● Sizing
● Aligning
● Compressing
● Sprinkling an ingredient on top
● Stuffing ingredients inside
● Enrobing/waterfall
● Cutting or chunking

Some of the food industries that might benefit from incorporating value-added conveying equipment include:
● Meat processing
● Candy and confectionery
● Dough processing and handling
● Frozen food
● Pet food
● Snack food
● Bakery

Advantages of Value-Added Conveyance Solutions

What can value-added conveyance solutions mean for a food manufacturing company? There are numerous advantages:

Money saved: When time and labor are saved, cost savings also result. The cost of an optimized conveyor is usually less than a separate machine, meaning it’s more likely to stay within a manufacturer’s budget.

Addressing a worker shortage:  Positions in these areas can be hard to fill because the jobs can be repetitive and may be tedious. Turnover is often high. Using value-added conveying solutions helps address this challenge by automating such tasks on the line.

Increased project efficiency: By relying on the conveyor OEMs to figure out the manipulation, it can save time on the part of the manufacturer’s engineering team. In addition, working with fewer suppliers saves project management time. Using less equipment is easier and more streamlined for operations, sanitation, and maintenance.

Improved food safety: Using a machine versus a human worker to complete some steps of the process reduces the potential for products to be contaminated.

Better precision: Conveying equipment aligns the ingredients and portions more precisely than a human can.

Reduced waste: It also results in less waste – an example might be a factory using a procedure that sprinkles nuts on a product. The conveyor can be designed to catch the nuts that fall off, which can then be cycled back into the process instead of discarded.

Smaller footprint: Value-added conveying equipment saves floor space, as well, which impacts the logistics of a factory.

Guidelines for Choosing a Value-Added Conveyor Supplier

For food manufacturers who are considering value-added conveyance solutions, follow these guidelines:

  1. Get a conveying equipment partner involved early: Choose a supplier you can rely on, then get them involved before you make crucial decisions about how to process a food product. The earlier they can get involved, the more efficiency they can bring to your processes.
  2. Ask for an assessment of your production process and facility: Once you’ve chosen a partner to work with in the conveyor equipment space, they can perform an assessment of your production facility. They can then provide recommendations on specific pieces of equipment that can be incorporated based on a food producer’s unique needs. The sooner this is done, the more helpful it may be. It makes processes more efficient, resulting in a smaller footprint.
  3. Consider conveyance technology during process development: If you want to build even more efficiency into your processes, factor conveyance into your process development stage. For example, in-house engineering teams may not think about how a conveyor can add value during food production. By working with a partner in the conveyor space, manufacturers can gain insight that may be helpful in designing their processes.
  4. Choose a supplier who understands the industry applications: When considering a supplier to work with, be sure to choose one with industry experience. A partner that knows food processing applications inside and out saves time spent searching for engineering resources that may be difficult to find. They can easily build on existing solutions or tweak projects as needed to perfect them to fit a new application.
  5. Think about supporting equipment: Once you have the right conveyance equipment in place, consider supporting equipment to create complete conveyance and bulk handling systems. This may include dumpers, platforms, lifts, sanitary parts carts, and elevators.
  6. Add installation and maintenance services: Some conveyance equipment manufacturers also offer installation and maintenance services you can take advantage of. Partnering with your conveyance OEM to install and service equipment streamlines the project by leveraging experts that understand how to integrate it into the line efficiently and accurately.

Value-Added Conveyors Increase Efficiency for Manufacturers

As you develop new products and perfect existing processes, value-added conveyors help you work smarter by enhancing your line while saving on the bottom line.

See all of our conveyors

Food Conveyor Systems: When to Use Horizontal Motion vs Vibratory

Written by Kimberly on .

Modern food conveyor systems keep your product clean, safe, and fresh while moving through your facility. Choosing just the right value-added handling technology to match your processing needs can help give your company the edge. 

Food-grade horizontal motion and vibratory conveyor systems offer very different solutions to the same problem: moving more products faster and smarter. 

Here’s how partnering with an experienced conveyor supplier like PFI can help you put more speed, flexibility, and in-motion processing power on your line and better quality products out on the shelf.

THE RIGHT CONVEYOR FOR YOUR PROCESS

Horizontal motion and vibratory food conveyor systems each offer smart potential solutions to the challenge of transporting food products through your facility safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively. 

