Sorting Through Your Conveyor Options

eHANDBOOK

Sorting Through Your Conveyor

Options

TABLE OF CONTENTSDigitization on the Move 3

Digital automation and control bring new possibilities to conveyors,

for both routine operations and predictive maintenance.

Custom Conveying Solutions not Necessarily Required for all Applications 7

Make the Case for Vacuum Boosters 10

Top Five Causes of Conveyor-Related Foreign Material Risk 13

AD INDEXReid Supply • www.reidsupply.com 6

Vac-U-Max • www.vac-u-max.com 9

Tuthill • www.tuthill.com 12

Intralox • www.intralox.com 15

eHANDBOOK: Sorting Through Your Conveyor Options 2

www.FoodProcessing.com

http://www.reidsupply.com

http://vac-u-max.com

http://info.tuthill.com/food-processing

http://www.intralox.com/incline

Conveyors are basically beasts of

burden. But that doesn’t mean they

have to be dumb beasts.

Digital technology has enhanced all kinds of

equipment in food & beverage plants, and

conveyors are no exception. Digitization

opens new possibilities for conveyors, both

for contributing to overall automation and

for their own maintenance.

In a way, conveyors are an excellent target

for digitization because they’re the plant’s

circulatory system. Keeping track of what’s

on them and how smoothly it’s flowing are

ways to take the pulse of the plant.

“Our Iso-Flo shakers and other vibratory

conveyors work in conjunction with differ-

ent types of sensors and systems, including

weigh belts, load cells and product height

sensors, that transmit data to the control

system about product flowing through the

line,” says Jim Ruff, vice president for pro-

cess systems and integrated solutions at

Key Technology (www.key.net).

There are many variations available in con-

veyor performance, but at the end of the

day, it’s all about moving stuff from point A

to point B. That’s why digital enhancement

of conveyors usually starts with the motors

that are driving them.

Simply keeping track of when they start

and stop is the most basic bit of informa-

tion. A common source for this kind of data

is the PLCs that usually operate the con-

veyor motors.

Digitization on the MoveDigital automation and control bring new possibilities to conveyors, for both routine operations and predictive maintenance.

By Food Processing

Conveyors can be programmed to modulate flow in response to sensors upstream or downstream. Photo: Key Technology



http://www.key.net

“For most applications, we utilize

Allen-Bradley and other PLCs that are used

by virtually all our customers,” Ruff says.

“Leveraging PLC software, we can monitor

both digital and analog sensors to deter-

mine product height, product speed and

volume of product within any given sec-

tion of one of our shakers, belt conveyors

or hoppers. With this information, we can

create application-specific algorithms within

the PLC software to optimize product flow.”

At its most basic, conveyor control is

uncomplicated. Conveyors are nearly

always segmented, with the segments pick-

ing up product or packages at one station

and delivering them to another. Each seg-

ment has three critical components or data

points: motor, input and output. Monitoring

input and output for each segment, and

controlling the motor accordingly, adds

flexibility to the whole operation.

“On a sophisticated line that’s fully inte-

grated, data collected by the sensors on one

machine automatically triggers all the neces-

sary adjustments to other machines on the

line without human intervention,” Ruff says.

“For example, if downstream equipment

sends data about changes to product flow,

it can trigger upstream gates or diverters on

distribution shakers to control feed rates.”

VARIABLE SPEEDS Motor control is especially important

when the conveyor is running at variable

speeds. Mono-speed conveyors used to be

the norm, and in many cases they still are.

But increasingly, conveyors need to vary

speeds to meet the changing demands

of a given application for flexibility.

“Occasionally we need to interface with a

machine that ramps up or down depending

on external conditions or prompts inline

or offline accumulation, which can affect

conveyor speeds,” says George Packard,

account manager at Multi-Conveyor (www.

multi-conveyor.com).

The traditional way to vary speeds has

been mechanical, by switching the drive

chain gearing. But that is inflexible and

entails considerable work and downtime.

An increasingly common strategy is to use

three-phase AC motors with variable-fre-

quency drives (VFDs) that can speed up

or slow down the motor by controlling the

frequency of the current fed to it. VFDs

often have smart capability, enabling them

to communicate with upstream or down-

stream controls.

“Variable speeds are required on a regular

basis,” Packard says. “Generally speaking,

this is achieved using recipes in the pro-

gramming and [operator interface] to store

jobs by product, size, line speeds and other

variables. The operator cues up jobs by

touchscreen controls, and the programmed

conveyors automatically adjust to loaded

input parameters.”



http://www.multi-conveyor.com

http://www.multi-conveyor.com

This works for both discrete units such as

packages and a continuous stream of prod-

uct, such as powder or small particulates.

