Equipment Sanitation & Processing Efficiency

Output is a function of the plant’s efficiency; which is dependent on many variables, including the plant’s level of automation, workforce skill, maintenance downtime and product switchovers, etc. However, the one variable that is often not calculated into the efficiency equation is the downtime required to meet sanitation requirements. At the end of the day, sanitation is an operating cost. Minimizing sanitation downtime results in more up-time, thus improving efficiency and resulting in more output.

Food processors around the world are finding it increasingly difficult to balance output and sanitation as government agencies enforce stricter standards. And with news headlines regarding product recalls and food-born illnesses on the rise, consumers are increasingly reiterating the importance of food safety at retail check-out lines.

But what does food safety have to do with output? Plenty!

In order to keep our food supply safe, the equipment through which it is processed must be sanitary. A poorly designed piece of equipment requires more time to sanitize, thus reducing the plant’s efficiency. In the worst case scenario, a negligent processor may elect not to take the time to sanitize equipment correctly, increasing the risk of an expensive product recall.

Virtually every government agency considers conveyor belts to be the most important piece of equipment in any food processing plant simply because food, whether raw, cooked or frozen, has direct contact with belts. In response to global food safety concerns, Ashworth has positioned itself at the forefront of this important issue, leading the way with several new, hygienic belting innovations.

With Safety In Mind

Ashworth continues to revolutionize the food processing industry with its new line of hybrid belting, the Advantage 120/200 series. Designed for lotension spiral and turn-curve applications, Ashworth’s Advantage combines the product release characteristics of Acetal plastic with the strength of stainless steel.

Ashworth’s Advantage hybrid reinvents conveyor belting for the food processing industry.

The very idea of the Advantage began with food safety in mind. While designing the Advantage, Ashworth’s engineers carefully adhered to both the United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) standards and the American Meat Institute’s (AMI) Principles of Sanitary Design. The principles developed by AMI serve as the standard by which all food processing equipment should be built.

Tested. Certified. Safer.™

By adhering to these strict guidelines, Ashworth’s Advantage 120/200 series is the first and only spiral/turn-curve belt to become NSF Certified and USDA Accepted. Every competitor’s all-plastic spiral and turn-curve belts have been tested, but no other manufacturer has achieved NSF Certification or USDA Acceptance.

The rigorous requirements of the NSF/3-A/ANSI 14159-3 standard were developed by the NSF Joint Committee on Food Processing Equipment using the consensus process described by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The standard establishes hygiene requirements for the design of mechanical conveyor belts used in meat and poultry processing. This is the sole standard by which USDA accepts conveyor belts for use in poultry and meat processing facilities.

Unlike Ashworth’s Advantage, conventional all-plastic modular conveyor belts trap food and cleaning solution residues in the hinge area between the rod and the module. These residues can contaminate food and over time, aggressive cleaning solutions weaken plastic rods, all of which are unacceptable by NSF and USDA standards. The competition has been tested, but only Ashworth’s Advantage is proven cleanable!

Hybrid Design – Clean Design

The hybrid construction of the Advantage combines stainless steel rods and Acetal plastic modules to set an industry standard for strength, efficiency and reliability. Unlike all other all-plastic belts, the Advantage’s Acetal plastic modules are designed with 100% elongated slots to support the steel rods. This design allows the steel rods to "float" within the modules, providing cleaning and sanitizing agents direct and unobstructed access to all parts of the belt so it can be completely and easily rinsed clean. Faster, more efficient sanitation results in greater profits for food processors. Keeping belts free of aggressive cleaning and sanitizing agents also lengthens their life span and helps keep maintenance and repairs to a minimum. Only hybrid belt construction allows processors to achieve these objectives.

Metal Gets Smooth

Ashworth also found an opportunity to improve the cleanability of all-metal belts. Our newest belt, the Omni-Pro™ utilizes a robotic welder to consistently produce patent-pending 360°, “zero-tension” welds that seamlessly connect the belt link and the support rod. The smooth weld eliminates any crevices in which bacteria can hide. Another unique feature of the welds is the fact that they do not produce a buttonhead on the outer edge of the link, making for a stronger, more reliable weld.

The 360° zero-tension welds eliminates buttonheads and bacteria entrapment areas.

The patented “protrusion leg” design on the outer edge of the links also prevents welds from contacting spiral cage bars during operation. This allows the belt to run more smoothly with less wear on the system. Less system wear also prevents surface imperfections from forming, which can become bacteria entrapment areas.

Protrusion legs help keep the Omni-Pro running smoothly with less system wear.

Both the zero-tension weld and the protrusion leg features help make Ashworth’s Omni-Pro the strongest belt on the market today. It is even tested and proven to continuously withstand tensions greater than 400 lbs (180 kg) for more than 100,000 cycles, which is twice the number of cycles by which competitor’s rate their belts.

About Ashworth

This year marks Ashworth’s 60th anniversary in the conveyor belting business. Over six decades, Ashworth has been awarded more than 60 patents, including the original lotension spiral system patent. And today, we continue to be the industry’s innovators with our Advantage hybrid and Omni-Pro all-metal series of belts. Ashworth maintains a strong global presence with manufacturing plants in the USA and Europe, along with sales teams around the globe. Whatever your conveying needs, Ashworth Keeps You Running.