Boost Profit with Gentle Conveying of Valuable Product Without Using Air
For food processing companies with high-value product susceptible to damage such as nuts , cereal , coffee , snacks , and dry pet food , material breakage and loss is a very costly problem that can harm the bottom line . Even a difference between 1 % waste and 5 % can mean the difference between profit or loss .
To convey such delicate food product , processors should avoid conveyors that may force the fragile materials through stressful phases during
transport that could impact its integrity , while still meeting high throughput requirements . Given this need , some food processors are reconsidering conveying fragile , high value products using high velocity air power through tubes , bends , or sweeps before it is unceremoniously dumped into bins or containers .
In the coffee industry , for example , processors go to great expense to roast whole beans . However , the beans can be damaged by high velocity air conveyance , compromising flavor and aroma , according to Gary Schliebs , a Process Engineer and Director of Plus One Percent … Engineered Solutions , a consulting firm that works in the food industry and markets food industry conveyor equipment globally .
When a whole macadamia nut is broken , its value can drop by half . Instead of a premium price for whole nuts , damaged nuts are often sold at a substantial discount , and often crushed for use in cooking or processing further upstream in the food industry .
“ Many high-value food products can be fragile and need very gentle handling . Otherwise , whole forms can be broken , crushed to bits , and even turned to powder . This significantly lowers the value of the product , and damaged portions may need to be removed or disposed of to prevent perceived quality issues that could prompt customers to turn to other brands ,” says Schliebs .
The Limitations of Air Conveyors
While aeromechanical conveyors have a different method of conveyance , these enclosed , high-capacity mechanical systems can also degrade delicate product . With these systems , a wire rope with evenly spaced discs within a tube travels at high speed , running in sprockets at each end of the conveyor . This generates an internal air stream traveling at the same high velocity as the discs that carry product along in the tube . However , these conveyors may also force vulnerable materials through stressful phases during transport , which could impair their integrity .
A Gentler Approach Boosts Profitability
According to Schliebs , a gentler alternative to protect sensitive , high-value food products is to utilize tubular cable conveyors . These systems move product through a sealed tube using a coated , flexible stainless-steel drag cable pulled through on a loop . Solid circular discs ( flights ) are attached to the cable , which push the product at low speed through the tube without the use of air , preserving product integrity and minimizing waste .
“ Food industry manufacturers can decrease product damage down to 1-2 % with a slower process like a Cablevey Conveyors tubular cable system . With it , product is gently transferred at low speed , so there is minimal , to no damage ,” says Schliebs .
In the food industry , the conveyors are utilized for products such as nuts , cereal , coffee , snacks , pet food , beans , and seeds . The systems can convey up to 2000 cubic feet per hour ( 56m3 / hr ) of flakes , pellets , shavings , crumbles , granules , regrind , chunks , parts , prills , and powders with numerous layouts using multiple inlets and outlets .
“ To minimize product damage , it is important for food industry manufacturers to not only transfer gently , but also get product in and out of the conveyor safely and gently as well . That is more achievable with a conveyor like Cablevey that allows product to slide down rather than drop out the end ,” says Schliebs .
In fact , most tubular cable conveyors have interchangeable components that allow the conveyor to be easily expanded or reconfigured to change the length , conveying path and the number of inlets and outlets . These modifications are more complex and time-consuming with a pneumatic conveying system because it has more components and electrical connections .
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