“Our conveyors can be equipped with

sensors that have the capability to trans-

mit data to the control system, which can

collect and analyze that data to monitor

product weight, product height, mass flow,

product volume and more,” Ruff says.

MODERNIZING MAINTENANCE Digital capabilities for conveyors go

beyond control. Due to their size,

conveyors are among the hardest

plant components to maintain. But

digital technology has the potential

to revolutionize maintenance of

components like conveyors and make

it more proactive or predictive.

Machine components that are suscepti-

ble to wear often exhibit symptoms, like

heat or vibration, that serve as warnings

of impending failure. Reading those signs

is an important part of predictive main-

tenance, and VFDs are a good potential

source of this information. Fluctuations

or other anomalies in the current used by

the drive can be an indication of impend-

ing trouble.

“By monitoring devices such as VFDs, we

can analyze motor current, motor voltage,

motor speed and any digital or analog

input to look for trends that will alert

maintenance personnel to issues such as

product buildup on shaker pans, changes

in motor loads and more,” Ruff says. “We

can also capture this data to look for long

term trends that can impact overall plant

production.”

Directly monitoring the motor itself is also

an option, made easier when it’s a drum

motor specifically designed to pull convey-

ors. “Although the drum motor is simply a

motor and gearbox located inside the drive

shell of the conveyor, we’ve embraced

technology to make our drive intelligent,”

says Rick Zander, business development

manager of VDG (Van der Graaf) (www.

vandergraaf.com). “Over the years, we’ve

noticed a demand for information at the

operational and maintenance levels.”

VDG has equipped its motors with oil life

indicators and sensors for motor tem-

perature and vibration, along with what

Zander describes as “a ‘conditional moni-

toring’ device that takes what the sensors

are sending (1’s and 0’s) and decodes into

usable data.” End users can set limits and

parameters and decide what gets done –

alarms, shutdowns or other actions – when

they are exceeded.

Digital technology has the potential to

make conveyors run more smoothly, both

operationally and in terms of maintenance.

And a smooth-running conveyor system is

vital to a smooth-running plant.



http://www.vandergraaf.com

http://www.vandergraaf.com

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Most vacuum conveying systems don’t

require custom solutions in order to meet

your powder and bulk solids processing

requirements. Pre-engineered vacuum

conveying systems are now so technically

advanced that they are useful as is for a

wide range of industries. This article talks

about situations, including real-world exam-

ples, when turnkey packaged conveying

systems fit and when custom enhancements

are necessary.

The complexity of factors considered

when designing vacuum convey-

ing systems can bring about the

notion of expensive custom systems that

can take months of design before a solu-

tion reaches the plant floor. Or perhaps you

imagine older, off-the-shelf systems that

were designed for undemanding bulk solids

transfer and limited powder applications.

In reality, today’s turnkey pre-engineered

vacuum conveying packages descend

from a gene line of custom-engineered

solutions and satisfy about 80 percent

of the challenges faced when conveying

powders and bulk solids, including com-

bustible dust. The other 20 percent of

challenges may need custom or auxiliary

equipment to achieve an organization’s

material handling needs.

All vacuum conveying systems consist of

five basic components: a pickup point, a

vacuum receiver, a vacuum producer, a

control panel, and conveying tubing, all

simple stuff, right? The complexity surfaces

when you consider that each component

has a variety of available options that

influence the parameters of the next. The

art of vacuum conveying manifests in the

careful orchestrating of those components

to create a system that provides appli-

cation-specific solutions. Pre-engineered

solutions are birthed from custom first-time

solutions that advanced the science of

vacuum conveying.

Custom Conveying Solutions not Necessarily Required for all ApplicationsBy Vac-U-Max



VARIETY IN PRE-ENGINEERED VACUUM CONVEYING SYSTEMS Examples of custom-engineered

systems that have been adapted into

application-specific, pre-engineered

packaged systems include tablet press

loading systems, direct-charge blender

loading for food, pharmaceuticals,

chemicals, and metal powder recovery

systems for additive manufacturing.

In addition to these, modern general duty

pre-engineered conveying system packages

include component options for vacuum

producers, conveyor mounting, standard

or sanitary design, filter media possibilities,

interior and exterior finishes, and flexible

utility alternatives to complement plant

utility requirements. These package choices

provide a broader range of use across the

food, pharmaceutical, chemical, plastics

compounding, and metal forming and fin-

ishing industries and are adaptable when

conditions such as business needs or mate-

rials change.

SHOPPING FOR A SYSTEM Purchasing a pre-engineered vacuum

conveyor isn’t like purchasing a widget

from a website where you just click on

a product and it ships to you. Because

each organization and plant have unique

requirements, consultation with a pneumatic

conveying expert is still necessary to ensure

a pre-engineered product will work as

intended without costly surprises. Some

common custom engineering requirements

are related to available space, material

characteristics, integration with existing

equipment, and level of automation desired.

