Dairy Processing - September/October 2022 - 38

OPERATIONS
surface treatment from Coperion for rotary valves that
prevents sticking and glazing of difficult ingredients. As a
treatment instead of a coating, it won't come off, Nowak said.
Sanitary design of material handling conveying systems
as well as components like bag dump stations that are
specifically designed for handling specialty ingredients such
as probiotics also are important, according to Nowak.
Dairy processors can face the possibility of metal wear or
contaminants in their products. To this end, the company has
a contact monitoring system for rotary valves that registers,
evaluates and reports unwanted contact between the rotor
and housing to prevent metabolic abrasion.
" Food applications for a variety of powders, especially those
with a high number of cleaning cycles such as dairy, infant
formulas and nutraceutical formulations, as well as applications
which include frequently changing products and recipes, can
particularly benefit from this instrumentation, " Nowak said.
As automation continues to play a role in dairy ingredient
handling, the use of automated dispensing stations as opposed
to manual batch weighing can improve product and process
safety, Nowak said. Added instrumentation for handling
components can also improve feeder efficiency, she said.
ADVANCEMENTS IN CONVEYORS
According to the team at Winneconne, Wis.-based MultiConveyor,
director of marketing Cheryl Miller said, one of the
biggest considerations for dairy processors is the fact that
facilities often operate on a 24-7 schedule. Multi-Conveyor
added that inconsistencies resulting from shift changes,
contract cleaning services and construction require special
attention to maintain sanitary conditions.
" Continuous handling of the raw products can sometimes
create unsanitary conditions, especially as product line
demands outweigh the need or time required for regular
cleaning and maintenance, " Miller said.
Overall advancements in ingredient handling include new
conveyor belt designs that allow for the complete disassembly
of the conveyor for cleaning, using a " no-tools-required "
approach. This saves time with belt cleaning, repair and
replacement while alleviating unnecessary tools for increased
operator safety, she added.
In addition, belt cleaning and inspection lifts can be used
to allow for possible air drying of the belt, Miller said. A more
recent development in sanitary designs is the continuous belt
including tracking and friction-driven carry slides. These belts
often are offered in a turquoise color that contrasts with the
Tetra Pak Bag Tipping unit SA VS800.
38 SEP-OCT 2022 | DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Top: Multi-Conveyor's Sanitary Conveyors are designed
with stainless steel construction.
" Continuous handling of the raw
products can sometimes create
unsanitary conditions, especially as
product line demands outweigh the
need or time required for regular
cleaning and maintenance. "
Cheryl Miller, Multi-Conveyor
Tetra Pak
http://www.DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Dairy Processing - September/October 2022

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