Sanitary conveyor systems are a critical element in the automation and operational efficiency at food packaging and processing facilities. Conveyor technology is advancing and there are several questions you should ask before making your next conveyor purchase. You want to make sure that your sanitary conveyor purchase will give you the best overall return on your company’s investment.

How easy is it to clean and sanitize?

The ease of which you are able to clean a conveyor system is imperative. Look for food grade conveyor systems that offer a simple design that is easy to take apart for quick cleaning and sanitizing.

A good design will allow you to take the conveyor apart without the use of tools. Removable components should be small enough to easily handle, but large enough so they don’t get lost. Make sure all equipment parts are accessible for cleaning and are self-draining with no product or liquid collection points.

Consider the color of the conveyor. Conveyor color, such as blue, can aid in the visual identification of soil and food particles. With the right conveyor, you can greatly reduce your risk of product contamination and recall.

Vertical Form Fill Sealing (VFFS) machines are commonly used in the packaging industry for food and a wide variety of other products.  They offer a packaging solution that conserves valuable space on the plant floor.

When looking to purchase a vertical form fill sealing machine, don’t forget to consider your options for feeding the packaging machine.  Traditionally, companies have utilized bucket elevator conveyors to feed their VFFS machines.

Bucket elevator conveyors consist of a series of buckets attached to a belt or chain with pulleys or sprockets located at the top and bottom of the unit.  As you might imagine, these buckets, chains, pulleys and sprockets can be a nightmare to clean and maintain.

A better option for moving your product to the tall height of a vertical form fill sealing machine is an easy-to-clean vertical belt conveyor.  The right vertical conveyor will offer greater ease of cleaning, maintenance and safety benefits that far outweigh bucket elevator conveyors.

Reducing conveyor maintenance costs should be on the mind of every maintenance person responsible for maintaining conveyor systems at their plant.  In a manufacturing environment, reducing conveyor maintenance costs on existing equipment is difficult.  While a good preventative maintenance program helps reduce unexpected downtime, it doesn’t address the overall cost of the maintenance.

The total cost of maintenance includes the cost of the parts; the labor needed to make the repair; the inventory cost of stocking replacement components; and the cost of lost productivity while the conveyor isn’t in operation.

Getting the right blow molding conveyor for your closed loop system is sure to increase your container and bottle blow molding efficiencies.  You will want to consider these 4 things before purchasing a conveyor system to close the loop on your blow molding process.