
By: Alyssa L. Ochs, Staff Writer
Generally speaking, a conveyor is a mechanical system that automatically transports materials within a designated area. They are helpful in many different industries, including craft beverage production, to increase efficiency and productivity while maintaining food-grade safety standards and reducing manual labor.
Conveyors serve various functions in breweries and distilleries, including grain transportation to and from silos, moving malt within a small area and transferring bottles between packaging and labeling machinery. Fortunately, there are various conveyor options available to breweries and distilleries today.
Here are some insights about how conveyors help producers of craft beverages and tips for choosing the right one for your operations.
Understanding Conveyor Technology
Various types of conveyor technology are used in craft beverage production to handle malt. Flexible screw conveyors are an excellent option for this purpose because they don’t require extensive cleaning or maintenance. The spiral is the only moving part in a flexible screw conveyor, making it ideal for low throughput and avoiding cross-contamination. Aeromechanical conveyors work well for microbreweries with a small footprint. They incorporate polyurethane discs evenly spaced in an air stream to handle malt for greater throughput and energy efficiency.
Conveyors also move cans and bottles between different pieces of machinery during bottling and packaging. This process requires regular cleaning and maintenance to keep the moving parts working properly.
Chain disk conveyors are used to transfer grain and are effective in gently and quickly moving grain while improving yield. This type of conveyor pulls segmented disks through a tube for grain transfer. Meanwhile, pneumatic conveyors, which utilize compressed air, are preferred by large breweries. It is also possible to customize conveyors to achieve tailored solutions for breweries and distilleries and integrate them alongside existing systems and processes.
Types of Conveyors and Their Uses
Breweries and distilleries have numerous choices about the types and sizes of conveyors they implement. Yet ultimately, the goal is to improve production efficiency and maintain the quality of beverages as materials move across conveyor lines.
It is common to choose mass-flow conveyors for canning and bottling purposes whenever you need to move items vertically in mass quantities. With this conveyor, you can move products up or down in a mass or single flow at a rate of up to 2,000 units per minute with consistent movement.
Reflow conveyors temporarily accumulate products moving down a conveyor line and provide necessary time between machines used for different purposes at different stages of the production process. For example, a reflow conveyor may be used during the transitions of moving products between labeling stations and packing equipment. Example configurations include in-line, serpentine, alpine, bidirectional and spiral options.
Another option is the single-lane accumulation conveyor, which provides a downstream buffer zone where products can accumulate during processing. This conveyor helps prevent congestion and product damage as they move through the system. You might consider using one of these conveyors in your packaging line so that bottles and cans can be held in place temporarily while awaiting the next processing phase.
Bucket lift conveyors are made of carbon steel and have plastic buckets on the belt to lift material in a high-efficiency lower hopper. After use, this conveyor can leave substantial residual material under the hopper and become moldy if not cleaned properly.
Craft beverage producers can try shafted or shaftless screw conveyors but should be aware of their pros and cons. Shafted screw conveyors are more efficient, but shaftless options are more flexible and can change direction. It’s essential to check for residual material at the bottom and be mindful of the potential for loud noise due to the high speeds of the shaftless option.
Producers can process grain through wind conveyors and rely on suction generated by a large fan to transport grain to its intended destination. This low-noise option can transport materials long-distance, but it generates some dust and isn’t necessarily the most efficient option.
Another idea to consider is the pipe chain conveyor, which has roots in the livestock breeding industry but is now used in craft brewing. This type of conveyor system is expensive, but you’ll enjoy low noise benefits, multi-angle transportation and efficient transportation for your investment.
Conveyor Companies and Options
Certain companies specialize in conveyor systems for the craft beverage market, including, Spiroflo, which offers flexible screw conveyors and aeromechanical conveyors. Spiroflo’s flexible screw conveyors are recommended for conveying malt in breweries and distilleries because they are easy to clean and maintain. There’s only one moving part, the spiral, and it comes with quick-release flanges that can be easily cleaned to prevent cross-contamination. If you have higher throughput, Spiroflo’s aeromechanical conveyors gently move products in an air stream and work well with malt to avoid product degradation while boosting energy efficiency.
Another company, Floveyor, offers a tubular drag conveyor that manages complex routes and controls infeed and dosing with multiple discharge outlets in the process line. It incorporates food-grade conveying technology in a single machine to handle powders, granules and multiple grains. Floveyor invented the aeromechanical method of conveying and has been in this industry for over 65 years. Its conveyors are made from stainless steel, have fully enclosed tubing, offer a compact size and are easy to clean and maintain for added long-term value.