Although pre-engineered vacuum con-

veying systems are designed to address

common powder conveying challenges

experienced in a range or class of materials

or for materials with a range of character-

istics, some powders require the addition

of auxiliary or accessory equipment

making that.

Fine powders with low bulk density, such as

fumed silica and carbon black, present their

own set of challenges. They may require

more filtration and thus a larger vacuum

receiver, which may be larger than what’s

available in a packaged system.

Non-free-flowing powders, like those with

high fat content, generally require the most

equipment modifications. However, there’s

a plethora of methods used to handle non-

free-flowing powders that are incorporated

into some pre-engineered systems. For

example, specialized finishes, oversized

receiver discharge openings, 70 degree

discharge cones, and coneless (straight-

walled) vacuum receivers, like the one

shown in our complete whitepaper (click

below), can help improve material flow...

Download the complete white paper here.



https://www.foodprocessing.com/assets/wp_downloads/pdf/2020/08-convey/VacUMax.pdf

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Food_Processing_7.875x10.5-for_eHandbook-Jan2020.indd 1Food_Processing_7.875x10.5-for_eHandbook-Jan2020.indd 1 7/16/2020 1:43:31 PM7/16/2020 1:43:31 PM

http://www.vac-u-max.com

Vacuum boosters are positive-dis-

placement dry pumps that provide

an easy way to increase your flow

— your cfm — and get deeper vacuum.

Vacuum boosters use two-lobe rotors

spinning in opposite directions to remove

gas. This provides a quick way to get more

cfm in the deep end with considerable

money saving on equipment and horse-

power requirements.

The booster increases the vacuum system’s

cfm, therefore reducing the evacuation time

while increasing ultimate vacuum of the

backing pump by as much as eight times.

When used separately to discharge atmo-

sphere, they typically are limited to inlet

pressures of half an atmosphere.

The vacuum booster’s advantage is evi-

dent when it’s placed in series with another

vacuum pump. The booster then provides

higher pumping capacity and lower pres-

sures typically at lower cost and power

consumption. The backing pump can be

an oil-sealed piston or vane pump; a liquid

ring pump utilizing a variety of different

sealants from water, solvents or oil; or a dry

vacuum pump.

VACUUM BOOSTER USE IN INDUSTRY According to Keith Webb, Product Manager

at Tuthill Vacuum & Blower Systems,

vacuum boosters have a reputation in

industry for simplicity and reliability. “If

you take a booster and put a backing

pump behind it, you can run the booster

at low pressures and derive the needed

pumping capacity with lower overall

horsepower, compared to opting for a

larger backing pump alone,” he says.

Webb adds that most industrial applica-

tions for vacuum boosters require a deeper

vacuum and increased volumetric flow.

Typical pressures can vary from 0.1 to

100 mmHg. Typical industrial sectors are

Make the Case for Vacuum BoostersThese pumps can reduce costs while increasing flow and improving energy efficiency.

By Application Engineering, Tuthill Springfield



chemical, pharmaceutical, vacuum furnace

and steel degassing with applications that

include degassing, distillation, drying, freeze

drying, transformer drying, metallurgical

treatment and CVD.

He cites as an example higher-capacity

pumping of solvent vapors for recovery

purposes: “Vacuum boosters enhance the

performance of a dry vacuum pump when

used in combination and provide a lower

cost alternative compared to a larger dry

pump.” He says this can be an advantage

in the chemical processing industry when

dealing with multiple volatile solvent vapor

loads in which the dry vacuum system with

after-condenser can transport the solvent

vapor and selectively condense it in the

exhaust condenser.

Peter Rescsanski, Tuthill’s Northeast

regional sales manager, explains that cus-

tomers often rely on booster pumps for

their unique performance characteristics

and for an optimized blend of cost, reliabil-

ity and quiet operation. He notes that units

with helical gears on the boosters — as

well as units with a five-bearing booster

— provide smoother, quieter, and more reli-

able operation than the industry-standard

straight-cut gears.

Rescsanski explains that boosters also

allow users to pump down to the required

vacuum more quickly while minimizing

pump and motor size. He describes the

experience of a customer that recently

retrofitted nine vacuum furnaces with new

5-in. gear boosters with 24-in. rotors in

tandem with the company’s rotary-piston

vacuum pumps.

“Those boosters are rated to 1,600 cfm,

provide vertical flow, are left-hand drive

and have labyrinth slinger-style seals,” he

says. “The furnaces, used to dry calcium,

are large box-style units measuring 20 ft.

by 8 ft. by 6 ft., and the customer had been

pumping them down with stand-alone

oil-vapor diffusion pumps. Pump down

(from 10 torr to 0.05 torr) took four hours,

while our solution reduced that to three

hours. That dramatic time savings resulted

in a return on investment in just two to

three months.”

