Resource Category: Buying Equipment

In the fast-paced world of food manufacturing, efficiency is king. While conveyor applications in food manufacturing have traditionally focused on simply moving products between stations, their role can be much more impactful. 

By leveraging innovative food manufacturing conveyors, manufacturers can unlock a new level of productivity and profitability. Let’s explore ways you might already be using conveyors – and some ways their unique functionality could offer added benefits for your processes.

1. CONVEYING FROM A TO Z

Conveying is the backbone of food manufacturing, integrating production processes throughout the line. Several conveyance solutions—from belt conveyors to vibratory and horizontal motion conveyors and more—transport products from one end of production to the other. 

While general conveying can be deemed an afterthought, the right technology and durable equipment are vital to keeping production running, product integrity, and food safety. There are many considerations when selecting the right sanitary conveyor – from application needs to sanitation levels. 

When food processors use conveyors to perform value-added applications like laning, grading and sizing, and topping application, they can achieve even more with the same footprint and budget.

2. Bulk Handling for Big Production

Bulk handling solutions introduce and manage large volumes of ingredients or loose products within the food processing line. Equipment systems consisting of dumpers, augers, storeveyors, and more hold and process products to keep production running efficiently. 

Beyond moving a large quantity of product, bulk-handling conveyors can optimize how those materials are introduced to your process. Controlled release from storage systems can smooth out product flow, preventing surges that might overwhelm downstream equipment. They can also feed products into multiple processing streams to enhance capacity and throughput.

3. Elevating Efficiency 

Elevating conveyors maximize floor space, allow you to increase production on a platform or mezzanine, and seamlessly integrate equipment and processes at different heights. By conveying vertically with belt incline conveyors, positive lift conveyors, screw augers, and bucket elevators you increase capacity and efficiency in a tight footprint. 

Don’t just go up. Integrate inspection, X-ray, and other applications to add additional value.

4. Enhancing Mix Integrity

Mixing and blending solutions automatically maintain mix integrity for a wide range of foods like mixed nuts, snacks, trail mixes, and vegetables. Implementing Mix-Blend Systems that combine bulk handling hoppers and dumpers with vibratory feeders and collection conveyors provides precise recipes that improve yield, profitability, and product quality. These systems are configured to plant layouts and product mix needs.

Enhance performance, volume, and flow rate with automatic recipe-driven control systems that adjust on the fly – keeping your recipe consistent throughout production runs. 

5. Merging and Sorting Product Flow 

Merging and sorting conveyors optimize production and efficiency by seamlessly combining or separating multiple product flow lines between downstream and upstream processes. Reversing horizontal motion conveyors or a selection of belt conveyors keeps production running while maximizing throughput to multiple processes. 

These merging and sorting solutions don’t just move products. You can also rely on these conveyors to accurately maintain alignment, orientation, and positioning for the most efficient handling and processing. 

6. Accumulating Performance

Accumulating conveyors play a key role in modern food processing lines. By temporarily storing and gathering products, they prevent disruptions, ensure a consistent product flow, and bolster production smoothness. 

Storeveyors, distribution systems, and reversing horizontal motion conveyors’ ability to buffer against surges or starvation keep your line operational and avoid downtime.

High-volume product accumulation is only valuable if it’s on your terms and appropriately handles the product. Look for configurable solutions with sanitary stainless steel design, sensors, automatic controls, and first-in-first-out discharge options. 

7. Precise Product Positioning 

Positioning conveyors like retractors and spreaders ensure products are accurately oriented and placed for subsequent processing steps. These conveyors orient, spread, index, or deposit products into rows and stacks, significantly increasing efficiency by manipulating products in-process and seamlessly connecting processing steps. 

Integrating positioning belt conveyors maximizes production space and capex budget. Their versatility makes them applicable to a wide range of food manufacturing lines.

DISCOVER HOW PFI INCREASES FOOD PROCESSING PRODUCTIVITY 

Conveyors significantly enhance application productivity and efficiency. Food manufacturers can streamline operations, reduce labor costs, and increase output by utilizing conveyors for more than simple transport. 