Globaltek is another company that works in this space and offers a wide range of packaging, bottle handling, filling and labeling solutions. Its industrial conveyor system minimizes bacteria so craft beverage products can safely transfer and meet all stability and sanitation requirements. Globaltek offers brewery-specific, custom-made conveyors that are adjustable, reliable, efficient and easy to clean. Its product line includes a bottomless side belt transfer conveyor and accumulating tables.
Meanwhile, UniTrak offers a Powderflight aeromechanical conveyor with a small equipment footprint yet a high throughput rate of up to 1,440 cubic feet per hour. These machines can convey products from angles of zero to 90 degrees and have portable bases so you can move them easily for processing. In breweries, they are used to transport malt to the mash tun so it can be mixed with hot water to form mash. UniTrak also offers flexible screw conveyors with lower throughput rates as an economical solution. These conveyors are fed manually with sacks of ingredients and can convey materials at 650 cubic feet per hour. The company has been in business for over 45 years and helps customers address their material conveying challenges worldwide.
Cleaning and Maintaining Conveyors
Aside from buying the actual conveyor system itself, it’s crucial to understand how to properly clean and maintain your conveyor to protect your long-term investment.
Yujin Anderson, the owner & CEO of Steamericas, Inc., told Beverage Master Magazine how cleaning with steam eliminates the labor-intensive process of removing conveyor parts to rinse and wash them. She explained that you can’t use too much pressure or water when cleaning a conveyor because these modern pieces of equipment have delicate sensors and electronics. Yet, cleaning manually is very time-consuming because conveyors’ many nooks and crannies.
This is where steam comes in to address those problems. Once water boils and becomes a gas, it acts more like air than water to get to all those tiny areas. The naturally high temperature is able to replace chemicals as the heat melts off debris and is naturally sanitizing.
Anderson shared that using steam to clean a conveyor utilizes less water than traditional methods – more like a 10 ounce cup of water per minute instead of five gallons. Steam doesn’t expose brewery and distillery employees to harmful chemicals, promoting better worker safety and wellbeing. It also keeps employees safe because it reduces the risks of finger pinches and amputations in conveyor systems.
Craft beverage producers often call Steamericas for steam solutions to sterilize barrels or to sanitize tanks and keg lines. However, the exact same product used for these purposes, the Optima Steamer, can also be used to clean conveyors. Therefore, this cost-effective solution is beneficial for small operations with limited budgets. The steamer is a multi-purpose product that can save you money on overall equipment investments, make your equipment last longer because it’s well-maintained, and streamline employee training with just one product to use.
Considerations about Conveyors
Many established breweries and distilleries already have conveyor systems that satisfy their needs. But if you run a new business or are experiencing rapid growth, you might look to buy new machinery or upgrade your current setup.
One of the most important things to consider is how much space you have for a conveyor so that the model you choose fits where you need it to be. You’ll also want to consider the prices of comparable models, their ease of use and their cleaning requirements. You can buy new or used conveyors depending on your budget, or consider leasing a conveyor if that fits better into your production’s financial plan. The installation process, ongoing maintenance and energy consumption are other considerations that factor into a decision about a getting new conveyor.
Furthermore, you will want to explore the belt types, size and weight of the product, speed needed to move the product and the direction of the conveyor (either incline or decline). There are conveyors that you may need to wipe down dry or can wash down with soap and water, as well as various design types that include pivot, Z-frame, pacing and vacuum conveyors. It’s also essential to think about conveyor-related accessories that you may need, such as diverters, gates, side tables, pushers and control-stop safety devices.
Looking to the future, some recent innovations and trends to watch in the conveyor industry may interest craft beverage producers. For example, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is revolutionizing conveyors and equipping them with sensors, cameras and real-time data to identify potential issues and inform users about upcoming maintenance needs. Researchers have been using 3D printing to produce custom conveyor parts for greater durability and design to tailor systems to producers’ unique needs.
Sustainability is a significant concern among craft beverage producers today, so conveyor manufacturers are focusing on energy-efficient drives and brake systems. It is also becoming possible for robotic systems to collaborate with human users to handle sorting, packing and quality check tasks for greater efficiency and accuracy during the conveying process.
If your brewery or distillery has yet to consider conveyor technology for your operations, perhaps now is the time to learn about the options available and their potential benefits. Staying ahead of the curve and embracing the spirit of innovation can go a long way in helping a beverage business thrive while boosting productivity, saving money and conserving resources.