Turning that potential into real value for your product and bottom-line gains for your company depends on matching the advantages of the right process to your company’s product mix, value proposition, and budget.

Below, we’ll take a close look at the factors that determine which conveying process might work best for your product and company. We’ll consider:

HOW DO HORIZONTAL MOTION CONVEYORS WORK?

Food-grade horizontal motion conveyors provide steady, gentle, forward movement that moves food in the desired direction by sliding it down one or more product pans. Horizontal conveyors are powered by advanced computer-controlled servo motors. These motors generate controlled, consistent forward movement while also allowing:

  • Infinitely variable speed control
  • Instant motion start/stop
  • Full motion reversibility

Horizontal motion conveyors combine steady movement with robust, durable construction and are capable of moving products up to 40 feet a minute. The equipment requires a flat or slightly inclined bed to move product. It can also move product at a decline and a slight incline, usually not more than a 1-degree upward slope.

Performance

Horizontal motion conveying is also well suited to extreme operating conditions, including freezer rooms and processes involving the harshest wash-down and sterilization procedures.

The higher-quality direct-drive horizontal motion conveyors built by PFI are limited in length to about 20 feet per unit.  Multiple units can convey material for distances of up to 60-80 feet, but the cost of moving material per line foot is higher. Some manufacturers can build longer units, but these require large mechanical drives, which adds to maintenance costs and downtime. 

Horizontal motion conveyors can also be run in reverse. This is very useful when slowing or reversing the line is required, allowing, for instance, the product to be held up without stopping the line so that bagging film can be replaced.

Horizontal conveyors offer quieter mechanical operation than other transfer or handling solutions, although this also depends on the material you are handling. 

Sanitation

The sealed direct drive servo motors used on leading units like PFI’s PURmotion horizontal conveyor equipment protect the most sensitive mechanical components while making more of the unit’s moving parts visible and accessible. Simple design and smooth, threadless construction reduce harborage points and allow easy cleaning and sanitization. And stainless steel pans are easy to wipe and wash down.

Maintenance

Smart design also makes maintenance easier, while drop-in or toolless replacement of more parts becomes possible. Horizontal motion conveyors can operate faultlessly for many years, although key parts like bushings need to be replaced every few years — or more often for conveyors operating in harsh applications.

Cost

Horizontal motion conveyors feature a more sophisticated design and offer greater control over production motion and speed. The up-front expense of design, customization, and installation of horizontal motion equipment tends to be higher than vibratory equipment, but maintenance costs over time are generally lower.

HOW DO VIBRATORY CONVEYORS WORK?

Food-grade vibratory conveyors are driven by mechanical or electromagnetic drives that generate side-to-side agitation along the line. Depending on the product you’re moving, these can be:

  • Long-stroke, lower-frequency mechanical drives for slower, more gentle agitation, or
  • Short-stroke high-frequency electromagnetic drives for faster, more aggressive motion.

This makes vibratory conveyors a flexible solution for a wide range of food-processing applications. Longer-cycling mechanical drives are used when a product can be moved more slowly or to protect fragile foodstuffs, while higher-frequency electromagnetic drives are used to provide aggressive agitation or to move lighter foodstuffs more quickly.

Performance

Leading equipment providers like PFI offer conveyors capable of moving at up to 55 feet a minute, although this depends on both the nature of the foodstuffs and the type of drives used by a vibratory conveyor. PFI’s vibratory equipment limits its vibratory conveyors to a maximum length of 22 feet per unit, with multiple units used to achieve longer lengths. Pan width varies based on product rates and density. 

Vibratory conveyors are a tried-and-true conveying solution that provides great flexibility in where and how they can be installed. Vibratory equipment also offers the ability to move product down relatively steep inclines and up slopes as steep as 7º.

Vibratory conveyors also adapt well to harsh environments, including hot and freezing conditions. Vibratory equipment tends to be noisier than horizontal motion equipment, but again, this is determined mainly by the material being handled.

