Baking & Snack - April 2024 - 80

CONVEYORS
lead to conveyor damage and failure.
" Some examples of poor maintenance are improper
belt tensioning, modification to equipment without
direction, failure to properly grease necessary fittings
and bearings, improperly adjusting the speeds
of equipment to beyond the designed rates, and the
maintenance being done without proper shutdown
and lockout procedures, " he said.
Yan Morin, engineering director, Rexfab, said that
slowing down lines can help equipment last longer.
" Often we see bakers running conveyors at speeds
that are way higher than required by the process, " he
said. " Even a small diminution of speed can reduce
the stress put on the belting by a lot. "
As bakeries struggle to fill positions, a lack of time
and talent to perform maintenance on equipment
makes it difficult for bakery teams to complete needed
work.
" Smaller operators are struggling even more beThe
longer the
conveyor, the more
it can expand or
contract when
exposed to extreme
heat or cold.
Eaglestone Equipment
covered in dust and baking materials, which can gum
things up, " he said.
Detailed cleaning manuals and training can help
improve sanitation's effectiveness.
" It is not uncommon for superficial conveyor exterior
spraying to overlook critical areas with substantial
food contact, such as wear rails, the underside of
the belt or other internal structures, resulting in residual
debris post-sanitation, " Diver pointed out.
Jacob Sammauro, applications manager, Eaglestone
Equipment, said improper maintenance training can
The long and short of it
Bakeries use all kinds of conveyors
that can range in length from
a few feet to hundreds of feet, and
each has its maintenance challenges.
" A
longer conveyor will certainly
have a longer belt and
significantly more wearable items
such as rollers and carry way
components, " said Kyle Schultz,
engineer, Eaglestone Equipment.
" There will also be more regular
service points, such as additional
drive motors, bearings, etc. The
challenge this presents is the time
required to service the entire conveyor,
as well as the added cost
of more replacement parts/belt
80 Baking & Snack April 2024 / www.bakingbusiness.com
cause they just don't have the manpower to do it, "
Regan said. " As you get into the larger operators, they
want to keep running 24/7, so they don't want to take
the downtime, but then you run into issues where if
you don't have that scheduled downtime, the equipment
is going to schedule it for you. "
Wide temperature swings can make running conveyors
efficiently a challenge. Bakers must understand
how to choose the best machinery for their
products and keep them properly maintained to avoid
costly downtime.
material. As a result, some of this
maintenance can be accidentally
overlooked or delayed to meet
production goals. This can lead to
conveyors breaking down without
warning. When this happens, production
facilities are at the mercy
of lead times and the current status
of the global supply chain. "
Frank Achterberg, president, CBF
Bakery Systems, said the weight
of longer conveyors can lead to
increased belt and sprocket wear
as well as tracking issues.
" Longer conveyors are more
susceptible to misalignment,
resulting in friction, premature
wear and potential breakdowns, "
he said. " These challenges can
be overcome by the use of lighter
belting materials and side drives
that would reduce the stress in the
belting over extended lengths and
through turns the installation of
belt tracking systems. "
Improved designs mean it's
almost easier to maintain longer
conveyors, said Dan Regan, president,
Custom Cut Metals.
" Those longer conveyors we
can design flip-up tops to allow
for each end of the conveyor to
flip up, and the belting has a sag
in it that raises the belt above the
frame itself and allows you to
really get in there and clean, " he
said. " With those shorter conveyors,
you almost have to take the
whole thing apart in order to get
down into it and clean it. "
*
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Baking & Snack - April 2024

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