Conveyor belt cleaning with steam
The steam cleaning technology in Germany has just made a big step forward!
Download the press release as PDF here.
In many industrial plants, manual systems with suction function are currently still used for general cleaning tasks. Normally, elements to be cleaned have to be removed, sent in and reinstalled. This is usually accompanied by an interruption of the processes for several days, which is essential for industrial maintenance. Thanks to this new, innovative equipment, the task is completed in a few hours and with the help of low water consumption. The waste stream is also kept extremely low. This makes the technology unbeatable.
PEJOC serves a whole range of industries, from shipping to power plants and chemical plants. Now, in addition to the automated KHD conveyor belt cleaning systems, which are designed and manufactured in the UK, PEJOC offers a complete turnkey solution for cleaning various types of conveyor belts in the food industry. In a single cleaning process, these innovative systems clean and disinfect the conveyor belt – using less than 30 litres of water per hour!
We are pleased that we can now exclusively represent the unique and proven systems of Keith Handy Design in Germany.
According to Dr. Christoph Pfeiffer, managing director of PEJOC.
We can now offer our customers significant advantages. Among other things, the systems extend the life of the products, provide drastic savings in time and personnel costs and all this in a truly environmentally friendly way.
The KHD systems are mobile, portable and surprisingly effective. They have proven themselves worldwide, especially in dry environments (for example in bread, bakery and dough production) where excess water can cause significant problems. Bimbo in the USA has just installed the Jet System in their facilities over a hundred times. For example, it has caused the ATP value to drop from over 7000 on an uncleaned conveyor belt to 24 in three rounds, with water consumption of less than 5 litres in 15 minutes.
We were both amazed and shocked at how quickly and easily the system worked,
says Pfeiffer.
There are basically three available KHD systems whose suitability differs in terms of the type of conveyor belt and the production environment. The newly launched Jet System 4 offers unique results on Intralox conveyor belts (mesh belts). A robotic arm moves a turntable (the so-called “spinner”), which rotates at 200 rpm, back and forth across a moving conveyor belt. The steam supplied, with less than 5% moisture, removes deposits from all corners and angles of the mesh belt without whirling them up and distributing them in the environment, as an air stream would normally do.
A test, equivalent to 10 years of equivalent use, has shown that the technology causes absolutely no damage to the conveyor belt. In fact, the thorough cleaning of the meshes extends the life of the mesh belts by reducing friction due to deposits.
The Jet System 4 is the latest model in the range, the current version was launched only recently. It offers a touch screen with programmable settings, which include a reminder function, e.g. in relation to conveyor belt size, speed and degree of soiling. For example, it executes the specified program for a specific conveyor belt. The system is designed so that it can be adjusted to all similar conveyors within a factory, so that one system covers a large number of belts. For example, angled or spiral conveyor belts are typically costly elements of the production line and cleaning them has been difficult – until now.
The other two systems were developed to clean and vacuum flat belts simultaneously. They include the portable systems, which can be set up and taken down in 5 minutes. They clean the food contact surface of the belts and leave them cleaned and disinfected.
The belt runs through the patented cleaning attachment, which introduces dry steam, which is only sucked off when it exits with the dissolved dirt. Floor cleaning or cleaning of the surroundings is no longer necessary because all the dirt is collected. In addition, there is also the rear-mounted, fixed system, which operates permanently during the production period. As a one-sided or double-sided cleaning system, it cleans either only the contact surface or additionally also the rear side of the conveyor belt during each rotation.
Not only do our customers save on their expenses for replacement belts, but as a result we also achieve almost sterile conveyor belts,
explains Pfeiffer.
Many customers directly order a new system for each new production line. They are then a self-runner and carry themselves by themselves.
To date, the industry has relied on scrapers, water nozzles, airflow and chemical cleaning. Conveyor belts often had to be removed for cleaning, dried and only then reinstalled. This led to significant production interruptions, because conveyor belts are still the main thoroughfare of any food production. It is usually easier to remove a conveyor belt than to put it back in place!
CIP (Cleaning in Place) systems have so far relied on water injection through high-pressure nozzles, but these have never really established themselves – due to a lack of effectiveness or efficiency. Some have never made it to the point of use or have been removed because they were simply superfluous. By offering PEJOC and KHD’s dry steam cleaners, the hygiene standard can be increased, production downtime and costs can be reduced, all while avoiding the use of chemicals.
Your advantages:
- Improves production times (availability)
- Improved condition of the conveyor belts and fewer failures
- Faster, more frequent cleaning cycles
- Possibility for production expansion
- Dry steam cleaning leaves the belts dry, disinfected and ready for use
- Reduces the risk of closure due to quality and hygiene problems
- Eliminates cross-contamination, the ability to change products faster saves maintenance and personnel costs
- On-site cleaning (CIP)
- Portable and easy to mount on different conveyor belts
- Technology works tirelessly and without supervision
- Significant reduction of personnel (cost) expenditure for cleaning purposes
- Visibly clean conveyor belts increase confidence in the cleaning process
- Technology designed for untrained personnel
- Relief of the maintenance personnel
- Conveyor belts need to be inspected less frequently by qualified technicians
- Time windows for replacement of conveyor belts have low priority compared to production issues
- Relief of the sanitary personnel
- Staff is available for other medical needs
- For manual conveyor belt cleaning, many employees are needed at the same time, which are not needed for automated cleaning
- Improved sterility – prevents mould, spore formation and microorganisms
- Demonstrably proven in the field of mould prophylaxis
- Steam during conveyor belt cleaning kills microorganisms
- Chemicals are not required
- Environmentally friendly technology