Industrial Processing Equipment

Cooling Tunnels

Cooling tunnels are primarily used in the commercial processing of food, such as chocolate, but also in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries as well. Cooling tunnels use a conveyor system to pull the product through the refrigerated tunnel. There are both continuous and discontinuous cooling systems, depending on what is required. Continuous cooling involves moving the product until the required temperature is achieved, whereas discontinuous cooling is when the tunnel provides different cooling down periods through pallet and tray forms.

By using steel belts in the cooling tunnels, they are not only easier to be kept up to the strict food industry hygiene standards, but also are more effective at cooling. Rather than simply cooling the product through convection cooling, the steel belt extracts the heat through the material (unlike rubber belts).

Process System Services

Process Systems Services Pty Ltd is an Australian company offering services in general engineering, food processing plants and equipment, trim extraction and removal systems, industrial compactors, dust collectors, pneumatic conveying systems, oil reclamation and more. They also design and manufacture steel belt cooling tunnels, primarily for chocolate and other confectionery products.

Their cooling tunnels feature stainless steel design for easy cleaning, hinged hoods supported in the open position by gas struts to enable inspection of the product, and a dual-flow air recirculation system. This system provides excellent cooling over the surface of the product, and the return air-path (underneath the belt) provides additional contact cooling of the product from below.

The cooling tunnels can be built with belt widths between 600 mm to 1200 mm, and to almost any length. The modular construction allows for extension of the tunnel as the business production requirements increase. An integral refrigeration unit is provided which can have a local or remote condensing unit, and larger tunnels may have more than one refrigeration module.

Cooling Tunnels

Cooling tunnels are used primarily in the food processing and pharmaceutical processing industries, although there are many other applications. These include the production of rubber and plastic sheeting, chemical processing, and the production of resins and adhesives. Industrial cooling tunnels are used to cool and set the products, whether through convection, conduction or radiation cooling- or a combination of these. Basically the product is pulled through a tunnel and as it passes through different cooling processes are applied over a specified time period.

This could be achieved through continuous cooling, where the product is pulled through the tunnel until the required temperature is achieved, or discontinuous cooling which is when the tunnel provides different cooling-down periods (through pallet and tray forms). The benefit of using steel belts in cooling tunnels is not only that they are easy to clean and maintain, but also that the heat is extracted from the material through the steel belt (unlike rubber conveyor belts).

Ovens and Roasters

Process Systems Pty Ltd produces many steel belt conveyor applications, including industrial ovens and roasters. Not only do they build small electric continuous ovens, but also supply conveyor sections, drive and tail terminals and the steel belt to oven manufacturers.

Ovens are of course used for heating and baking, not just in the food processing industry but also other industrial applications including chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The focus for Process Systems is in the food and pet food industries, such as baking pastries, pies, cookies and biscuits, among other types of confectionary. Roasters are also produced by Process Systems, primarily for dry roasting nuts (e.g. macadamias, peanuts, almonds, pistachios). In addition, they can be designed with feed devices or flavour adding systems to enhance the product. The advantage in using steel belt ovens and roasters, apart from the high quality products and service provided by the Australian owned company Process Systems, is that they reduce time, labour and cleaning.

Steel Belts

Steel belts are used by Process Systems Pty Ltd in many of their conveyor systems because they are easy to clean and maintain, which is essential for most industries but especially for food processing. Steel is an alloy of iron and other elements, depending on the properties that are required. Changing the type of elements used in the alloy can affect the grade of castability, tensile strength, ductility and hardness. Common elements that are combined with iron include manganese, chromium, vanadium and tungsten.

Steel belts are used in two main classes of industrial applications- general material handling and bulk material handling. For example, general material handling could include moving boxes along inside a factory. By contrast, bulk material handling may be used to transport materials in outdoor locations, whether agricultural products (e.g. wheat, cotton) or industrial products (e.g. coal, iron ore).

Process Systems uses steel belts in industrial process systems such as cooling tunnels, roasting tunnels, industrial ovens, driers, oil skimmers and trim removal.

Conveyor Systems

Conveyor systems are used in industrial applications to save labour and time transporting materials, conveying them from one place to another in a safe and efficient manner. Conveyor systems are used in a variety of industries, such as computer and electronics assembly, pharmaceutical production, bottling and food processing. Conveyor systems are also used for transporting people, such as escalators and passenger conveyor systems found in airports and train stations.

Conveyor systems can be hydraulic, mechanical or fully automated, with conveyor belts made out of steel, rubber or plastic. Conveyor belts are usually made up of one or more layers of material- an under layer called the carcass and an over layer called the cover. The materials that are used usually depend on what the conveyor belt will be used for. For example, food processing lines need systems that will be hygienic and easily cleaned, so steel belts are used.