Falling in line
In the world of bakery production, it’s all about efficiency, and for that, maintaining order in every aspect of the operation is critical.
“Product comes down the line like little soldiers,” Mr. Harrington explained. “And you want to maintain those little soldiers all the way through the conveyor system.”
Orientation and alignment are particularly important on high-speed lines where slicing comes into play. “For example, if you’re running hot dog rolls that have to be sliced, they have to come in a certain way in order to be sliced properly, so maintaining that orientation is important,” Mr. Harrington said.
Bobby Martin, director of engineering, AMF Bakery Systems, noted that properly aligned product on the conveyor can also prevent bottlenecks down the line. “A bread loaf that is delivered to slicer blades the wrong way can end up jamming the packaging equipment,” he said.
Before they ever get to packaging — sometimes before they’re even baked — certain items must maintain their placement on the conveyor to ensure they travel successfully down the line, out the door and into consumers’ hands.
“Product makeup is one area where orientation is most important,” Mr. Renaud said. “You have things like proofing that establish the form, shape and integrity of the product. What you’re trying to avoid is product collision, because if not handled correctly, they end up touching one another — kissing, as we call it — and you could end up with misshapen or deflated product.”
And in areas such as the oven or proofer, where a baker has a limited line of sight, maintaining proper orientation on the belt becomes even more important. “Disorientation can occur in environments where people aren’t observing product,” said Bryan Hobbs, sales service manager, North America, Ashworth Bros. “Oftentimes in an enclosed cooler with a spiral conveyor, products may go through transfers that you can’t witness,” he said.
To address this, Ashworth developed its PosiDrive Spiral system, which features a cage design that engages the inside belt edge. “The primary benefit is that it maintains regimentation among products, and there’s no longer shifting of the belt, which can cause disorientation,” Mr. Hobbs explained. “It’s positively driven and therefore improves product alignment.”
To keep product in alignment, Kofab offers a pneumatic belt tracker, used with either a single- or 3-roller system. “With this tracker, product is always running in a nice, straight line; it doesn’t veer off in one direction or another,” said Bill Schiltz, director of sales and marketing, Kofab. “It essentially pushes and pulls on the belt to keep it running straight.”
Read on for solutions to conveyor complications.
