Snack Foods – Convey Fragile Material
Product damage caused by the transport of friable materials during processing is a huge — and costly — concern for manufacturers of many kinds of food, industrial and consumer products. Spiroflow has answered the call with its versatile line of enclosed cable conveyor & disc conveyor systems.
Proven to gently convey more than 900 different types of products, including coffee, cereal, nuts, beans and pet food, Spiroflow tubular drag cable conveyor and cable conveyor systems offer a reliable method for conveying food and industrial products with virtually no product separation or degradation.
We offer three volume-sized series of enclosed cable & disc conveyor systems that can be configured in multiple custom layouts to fit your plant configuration and specific material handling needs.
Our tubular drag conveyor systems are used by Fortune 500 companies and top-tier food processors globally, as well as a host of industrial businesses.
Best Conveyors For Gentle Handling Of Snack Foods
Snack foods such as pretzels, nuts, and others can be a challenging product to convey. Most snack foods are very delicate and must be kept in their original shape at the end of the conveying process and with many plants conveying more than one line of snacks the conveyor must be versatile enough to handle different products.
Flexible Screw Conveyors:
Our flexible screw conveyor is made up of one moving part – the spiral inside a tube. Because of this, the flexible screw conveyor is a very versatile and low cost conveyor. Furthermore, the spiral continually mixes the blend as it conveys using the helical motion, this will allow you to maintain the batch integrity of the flavors as you convey. It is ideal for conveying blends of snack foods such as mixed nuts as it is easily cleaned using the quick release flanges so you can have a fast turnaround between flavor batches.
Aero-Mechanical Conveyors:
The Aero-Mechanical conveyor creates an airstream which moves the product up the tubes along with high-speed discs and a rope. This conveyor is a great choice for conveying snack foods as it offers total containment. So any dust created from the snack foods will be contained within the conveyor which reduces the risk of explosions caused by static build up on the combustible tea dust. This conveyor is airtight and runs quietly and with minimal energy, making it a superior choice for conveying snack foods such as pretzels and nuts.
Cable Drag Conveyors:
The cable drag conveyor operates in a similar way to the Aero-mechanical conveyor as it has evenly spaced discs connected by a rope, however, it drags the product along the tube rather than creating an air stream. If you are conveying fragile snack foods this is an excellent choice as it is extremely gentle at conveying friable products and will reduce degradation on your product. As this product does not use vacuums, air blasts, belts or buckets this would be the best choice if minimizing the degradation of your product is of top priority.
Spare Parts:
We have a dedicated after sales department to assist you with your spare and replacement parts with ex-stock being dispatched in 24 hours. If your product is abrasive we recommend having vital replacement parts in stock as abrasive materials can cause abnormal wear and tear to parts. To read more about why we recommend having a spare parts strategy read our blog: Why We Recommend Having a Spare Parts Strategy
Are you looking to convey snack foods?
If you are looking for a suitable tubular drag conveyor, cable conveyor, or other gentle handling conveyor to convey your delicate snack foods then get in touch with us to discuss how we can help. At Spiroflow we have over 45 years in the solids and bulk handling industry and with the broadest range of products, we can help solve any conveying challenge.
Do you need a materials test?
While a materials test may not be necessary for every buying situation, a good product test can ensure that the right conveyor choice is made & any future misapplication issues in the field can potentially be avoided. At Spiroflow we have a materials testing lab and machine test facilities both in the USA and the UK. The test facilities are equipped with flexible screw conveyors, aero mechanical conveyors, and tubular drag conveyors as well as bulk bag fillers and bulk bag unloaders. While the test lab conducts scientific product analysis on your bulk solid or powder to get as much information about how it will behave as it is being conveyed – such as the bulk density and particle size.
When should I have my product tested?
We advise you have your product tested if one or more of the following applies:
- You are buying a conveyor or machine that you have not used before or you are using a new product on an old system – Not all materials behave the same way in different conveyors, to ensure you are purchasing the correct conveyor type for your product you should see how it behaves before you purchase.
- Many suppliers will be inexperienced with certain, more difficult products whereas here at Spiroflow we have over 45 years experience with solids & bulk handling and we offer materials testing for anyone who is looking for equipment.
- Your product is characterized as ‘difficult to handle’. If it is friable, sticky, hygroscopic or tends to cake or pack, this can be difficult to handle. – In cases where you have a difficult to handle product, lab tests are essential to help us understand how your product behaves. After lab tests, machine trials will give you a full understanding of the product as it is being conveyed to avoid any potential future issues.
- You are using a new machine supplier for the first time – Any reputable seller of conveying, discharging and unloading equipment will recommend having a materials trial if you are a new customer to avoid any issues with the application.
- You need to achieve a certain throughput – If you have targets you need to achieve from your conveyor such as a certain throughput it is advisable that you test the machine intended so you get a more accurate determination of the actual throughput you can expect.