VACUUM BOOSTERS IN CHEMICAL INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS Boosters are offered in various metallurgy,

including 304 and 316 stainless steel,

for additional corrosion resistance,

as well as a coating as a lower-cost

corrosion resistant alternative.

Webb says, “Manufacturers can offer

mechanical face seals for their vacuum

boosters that deliver positive pressure with

low gas leak rates of 1X10 -4 cc/sec per

mechanical seal, or noncontacting...




https://www.foodprocessing.com/assets/wp_downloads/pdf/2020/08-convey/Tuthill.pdf

http://info.tuthill.com/food-processing

In the U.S. alone, roughly 80% of the

food supply moves on conveyors, and

the average direct cost of a recall is

$10 million.

No matter where you are in the world,

conveyors and the belts running on them

must be properly designed, maintained,

and cleaned to ensure food safety. Among

the many challenges that processors

face every day to achieve this—including

demands for increased throughput, prod-

uct variety, and strict regulations—one

stands out:

Producers face enormous risk and oper-

ational costs due to product holds and

recalls caused by conveyor-related foreign

material contamination.

The good news? It’s preventable.

Our team has spent thousands of hours

inside food processing plants. We’ve

seen firsthand the issues and routine

practices that put customers at risk every

day. Understanding the root causes of con-

veyor-related foreign material can help you

address potential trouble areas to minimize

your risk.

Here are five common causes of convey-

or-related foreign material contamination

that you can work to avoid:

BELT HANDLING This is a big one for both new, greenfield

plants and when modifying existing

legacy equipment. When plant personnel

mishandle conveyor belts during removal

or reinstallation for cleaning, belt damage

can occur and invite foreign material

contamination. How can you spot

improper belt handling in your facility?

Here are a few things to look for:

• Are your staff and sanitation crew using

the correct tools and steps to remove

the belts? For example, forcing out rods

or pins with a hammer can damage the

edge modules.

Top Five Causes of Conveyor-Related Foreign Material RiskHow to proactively address them in your plant.

By David Maldonado of Intralox



• Are the belts being transported and

stored properly during sanitation? Drag-

ging a belt on the floor or draping it over

another conveyor can damage both that

belt and the other conveyor.

• Does your team protect your belts and

conveyors when building or modifying a

system nearby? This is especially import-

ant when welding.

• How are you storing new belts and

conveyors? It’s crucial that they be

placed in a “clean zone” to protect them

during construction.

If you notice such activity in your plant,

teach your team the proper way to safely

remove, transport, store, and reinstall your

conveyor belts.

CONVEYOR DESIGN The design of the conveyor itself can

impact the potential risk of foreign material.

To optimize your conveyor and prevent

unnecessary wear on the belt, consider

the following during the design phase:

• Proper catenary sag, or “belt slack”

in returnway

• Correct returnway support size

• Wearstrip material selection for carryway

(we recommend UHMW-PE, rather than

HDPE, to avoid dusting)

• Wearstrip surface finish—the smoother,

the better

And don’t forget about sanitation and con-

veyor design. What are your specific needs?

For example, belt lifters and clean-in-place

systems could be used on hard-to-reach

conveyors like tall inclines. If your Sanita-

tion Standard Operating Procedures require

belt removal to deep clean hinges, consider

a solution like ThermoDrive® technology,

which enables efficient and effective clean-

ing with fewer chemicals and without the

need to remove and soak your belts.

CATCHPOINTS You may already know that catchpoints

can lead to foreign material. But did you

know that wearstrips—when misused

or misaligned—frequently cause catch-

points? Often removed during sanitation,

wearstrips can be reinstalled incorrectly.

Specifically, if a wearstrip is placed on

the frame backward with its round lead-

ing edges facing the wrong direction,

an unintentional catchpoint is created.

SPROCKETS There are several issues to consider

with sprockets. Some we’ve

seen in the field include:

• Improper placement

• Incorrect locking or retention

• Failure to allow for thermal expansion

Any of these can impact operational effi-

ciency and result in belt damage. Working

with an expert to determine the necessary...




https://www.foodprocessing.com/assets/wp_downloads/pdf/2020/08-convey/Intralox.pdf

Raise your standards for incline-to-packaging applications. ThermoDrive® belts can help you meet all of your food safety goals.

www.intralox.com/incline

ELEVATE YOUR PRODUCT,PROTECT YOUR BRAND

.6” .6”

� SPEND LESS on sanitation and maintenance

� REDUCE CLEANING TIME as much as 50%

THERMODRIVE INCLINE TO PACKAGING

© 2020 INTRALOX, L.L.C. 5008607_ENGLISH

http://www.intralox.com/incline

Sorting Through Your Conveyor Options

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