Processing in Motion

Breaded chicken tenders on a vibratory conveyor

However, the real value of vibratory motion conveyors lies in their ability to add value by orienting and processing your product while in motion. By fine-tuning side-to-side agitation to the product being transported, vibratory conveyors can be designed to:

  • Orient product for packaging or further processing
  • Spread out loose material into a single layer
  • Grade product by size 
  • Screening product to remove material that is too small
  • “Scalp” product to take off material that is too big
  • Dewater product without drying it
  • Lane material for separation

Sanitation

PFI manufactures a range of food-grade vibratory conveyors with industry-leading features designed to maximize food safety and easy maintenance, including:

  • No lubrication design and no food-exposed moving parts
  • Sealed covers to protect sensitive equipment during wash-down
  • Open construction to allow easy maintenance and parts replacement
  • Pans that are easy to wipe and wash down

Maintenance

Vibratory conveyors are relatively easy, although equipment does need to be kept tuned and adjusted to reduce wear and ensure optimum performance. Springs exposed to extreme heat or cold must be replaced regularly. 

Cost

The flexibility, higher capacity, and wider availability of vibratory conveyors make them relatively cost-effective to install and run. Conveyors designed to sort and separate products cost more to set up but can add huge value to your operation over time.

HORIZONTAL MOTION VS. VIBRATORY CONVEYORS

The following table summarizes the main similarities and differences between horizontal motion and vibratory conveyors.

Horizontal Motion Conveyors Vibratory Conveyors

Design

 PurMotion horizontal motion conveyor VFII vibratory conveyor

Motion

 Gentle forward motion Side-to-side agitation

Unit length

 Up to 20 feet Up to 22 feet
Maximum line length  60-80 feet (multiple units) 60-80 feet (multiple units)
Pan width Fixed Can be built wider
Initial cost Higher Lower
Maintenance Lower Somewhat higher
Process integration Good Excellent
Noise Low (but depends on food) Higher (but depends on food)
Operation
Sanitary design and features ✓ ✓
Food-grade materials ✓ ✓
IP69K* components ✓
Reversible motion ✓
Uphill operation ✓
Fragile foods ✓  
Leveling ✓
Grading ✓
Screening (removing crumbs) ✓
Scalping (removing clumps) ✓
Dewatering ✓
Oil and sticky foods ✓
Seasoned foods ✓
Mixed foods ✓
Frozen foods ✓ ✓
High-temperature operation ✓ ✓
Visual inspection ✓
Portioning for packaging ✓

*IP69K certified equipment meets strict standards to prevent water ingress during washdown.

WHEN TO USE A HORIZONTAL MOTION CONVEYOR

Horizontal motion conveyors offer consistent, gentle motion and fine movement control. Models from PFI or other leading manufacturers feature robust construction and quality materials to deliver long-term performance. While equipment like PFI’s PURmotion conveyors may cost more, they also deliver industry-leading reliability sanitation performance when it matters.

Horizontal motion equipment offers some key capabilities that make it particularly well suited to handling fragile food products in the final stage of processing.

  • Gentle handling ensures seasoning is not knocked off ready-to-eat foods
  • Mixed foods are maintained in the correct proportions
  • Horizontal motion lines integrate well with proportion gates used for packaging
  • Food on the line can be visually inspected for quality control

Horizontal motion conveyors do not work as well with food that is processed in the middle of your value chain. This includes

  • Wet products
  • Sticky, waxy, or oily foods or products that leave a residue
  • Any materials that require separation, screening, or scalping

Instead, horizontal motion conveyor technology works best when well-matched to your product mix. It is particularly effective for dry, denser, and fine products, or products that mix materials of different sizes and consistencies. It’s also good for handling any fragile product including fresh and frozen produce. Ideal applications for horizontal motion equipment include:

WHEN TO USE A VIBRATORY CONVEYOR

Vibratory conveyors are a cost-effective way to move and process many foodstuffs. The versatility, scalability, and value-added pre-processing ability of vibratory conveyors make them a go-to solution for many common processing challenges. 

That said, investing in higher-quality vibratory equipment will improve reliability and reduce maintenance down the line. Manufacturers like PFI produce equipment with minimal moving parts and rigid construction, as well as industry-leading sanitation compliance and protection.

The higher capacity and lower cost-per-foot of vibratory equipment make it a good choice for handling large volumes of material in the receiving and processing phases of your operation. It’s great for dewatering delicate foods to avoid harsh drying processes. It can also be designed to allow oily or fried foods to drain effectively and to prevent sticky foods from adhering to the line. 

