Streamlining Cereal Processing with Tubular Drag Cable Conveyors
In the food processing industry, ensuring efficient and safe transportation of products is critical for maintaining high throughput, minimizing product damage, and maintaining product safety. Whether it’s frozen pizzas, fresh burritos, baked goods, or breakfast cereals, the method of conveying materials through each stage of production plays a key role in the final quality of the product. Without the right material handling system, even the best processing equipment will not be able to achieve its full potential, leading to compromised product quality and production volume.
The breakfast cereal manufacturing industry, in particular, faces unique conveying challenges. From raw material receipt to final packaging, cereal products are subject to a series of processes where maintaining product integrity and minimizing contamination are paramount. Conveying systems used throughout these processes are essential to ensuring that fragile cereal products, such as flakes, loops, and puffs, are transported without breaking. However, traditional conveying systems often fail to meet the evolving needs of cereal manufacturers, creating issues that affect both efficiency and product quality.
Key Challenges in Breakfast Cereal Conveying
1. Minimizing Product Damage
Cereal manufacturers face the challenge of ensuring that delicate products, such as flakes and clusters, are transported through various processes without breaking or degrading. During the manufacturing process, cereal products often fall or are dropped onto conveyors, which can lead to product breakage. Protecting the integrity of the product during handling is critical to minimizing waste and ensuring the final product meets quality standards.
2. Contamination Prevention
Product contamination is another significant issue in breakfast cereal production. Cereal products are exposed to potential contaminants at every stage of production, from raw material receipt to packaging. Traditional open-conveyor systems like bucket elevators and belt conveyors allow dust and foreign particles to enter the production line, potentially compromising the integrity of the cereal and increasing the risk of allergen cross-contamination. This is particularly concerning during sensitive processes such as coating, drying, and packaging, where exposure to different ingredients increases the likelihood of contamination.
3. Efficient Line Changeovers and Cleaning
Line changeovers are becoming increasingly important in cereal plants, especially as manufacturers run multiple product lines within a single shift. However, maintaining a sanitary environment during frequent changeovers can be time-consuming, especially with conveyors that require significant disassembly for cleaning. If not cleaned properly, batches of cereal could be contaminated, leading to product loss, recalls, and damaged brand reputation. The need for quick, effective cleaning is a growing concern for plant managers.
Traditional Conveying Systems in Cereal Processing
For decades, open conveyors such as flat-belt conveyors and bucket elevators have been the primary systems used in cereal processing plants. However, these systems have several limitations:
- Flat-Belt Conveyors: While they can handle cereal products gently, they expose the product to ambient contamination. If covered, the covers can trap cereal residue, requiring regular cleaning to prevent cross-contamination.
- Bucket Elevators: These conveyors use buckets to carry the product, but they generate significant dust, which can lead to contamination and the risk of dust explosions. Additionally, they are prone to residue build-up, creating cross-contamination risks.
- Pneumatic Conveyors: Pneumatic systems can transport cereal at high speeds with minimal product breakage, but they consume a lot of energy and are costly to operate. The high air pressure required for this system can also lead to excessive dust and product loss.
- Auger Conveyors: Flexible screw conveyors can transport cereal vertically and horizontally, but they have limited capacity and can cause product breakage. Their internal parts require frequent cleaning to avoid contamination.
- Aeromechanical Conveyors: These conveyors use high-speed discs to move cereal along with an internal air stream. While they can handle large volumes, product flow can become restricted, and regular maintenance is required to ensure proper operation.
The Solution: Tubular Drag Cable Conveyors
To address the challenges posed by traditional conveyor systems, many cereal processors have turned to tubular drag cable conveyors. These conveyors are a more efficient and effective solution, offering several advantages over older systems:
1. Gentle Product Handling
Tubular drag cable conveyors gently move cereal products through a completely enclosed tube, preventing damage during transportation. The system uses a coated, flexible stainless-steel drag cable that is pulled through the tube in a loop. Solid circular discs (flights) attached to the cable push the product along at low speeds, effectively minimizing product degradation and breakage.
2. Elimination of Contamination Risks
The fully enclosed design of tubular drag cable conveyors ensures that the product is protected from contamination at every stage of the process. Unlike open conveyors, which expose the product to ambient dust and foreign particles, tubular drag systems maintain a clean environment and prevent allergens and contaminants from entering the product stream. This is particularly crucial in processes where different ingredients are handled, such as during the coating or drying stages.
3. Efficient Cleaning and Quick Changeovers
One of the standout features of tubular drag cable conveyors is their ability to be cleaned efficiently and quickly. The system is designed for clean-in-place (CIP) cleaning, meaning that the system can be cleaned without the need for disassembly. Automated features like air knives and urethane wiper discs ensure that food particles and debris are removed from the system during operation, reducing the need for extensive downtime. This feature is especially important for plants with frequent line changeovers.
4. Energy Efficiency
Tubular drag cable conveyors operate on low horsepower, utilizing energy-efficient variable-speed motors (typically under 5HP). Compared to pneumatic or bucket elevator systems, which require high-powered motors and consume significant energy, tubular drag systems are much more energy-efficient, helping reduce overall operating costs.
5. High Throughput and Flexibility
These conveyors are capable of handling up to 49,000 pounds of cereal per hour, with flexible speeds that can be adjusted to meet production requirements. This flexibility allows cereal manufacturers to integrate the system into various stages of the production process, including extrusion, flaking, tempering, toasting, coating, and packaging.
6. Versatile Integration
Tubular drag cable conveyors can be integrated into all areas of cereal production, from raw material receipt, weighing, and mixing, to preconditioning, extrusion, drying, flaking, and packaging. This versatility makes them an ideal solution for a wide range of breakfast cereal products, including flakes, extruded cereals, puffed grains, granola, and more.
Conclusion
As the cereal processing industry continues to evolve, manufacturers must adopt more efficient and hygienic conveying systems to keep pace with increasing demands for throughput, product quality, and food safety. Tubular drag cable conveyors offer an innovative solution to these challenges, providing a gentle, contamination-free, and energy-efficient means of transporting cereal products throughout the production process. With their low-maintenance, high-efficiency design, these conveyors are helping cereal processors worldwide improve product integrity, reduce waste, and boost production uptime, all while meeting stringent food safety standards.