At PFI, we tailor our innovative conveyor solutions to meet our customers’ food processing and manufacturing needs. Click below to learn more about our range of food-conveying equipment that will improve your plant’s efficiency, productivity, and safety.

See Our Food Conveying Equipment

Many food manufacturers struggle with limited facility space that restricts their ability to expand operations and increase production. Cramped layouts not only impact efficiency but also pose safety hazards. Managing the available footprint is critical for increasing productivity and profitability.

Food conveyors provide an effective strategy to maximize production space by better utilizing not just the floor area but the entire volume of the plant. Conveyors can transform facility layouts and open up new configuration possibilities that facilitate improved throughput and efficiency. Using one piece of equipment for multiple purposes can also reduce the overall footprint of a food plant.  

Read on to learn more about optimizing your facility with innovative conveyor solutions.

BUILDING UP WITH CONVEYORS

Manufacturers facing spatial limitations can unlock the potential of their existing footprint by leveraging vertical space. This strategic solution enhances production capacity without expanding the facility’s ground area. PFI’s vertical conveying systems are key to overcoming these challenges.

Advanced Vertical Conveying Systems

PFI offers advanced conveying systems such as bucket elevators, incline belt conveyors, and vertical lift conveyors. They facilitate upward expansion and enable manufacturers to elevate products to different processing levels, including mezzanines. This increase in the usable volume of the plant maximizes the production area and streamlines processes. 

The Bucket Elevator easily lifts various bulk materials in a small footprint. It provides a continuous flow and minimizes transfer points. The Eleveyor incline belt conveyor is ideal for delicate products, ensuring gentle handling to maintain quality during elevation. The PURlift vertical lift conveyor offers a sturdy design for more demanding applications, ensuring secure elevation. This is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the products.

These elevation systems integrate seamlessly into existing processes. Adopting a vertical conveying solution allows food manufacturers to effectively address space constraints, scale production, and bolster profitability.

Ceiling-Mounted Conveyors

Ceiling-mounted conveyors are instrumental in maximizing space within manufacturing facilities. This design involves suspending a transport system from the ceiling. These innovative systems utilize often-underused overhead space to elevate materials and products above the production floor. 

This approach frees up valuable floor space for more operational activities and contributes to a less cluttered and safer work environment. PFI can adapt these systems to various load types and tailor them to meet the specific requirements of any manufacturing operation.

Construction Considerations for Elevation

Elevating products may require extra structures like mezzanines, platforms, access stairs, and catwalks. PFI manufactures these support structures and components like small elevators ideal for transporting totes and components. This helps maximize the use of vertical space while integrating smoothly into your facility’s elevation system.

GOING AROUND: OTHER WAYS TO INCREASE SPACE 

Conveyors play a vital role in food processing, not only for transportation but also for product quality enhancement post-cooking. The Curveyor, a unique curved belt conveyor from PFI, exemplifies this multi-functional approach. It expertly navigates obstacles like pillars, walls, and doorways. This enables manufacturers to use previously inaccessible areas, maximizing the facility footprint. 

The Curveyor facilitates fluid product flow even in challenging layouts, enhancing production without expanding the facility’s footprint.  It minimizes the need for extensive modifications or additional square footage, efficiently using every available space in a facility.

VALUE-ADDED CONVEYING

Conveyors in food processing serve a variety of functions beyond product transportation. They streamline operations, consolidate equipment needs, and minimize the required floor space, leading to cost savings. PFI can equip them to perform many actions directly on the conveyor line, such as flipping, sorting, aligning, spacing, sizing, and even product treatment tasks, which traditionally require separate machinery. 

This approach, known as value-added conveyance, turns our equipment into multi-purpose tools. This multi-functional capability ensures you get more from your equipment, enhancing efficiency and reducing the need for additional machinery. Consolidating multiple processes into a single piece of equipment reduces the necessary floor space, optimizing the available area. 