Vibratory conveying equipment can add huge efficiency and value to your processing operation through these and other value-added applications:

  • Orientate product for packaging or further processing
  • Spread and pre-sort treated product before drying or compression
  • Remove crumbs or clumps from granular products to ensure product consistency
  • Separate mixed-grade materials into graded lanes

Vibratory equipment is not well suited to handling delicate or very fine products, or mixed components that need to be kept in specific proportions. It is also difficult to separate specific proportions from a vibrating line for packaging.

Instead, use versatile food-grade vibratory equipment to transfer, sort, and assemble bulk products and prepare wet, oil, or sticky foods for further processing and packing. Ideal applications for vibratory conveyors include:

  • Orientating candy or baked goods for individual packaging
  • Washing, dewatering, and grading fresh produce like potatoes
  • Removing both large clumps and small crumbs from dog kibble
  • Remove and reclaim excess water from frozen seafood without drying
  • Spreading nuts or grains before roasting or drying
  • Draining and cooling fried foods like chicken or donuts

PARTNER WITH PFI FOR BEST CONVEYOR RESULTS

PFI's VFII Sanitary Vibratory Conveyor

The most important factor in deciding whether horizontal motion or vibratory conveyor systems are best for your business is understanding the specific processing needs of your product. 

From critical sanitary safeguards and optimum line efficiency to managing environmental noise, the unique characteristics of your materials affect every part of your conveying process. 

Finding the right equipment match for your business can unlock immediate performance gains and deliver returns on your investment for years to come. Choosing poorly can increase food waste and equipment downtime and even compromise the safety of your product.

Whether you are considering our PURmotion horizontal motion conveyor to help get your premium finished product out the door, our versatile VFII workhorse, or the value-add potential of our customizable MAGNEflex vibratory conveyor, we’ll help you find the right mix of performance, safety, and efficiency.

Want to be sure we’ve got it exactly right? We’ll run a full-scale test of your process at our Algona, Iowa, FAT test facility.  Plus, after purchase, we can install your new equipment so that when start-up begins, you can rest assured that your line will perform at its best. 

Click below to learn more about our world-class food-grade horizontal motion conveyor and vibratory conveyor solutions.

See Our Vibratory Conveyors

See Our Horizontal Motion Conveyors

a PFI sanitary conveyor system protects your product

10 Factors That Affect the Price of a Sanitary Conveyor System

Written by Howard on .

Your sanitary conveyor system is far more than add-on equipment that moves products between processes. It’s a long-term investment to maximize productivity and minimize downtime — while always delivering a safe, appealing product to your customer. 

If you’re a plant manager or engineering project lead looking to level up your conveyance game, you already know there are plenty of generic solutions, off-the-shelf products, and price-first providers waiting to fill the gap in your line.    

Here, we explore some of the factors that go into the price of a sanitary conveyor system and why it makes sense to pay more upfront for future-ready equipment that will continue to reduce costs and add value down the line.

BOTTOM LINE: SANITARY CONVEYOR SYSTEM PRICE FACTORS 

As an established food manufacturer, you’ve already heavily invested in big-ticket OEM processing units. While it can be tempting to economize when it comes to handling equipment, cutting corners on conveyor systems can cost you more later in maintenance, downtime, retrofits, and even product recalls. 

These 10 factors help determine the up-front cost you’ll see on a premium sanitary conveyor system.

  1. Equipment Type
  2. Components & Integrations
  3. Footprint
  4. Sanitation
  5. Controls
  6. Customizations
  7. Design Quality
  8. Parts
  9. Maintenance
  10. Customer Support

Let’s take a closer look at each of these factors and consider how smart choices today can help return long-term value and performance in the future. 

1.  Equipment Type

Many operations can be performed by different types of machines, but choosing the right system for your application can have big implications for efficiency, reliability, and food safety.