Spiroflow Testing
Here at Spiroflow we determine whether a test of product is needed if we have not handled the product before. If we have reliably dealt with your product and achieved high success rates we will forgo the need for a test unless the customer specifically requests one. Other examples of when we might waive the test are if the product is highly toxic and cannot be run through our test facilities but again we will review this on a case by case basis. All testing at Spiroflow is free and you can request a materials test whether you are a new or existing customer. All our tests are carried out by qualified engineers and are intended to accurately reflect the conditions under which you will be using the equipment. We have a wide variety of equipment is our test bay so we want to simulate the conditions under which your material will be conveyed and we then provide you with a comprehensive report containing the results of the test. All of this is to help us provide you with the best possible bulk material handling solution. Testing is also used in our research and development phase – testing out new features or trialling new methods of onveying.
At Spiroflow we test for the following:
- Blending & Mixing – Segregation of blends and mixes can be a problem in conveying so our testing will assess how or if your product will segregate. This will help affect which conveyor you ultimately choose.
- Rate of Flow – Powders can vary greatly in their flow characteristics; some powders will pack or cake whereas others tend to fluidize when moved. We help to determine the flow of your powder in our machine tests to help develop the design of the equipment and inform your purchasing choice.
- Particle properties – Bulk solid materials and powders can vary greatly in their particle composition and size, shape and density so understanding the characteristics of your product is a key component of equipment design and choice.
Book a Test
If you are interested in how your product will behave in different conveyors then book in a test with us today. Fill in our Contact Us form and someone will be in touch to discuss your application.
Spiroflow UK Shortlisted for Two SHAPA Awards
We are delighted to announce that Spiroflow UK has been shortlisted for two awards at the 2018 Solids Handling Industry Awards.
We are nominated for Company of the Year and our Mechanical Engineer Aimee Donaldson is nominated for Newcomer of the Year.
The awards dinner will be held at the SS Great Britain on the 17th April where we hope to bring home the trophies!
Powder handling and dry solids processing experts, Spiroflow, has recently announced its commitment to young people development and learning by registering two members of their senior management team as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Ambassadors. Sales director, James Podevyn, and development engineer, Craig Hollings, will be actively involved in encouraging and inspiring young people to progress further in STEM subjects. The firm’s announcement coincides with British Science Week, which takes place from 9-18 March 2018 (#BSW18).
As a business that employs a number of young engineers, Spiroflow understands the importance for their, and the wider industry’s future, by ensuring the danger of skills shortages are mitigated.
Powder handling and dry solids processing experts, Spiroflow, has recently announced its commitment to young people development and learning by registering two members of their senior management team as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Ambassadors. Sales director, James Podevyn, and development engineer, Craig Hollings, will be actively involved in encouraging and inspiring young people to progress further in STEM subjects. The firm’s announcement coincides with British Science Week, which takes place from 9-18 March 2018 (#BSW18).
As a business that employs a number of young engineers, Spiroflow understands the importance for their, and the wider industry’s future, by ensuring the danger of skills shortages are mitigated.
The move follows expansion of its production area at the main Lincoln Way site, allowing us to benefit from centralising their powder testing, machine demonstration and showroom facilities under one roof.
We established our technology centre in January 2015. Since then it has been provided major benefits to customers, not least the opportunities to conduct full-scale system trials and significantly reduce the risk of expensive downtime in the handling process. The newly refurbished facility will offer an enhanced environment complete with a materials lab for product analysis, mezzanine for additional test bays and exhibition equipment, together with new conference and meeting rooms.
Of the new facility, Operations Director Ben Ayrton said: “As a showcase of our expertise, the technology centre has been a great success since it opened 3 years ago, welcoming visitors from all over the world. With the increased space at our main site, it now makes sense to relocate the facility under the same roof as our manufacturing. The key features and uniqueness of the new technology centre will continue to allow customers to pursue their development projects and conduct feasibility testing in a more spacious, convivial environment.”
Our test facilities are fully equipped with flexible screw, aero mechanical and tubular drag conveyors, as well as bulk bag fillers and bulk bag unloaders, so we can advise without bias on the right type of solution for your particular product, application and layout restraints. Wherever possible, we simulate your site conditions in terms of conveyor length, flow rate and angle of lift.
To learn more about our testing facilities click here.
Replacement Parts for Other Manufacturers
We provide replacement parts for our own bulk material handling systems but did you know that our first quality parts are designed to work in systems supplied by other manufacturers? You may have a conveyor from any number of suppliers. Make sure your existing equipment performs at its best with Spiroflow replacement parts.
24-hour Turnaround on Stock Items
When you need a replacement part we understand you need it quickly. Any process downtime adversely affects your productivity and profitability, and possibly your company’s customer satisfaction ratings. We can help get your line back up and running quickly. So, our standard spare parts are ex-stock and can be shipped to you within 24 hours by an overnight courier or by airfreight.
We encourage our customers to stock essential and especially non-standard spares so unnecessary delivery time is avoided. Picture this – your process runs 24/7 and the spiral in that 10-year-old conveyor finally fails during the Friday night shift. You order the part on Monday morning then receive it and install it on Tuesday. You’ve lost at least 3½ days. The cost of this downtime is quite likely disproportionate to the cost of stocking the appropriate spare part on site.
Contact Our Spare Parts Teams
Get in touch with our UK and US spare parts team for more information.