How To Prevent Foreign Material Risk From Your Conveyor Belts

How To Prevent Foreign Material Risk From Your Conveyor Belts

In 2002 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) listed foreign material contamination as the leading cause of food recalls. This underscores how physical foreign material contamination is a persistent problem that affects all sectors of the food processing industries. It's been estimated that the average direct cost of a recall from foreign material recall is 10 million dollars, not to mention the irreparable damage to the brand's image. This article is to provide practical guidance on how manufacturers can help avoid conveyor belts becoming a potential source of risk through prevention, screening, and looking for future solutions.  

Can a V-Guided Conveyor Belt Fix Your Belt Tracking Issues?

Can a V-Guided Conveyor Belt Fix Your Belt Tracking Issues?

Belt tracking issues can disrupt your conveyor system and lead to unnecessary shutdowns. In addition, it can lead to belt damage if the belt mis-tracks into a conveyor belt frame causing damage to the belt that often leads to the need for replacement. To keep a belt tracking properly a simple solution many conveyors systems use is a V-guide. This article is a guide to all the things you need to know about your v-guided conveyor belts.  

Top 5 Best Practices for Selecting Belts in the Meat Processing Industry

Top 5 Best Practices for Selecting Belts in the Meat Processing Industry

When it comes to the food processing industry, each part of any facility must meet stringent standards to ensure that the final product is safe for consumers. In any meat and poultry facility conveyor belts provide a vital role of moving products from one stage to another. The selection of these belts is key to not only the overall safety of the end product, but to improve efficiency and prevent high maintenance costs for the facility. Here are the top five best practices to make sure your facility has the best belt for their production line:  

SAE Flange: Code 61 vs. Code 62 vs. Caterpillar

SAE Flange: Code 61 vs. Code 62 vs. Caterpillar

The other day, I was identifying a customer’s fitting and came across something that I have never seen before. A flange fitting with a clamp that only had two bolt holes. I spent all day measuring it and trying to figure out what it was. After some research, I discovered it was an old Code 62 fitting. That gave me the idea to break down the differences between the Code 61, the Code 62, and the supercat fitting.

Demystifying Hydraulic Hoses and Fittings: How to determine the correct hose and fitting for your application?

Demystifying Hydraulic Hoses and Fittings:  How to determine the correct hose and fitting for your application?

In our last article we explained how hydraulic hoses and fittings work within a hydraulic system in order to perform for different applications (Read Here). If you work in one of those industries and use a hydraulic system it is important to take into consideration the specific requirements you need from your hoses and fittings. Various applications require different hoses and fittings and selecting the right one is important for optimal performance and safety. 

Demystifying Hydraulic Hoses and Fittings: Understanding Their Applications and Importance

Demystifying Hydraulic Hoses and Fittings: Understanding Their Applications and Importance

In any application where moving heavy items is essential, industrial machinery and equipment will often use a hydraulic system to get the job done. These systems provide immense power by using extreme pressurized hydraulic oils in order to do work. To utilize this fluid power a central component of any hydraulic system are hydraulic hoses and their fittings. This article is intended to give a brief introduction to hydraulic hoses and their fittings and the diverse applications they could be used for. 

SAE Rating Guide

SAE Rating Guide

When you look at the layline of your hose and see an SAE rating, you may ask yourself,” What does that mean?” Long story short, this rating is used to tell you several things about the hose:

  • What hydraulic fluid to use.

  • What the hose is made out of.

  • The temperature that the hose can operate in.

  • The size range of the hose.

  • Other crucial facts

Which Mechanical Splice Is The Best?

Traditional lacing (also called straight splicing or standard lacing ) is where a mechanical fastener is attached to each end of the belt and joined with a pin that goes through the center. The pin that joins the lacing can be removed at any time so that the belt can be removed from the machine for cleaning or other purposes. The lacing and pins can be made out of a variety of materials, such as stainless steel and polyurethane, to fit the certain applications. Out of all of the lacing methods this is generally the fastest, easiest, and most inexpensive. When it comes to installing the lacing, you need to square the belt. Check out the video below for a step by step demonstration on how to do so.

Thermoplastic vs Braided vs Spiral Hose: Which Is Better?

When it comes to hydraulic hose, there are a lot of different options for varying applications. Most hoses are made of synthetic materials, natural fibers, or metal wire. Covers then change to fit the conditions that the hose will be used in. One also needs to keep in mind the categorization of pressure ratings. High pressure is 1500-6000 PSI, medium pressure is 300-3000 PSI, and low pressure is 300 PSI or less. With all of that being said, when it comes to most heavy duty equipment such as excavators and bull dozers, there are three main kinds; thermoplastic, braided, and spiral.

How Do Conveyors Work?

How Do Conveyors Work?

When it comes to belt conveyors, they may vary in size and shape depending on what is being conveyed. With that being said, there are several components of conveyors that carry across the board. In this article we are going to cover those parts, how they interact, and how energy is transferred to move materials.

What Type Of Conveyor System Is Right For Me? (Part 2)

Conveyors are material handling systems that are designed to move all sorts of materials, parts, and supplies. The purpose of each of these systems is to save business on time, energy, and cost. When it comes these conveyor systems, there are many different kinds. Each has their own “pros” and “cons.” This series of articles is going to cover all of the major kinds of conveyor systems and which systems are best suited for certain operations. Factors that determine this are costs, energy consumption, materials being conveyed, and more. Here is the second part to the series where we help you determine which conveyor is right for your operation