PFI's PURmotion horizontal motion conveyor smoothly conveys snacks through a food processing line

From horizontal and incline belt conveyors to bucket elevators and flexible vibratory conveyors, PFI works with your engineers to determine the right equipment solution based on your:

  • Application
  • Food type
  • Throughput
  • Budget

2. Components & Integrations

System prices scale from just a few thousand dollars for an individual conveyor to hundreds of thousands for a fully integrated system. A specialist equipment provider will look at the total number of individual conveyors you will need, along with supporting equipment including platforms, stairs, elevators, and parts carts.

Various integrations add to the complexity and number of machines needed. This may include equipment that transfers products to move smoothly from a wide machine to a narrower one or merges and separates multiple lines. 

Expert equipment providers will price in fully-engineered integrations to allow products to move seamlessly through your system. It also helps to partner with a provider who not only fabricates but installs their equipment, to ensure consistent work quality and seamless integration.

3.  Footprint 

The number of conveyor units you will require, and the width and reach of individual units depends on several factors, including:

  • Your processing volume
  • The size and configuration of your facility
  • The specs of your existing processing equipment

For example, most conveyor equipment can be either floor or ceiling mounted and delivered in a variety of widths to meet your production needs with only a marginal price change relative to the overall project cost.

And depending on the equipment type, the same footprint may require two or more units working in a series for the best performance. For example, the maximum length of a vibratory conveyor is approximately 20 feet for optimal vibration, while a belt conveyor can extend to over 100. 

4. Sanitation 

Cost-effective food conveyor installations match the sanitary design to the specific needs of your product and process. While safety always comes first, the hygiene requirements of, for example, packaging wrapped candy or dry pasta are very different from those needed when handling meats or uncooked products.  

There is no substitute for experience when it comes to building conveyors that deliver value while meeting and exceeding the hygiene requirements of your industry. All food-handling equipment should feature basic sanitary design features including:

  • Stainless steel construction in the food zone at a minimum
  • Angled surfaces to shed liquids
  • A simple modular design to ensure easy, effective cleaning

More demanding applications, such as raw proteins and fresh produce handling, require more specialized equipment that meets or exceeds specific USDA, GMA, and BEMA standards, among others. 

This equipment must meet the highest design and fabrication standards, including smooth, easy-swab surfaces that minimize bacteria-harboring opportunities and minimal seals, joints, or contact points. For these applications, leading brand food-grade vibratory or horizontal motion conveyors deliver the highest standard of hygiene, including:

  • Easy wipedown pans
  • IP69K-certified parts capable of withstanding repeated high-temperature washdowns
  • Toolless maintenance and parts replacement to minimize surface or component damage
  • Direct-drive beltless movement

sanitary belt conveyor

It’s also important to bear in mind that sanitation standards are constantly improving and equipment that only meets current regulations could quickly become sub-standard. 

Choose a provider who not only meets but exceeds the latest standards, including the FSMA regulations currently being rolled out by the FDA, to ensure a future-proof investment in conveyor technology. 

 

5. Controls

fully integrated control systems on a conveyor system

Integrated, centralized electrical controls allow one operator to start and stop multiple machines quickly and easily. This improves worker safety and boosts efficiency by allowing less downtime during system-wide stop-starts. Fully integrated control systems cost more but offer real gains in system performance.

 

6. Customizations

As an industry-leading conveyor manufacturer, PFI is best positioned to make modifications to our equipment, including:

  • Floor, ceiling, or mezzanine installations
  • Custom infeed and discharge modifications
  • Specialized sanitation requirements
  • Process-specific options, including clean-in-place systems, gates, belt scrapers, topping applicators, etc.

We provide a full range of system support items for our conveyors, including platforms and catwalks, as well as safety equipment such as emergency stops, cut-offs, and failsafes. 

Our systems can also be fully integrated with other common food-processing functions including vision, metal-detecting, and X-Ray equipment.

7. Design Quality

Superior industrial design is one of the key differentiators that set high-quality sanitary conveyors apart from more generic equipment. Quality design shapes every aspect of a conveyor, including:

  • Engineering: How well a unit integrates with your line
  • Operation: How well machinery runs over the long term
  • Maintenance: How easy equipment is to clean and maintain
  • Safety: How easily surfaces can be cleaned and test-swabbed
  • Quality: How well the conveyor handles your product, including minimizing damage and waste and preserving its physical appeal 

At PFI, we use our decades of experience and industry expertise to build safe, reliable conveyors designed for long-term return on investment. While many of our competitors may measure equipment life in years, we measure ours in decades.

