Metal vs. Plastic Conveyor Belting

Hey to all.

Would be interested in obtaining various insights and opinions on this ongoing issue.

Metal vs. Plastic Conveyor Belting Article: http://www.foodmanuf...R~RID~19774.asp

Some of the arguments made were:

Support for Metal Belting:

• Stainless steel
• Anti-bacteria absorbent
• Impervious to biofilms
• Easy to clean; reduces water consumption and time
• Reliant on a metal detector to pick up any damage that may have fallen into food product
• Wear, temperature, stretch resistant
• Reliant, tolerable, strong therefore number of required service is reduced
• Varied product specifications and custom make to cater for all types of food industries
• Long service shelf life; cost effective long term
• Replacements minimised

Support for Plastic Belting:

• Made of injection-molded polyethylene or acetyl plastic
• Excellent tracking by preventing belt slippage during operation, especially in wet environments
• Flexibility: plastic chain belting can easily make turns and flex to go up inclines or down declines
• Flexibility can allow for saving on production space, reduce number of product transfers
• Varied product specifications and custom make to cater for all types of food industries
• Open-mesh plastic chain belt for enhanced sanitation or for cooling or air flow; allowing for optimal drainage and minimal downtime
• Resistant to water and most cleaning agents
• Easy-to-clean surfaces, durable
• If part of the plastic chain belt gets damaged, repairs are made by removing hinge rod of affected chain module and replacing with a new section whilst remaining belt remains in place on the conveyor

From my experineces in the food industry, I can say that the stainless steel conveyors are far better than plastic in terms of cleaning and sanitation. The plastic might be cheaper but the downtime of cleaning is much longer than metal. It is very difficult to clean plastic conveyors compared to metal. The points you have mentioned are fine but I am providing my own insights from my experiences.

Regards

Ajay

I can't access the page but whatever material you use, it needs regular inspection. I've seen good and bad examples of metal, plastic and traditional fabric / plastic combination belts. Whatever you use needs to be easily cleanable, resistant to deterioration and ideally detectable but all belts will fail eventually, especially if maintenance isn't where it should be.

Hi GMO,

Strange that it didn't work. Got a funny feeling it might be an issue with Food Manufacturing as the address was exactly the same.

Here it is again.

"Address cannot be found"

Thanks for letting me know again, GMO. Copied the article into Microsoft Word and converted in a PDF.

Ladies and gentlemen, we now have lift off...

Am curious to know why the link didn't work though.

Maybe the link only works in Australia as I managed to open it. At least members will be able to view the PDF document.

Any comment from members who use conveyors?