Conveyors for Fresh Cut Farms

For those of considering conveyors for fresh cut fruit and vegetable growing and/or processing industry, do you have the desire to automate your process with conveyors? We are here to help you by offering design assistance and providing the best equipment that is thoughtfully engineered and easy to clean. Our conveyors are custom fabricated for every unique application so please, put us to work. Let us have an opportunity to offer you the best solution for your specific fruit and vegetable products and processes. Our knowledgeable team is ready to serve you.

Processing ready to eat foods like fruits and vegetables on hygienic conveyors and components is critical, especially in today’s world. Since fruits and vegetables are not necessarily cooked to kill any potential “bugs” by the consumers, it is absolutely necessary to process these foods on clean conveyors and components. It is not worth the risk to settle for anything but the conveyor components that offer you the most sanitary design. We can help you with that.

From harvesting your products in the field to washing, processing and cutting, packaging and shipping them, we have some ideas for you. We have assisted traditional food processors and indoor container growers with their sanitary designed belting and components. All phases of fruit and vegetable processing can benefit from using the easiest to clean conveyor belting. Here are a few ideas for you from our experienced team.

Filter Mesh with Staple Lacing

* Eliminating exposed fabric from conveyor belting is a pretty simple change out that can give you some immediate peace of mind. Fabric inside a belt can wick in the “bad stuff” that cannot be simply washed away with routine cleaning. We can provide belts with capped edging that seals in the fabric of the belt.

*You can consider changing to conveyor belting that does not have fabric inside it. The fabric is generally used to add strength to the belting material. There are many types of belting that do not have fabric inside them at all. We can show you how to run these belts properly. Correct conveyor design for this type of belting is important since it is tension driven. The use of knurled or lagged pulleys can help with belt pull. There should be sufficient belt take-up designed into these conveyors as well.

*Change from tension driven conveyor belts to zero tension, positive drive monolithic belts. A loose belt on your conveyor is easier to clean between production shifts than a tension driven belt. This can enable you to clean the belt in place instead of removing it for routine cleaning. This also saves on water, chemicals and labor.

*Our belts are custom made with many unique fabrications. The normal lead time for a new belt is one to two weeks. However, we can ship same day with expedite charges if you require rush delivery. We only charge expedite fees if they are necessary and they are on a case by case basis. Our goal is to assist you during your critical times of need and hope you trust us to continue to work with you in the future.

*Many fruit and vegetable applications require dewatering belts. Our durable filter mesh belts are available in a few different mesh openings and approved for direct food contact. These belts are custom fabricated with tracking guides, flight configurations and different splice styles.

*Call us with the details of your conveyor and we will offer recommendations for replacing your old outdated conveyor belt to the latest food grade style available.

All stainless-steel conveyor frame designs are the best for food processing. The frames should be fabricated with a limited number of welds and should not have any unnecessary crevices that could harbor debris. The finish of the frames is important as well. Our stainless-steel frames are bead blasted to provide a smooth finish that resists unwanted adhesion of products and debris to the frame. Flat spots should be eliminated on conveyor frames to help avoid the pooling of water and debris. We prefer to eliminate exposed threads, sharp corners and hollow tubing from our designs. We utilize removable wear strips to ensure more thorough cleaning and sanitizing.

There are many different motors and drive systems available for food grade conveyors. As you may have guessed, we recommend the most sanitary and easy to clean options for the applications we work on. Self-contained motorized pulleys (drum motors) are very hygienic and efficient. They are available with sprockets or grooved shells to drive most types of modular plastic belts and positive drive monolithic belts. Custom fabricated sanitary drives are another option that can be used in place of a separate shaft with sprockets. The sanitary drives are one-piece units that simplify conveyor design and eliminate extra harborage points.

Our hygienic conveyor designs can eliminate the need for external bearings altogether. If you opt for a design to include stainless steel bearings, we prefer to use greaseless plane bearings or food grade solid lube bearings. Let us tell you about the available options.

We have the knowledge and experience to help with you with fruit and vegetable conveying projects whether you are upgrading a current system or ready to design and add a new process. Please contact us today!