Sizing, Grading, and Screening

Vibratory conveyors are the most versatile conveyors to add value throughout your processing line. One of the most prominent applications is separating products of various sizes. Whether separating different-sized products into multiple streams or screening out small pieces or fines, our VFII electro-mag vibratory conveyor ensures efficiency and optimal product flow without manual intervention or additional footprint. 

Aligning and Positioning

Ensuring products are in the right position for the next step in the process is vital for consistent flow and high production. Aligning and positioning solutions include conveyors that orient, spread, index, or deposit products while in motion.

The Retractor is a versatile conveyor that transfers, positions, arranges, deposits, loads, or rejects products 90 degrees to the next process without breakage or loss. This allows flexible line configurations and optimal space usage.

The Spreader preserves orientation while transferring products between narrower and wider sections of your processing line.

Merging and Sorting

Enabling multiple product flows that combine or separate between upstream and downstream processes optimizes production volume and efficiency, not to mention footprint. Our PURmotion horizontal motion conveyor features immediate reversing operation to feed two lines simultaneously and accumulate short-term, in addition to its superior gentle product handling and sanitary design.

Product Processing and Finishing

You might not first consider a conveyor to process or finish your food products, but these solutions can often handle these applications and eliminate the need for additional processing equipment. For example, using straight and curved belt conveyors to bring products to ambient temperature while transferring them to packaging. Or using vibratory conveyors to apply seasoning or sprinkles or enrobe a chocolate coating. 

This multifunctional use of conveyors adds significant value. It saves time, reduces labor costs, addresses workforce shortages, and improves food safety and processing precision. Incorporating these versatile conveyors into your food processing line can lead to a more streamlined, efficient, and cost-effective operation.

OPTIMIZING PRODUCTION WITH OEM INTEGRATION 

Efficient production flow is key to maximizing food plant footprint with conveyors. Expert OEM integration allows for the highest production efficiency. Investing in flexible, high-capacity equipment prepares your facility for future growth and diverse product mixes.

Our approach encourages processors to think creatively about their existing space. Rather than designing away from obstacles or expanding the facility’s footprint, our conveyors can navigate around them, using every available inch. This philosophy helps avoid unnecessary redesigns and construction, saving time and resources while enhancing production efficiency.

ENSURING SAFETY AND DURABILITY

While maximizing your facility’s footprint, it’s vital to recognize the importance of worker and food safety. We design our equipment to prioritize safety, featuring safeguards to protect employees and maintain the highest food hygiene standards. 

PFI’s equipment configurations prioritize safety by addressing crucial aspects such as head clearance under elevated structures and around other machines. Robust structural support prevents any risk of items falling from ceiling-mounted equipment, while a design with minimal moving parts ensures a secure operational environment. Additionally, features like non-slip surfaces on platforms and well-designed guarding for mezzanines contribute to an overall commitment to creating processor systems that prioritize the well-being of operators and minimize potential hazards.

From start to finish, we ensure that increasing your production capacity never comes at the cost of safety.

At PFI Conveyors, we prioritize sanitation and ease of maintenance in our equipment design. Our conveyors feature accessible components to simplify cleaning and upkeep. This reduces downtime while upholding rigorous food safety standards. We construct robust, durable systems that guarantee both peak performance and accessibility. 

TRANSFORM YOUR FACILITY WITH INNOVATIVE CONVEYOR SOLUTIONS 

The PFI team are experts in food plant optimization. For over 60 years, we have been helping customers maximize their production capacity through custom conveyor solutions that efficiently utilize all available space. 

Click below to learn more about our innovative conveyor solutions that will save space, improve efficiency, and increase your bottom line.

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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?
• How Does a Bucket Elevator Work?
• Incline Belt Conveyors vs. Bucket Elevators
• When to Use an Incline Belt Conveyor
• When to Use a Bucket Elevator
• Additional Purchase Considerations
• Who to Trust with Your Food Conveyance Needs

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
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