8. Parts

Parts maintenance and replacement are key components of the lifetime cost of conveyor machinery. Quality conveying equipment is more likely to include:

  • A minimum number of moving parts
  • Open and accessible design for easy maintenance
  • Features designed to avoid or minimize maintenance issues

Choosing a high-quality design with less moving and consumable parts is more expensive up-front, but fewer parts replacements and less machine wear over time mean a longer-term return on investment.

9. Maintenance

Maintenance does contribute to the long-term cost of equipment. Equipment built with higher-quality design and materials reduces downtime and makes maintenance quicker when it does need to be done. Some leading brand conveyors also feature toolless parts replacement to minimize the chance of damage to food-exposed surfaces.

Regular replacement of wear parts, including belts, vibratory springs, and dumper cylinders, is necessary on all conveyor systems. Choosing a quality system at the outset and making sure scheduled maintenance and inspections take place on time protects your investment and helps ensure your equipment will last for years or even decades.

10. Customer Support

Smart plant managers understand that a sanitary conveyor system is more than an equipment solution — ideally, it’s a relationship that starts at the design stage and continues as long as the equipment is installed in your facility.

These days it’s possible to get an off-the-shelf solution for almost anything you need, but quick-fix generic solutions can turn short-term gains into long-term pain as you struggle to keep inadequate equipment in service.

Choosing a reputable supplier with an established track record may add up-front cost to your project, but you gain the benefit of specialist knowledge and broad experience, as well as a long-term partner who stands by their products.That can mean: 

  • Front-end testing of your product and solutions
  • Better integrations
  • Expert installation of the conveying equipment and others
  • Long-term maintenance support and parts ordering, and 
  • The ability to grow with you as your needs change.

PFI offers professional installation of our sanitary conveyor systems

It’s hard to put a number on the value of great customer service — except when you don’t have it. If you’re serious about safe, effective bulk food processing, choose an equipment provider with the staying power to stick with you for the long haul.

 

CONVEYING VALUE: WHY IT PAYS TO CHOOSE PFI 

At PFI, we build and deliver customized sanitary conveying systems that offer outstanding performance, durability, and long-term returns for our customers. An investment in PFI conveying equipment adds quality and safety to your product today and value to your operations for decades to come. Here’s why:

  • Sanitary systems: PFI is a world leader in sanitary systems that meet and exceed today’s strictest industry hygiene standards.
  • Trusted technology: Leading meat, bakery, and RTE food brands trust PFI conveyors on their lines. We are the trusted leader in safe, reliable food conveyor technology.
  • Expert team: PFI delivers equipment that meets the specific needs of your process and product. Nobody has more experience building conveyor systems for food processing.
  • Custom-configured solutions: At PFI, we tailor-make every system to your exact specs. We can even test your entire system with full FATs at our Algona, Iowa location.
  • After-sales support: PFI stands by our products. We offer a full range of technical support, parts replacement, and preventative maintenance services.

Click below to learn more about our industry-leading conveyor solutions.

See Our Sanitary Conveyor Systems

MEAT PROCESSORS ADDRESS LABOR AND SAFETY WITH AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS – NATIONAL PROVISIONER

Meat processors address labor and safety with automation and robotics – National Provisioner

Written by Mindson Dev on .

A recent National Provisioner Automation & Robotics report includes insights and anticipations of robotics and automation in the meat processing industry. Processors and suppliers are keen to improve food and worker safety, while addressing labor availability issues, by embracing automation.

According to PFI’s Shane Peterson, automation systems have clear benefits in the food processing industry. Peterson stated, “With the continued advancement of robotics and AI technologies, many opportunities exist to streamline and enhance reliability in food production environments.” He believes that this trend will yield positive returns on investment and make automation an excellent business solution both now and in the future.

Peterson further emphasized the significance of worker safety, noting that automation not only decreases the risks of human contamination but also diminishes the potential for human error. He explained, “Repetitive motion for a human can cause health-related issues over time.” By protecting workers through automation, companies can save money that may have been lost due to injuries.

Read the full National Provisioner report from several suppliers, including PFI and our parent company Grote Company.

 

Sanitary conveying, delivered.™

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