Improved Food-safe Conveyors with HydroCore®
September 24, 2018
When it comes to manufacturing food or health and beauty products, eliminating contamination isn’t a recommendation—it’s a necessity. With increased design regulations of manufacturing best practices and more informed consumers, having a 100% cleanable conveyor system that doesn’t break the bank is more important than ever before.
But, just like cooking chicken in your kitchen (with lots of juices in the tray and on the cutting board) or brushing your teeth (no matter how careful you are, a glob of toothpaste always seems to end up in the sink), food and health and beauty products tend to come with their fair share of clean-up at home and on the production floor. As these products are processed—with strict standards for hygiene and sanitation—they have a tendency to spill, which means the systems that convey these products must be easy to clean and meet the same tough criteria.
Improved Food-safe Conveyors with HydroCore®
That’s why Nercon introduced the HydroCore® line of conveyor systems with hygienic clean-in-place (CIP) models and sanitary clean-out-of-place (COP) options. Our engineers eliminated tubular components that can be difficult to clean in favor of angular components and added seamless welds to further remove gaps or crevices that can harbor bacteria. Component materials like stainless steel and hygienic chains and belts are carefully selected to improve cleanability and ensure they’re durable enough to withstand high-powered cleaning (up to 1,500 PSI washdown pressure!) as well as moderate use of corrosive chemicals.
Minimizing Downtime with Simpler Design
While we’ve removed as many spots as possible that can hide bacteria, the systems must still be cleaned regularly, and we’ve engineered our lines to make that easier, too. To speed up disassembly, we removed fasteners and the need for tools to take apart the lines. The removable parts also have unique identifiers to make reassembly just as simple. To improve access, components like guard rails and wear strips are designed to be removable, and on the Sanitary MatTop Conveyor, for example, one person can release the chain on either side of the production line so they don’t have to walk around or have a second person assist.
The Nercon Difference
As with all our products and solutions, HydroCore® conveyor systems are designed and manufactured to help keep our clients moving in ways that are faster and more efficient with fewer repairs, less time between product changeovers, more uptime and increased profit margins. Our team of engineers is constantly searching for ways to improve our equipment, testing every component beyond normal limits to ensure we only use the best and strongest parts.
Want to get a first-hand look at our HydroCore® Washdown Spiral? Stop by Booth S-1730 at PACK Expo 2018 in Chicago October 14-17 and learn more from some of our expert team members.
