The size of a transfer gap can be subjective and vary from product to product, which will ultimately affect conveyor design.
In terms of maintaining product integrity and preventing waste on the conveyor, one of the most important aspects is the transfer point.
If a product attempts to clear a transfer with a large gap, then problems can occur. “A bread loaf will tip, a roll bun will stay there and turn on itself, a pizza dough will get a flat edge on its round shape, a pastry will lose pieces … there are as many solutions as there are product styles,” Mr. Martin explained, adding that AMF engineers specific solutions to match each product.
And those problems can go beyond the immediate. “If you have two inline conveyors with large transfer rollers, the product can become trapped between the two conveyors. The products will just sit there and rotate until more product comes along and forces it out,” Mr. Milner said. If that product can’t move it, backup will occur and result in damaged product.
“Transfers can create misalignment that keeps accumulating until the product can completely lose orientation, so it’s important that all transfers are tight to keep that product properly oriented,” said Sara Alcalde, Intralox bakery team leader. “Intralox can provide solutions to ease mis-orientation, from belts that can accommodate tight transfers to technologies like Direct Drive for spirals.”
Intralox works to develop solutions for small transfer points while keeping the drive concept of the modular plastic belt, Ms. Alcalde noted.
Designed with the Intralox 550 belting, Capway Automation offers its CTB Transfer, which provides less than ½-in. spacing. “When crossing over from the top dead center of one roll to the next, with small belting tucked into a 3-in. diameter sprocket, you can transfer a ¾-in. diameter product without it tipping over,” Mr. Harrington said.
Ashworth Bros. introduced its Cleatrac belt technology in the mid-1980s, and it is still a staple of bakery conveyance today. “This is particularly because of the tight transfers it can accomplish due to the small nose roller capabilities and tight radius it can travel along,” Mr. Hobbs said.
“The smaller the radius, the tighter you can get the transfer conveyor up against the conveyor it’s joining,” added Joe Neely, Ashworth product development engineer. “It’s a smaller gap for product to transition over, so it’s generally smoother.”
Read on to learn the significance of sizing transfers correctly.
