Author: Devon LaChance

Walk down the frozen food aisle at any supermarket, and you’re sure to see a wide variety of options, from prepackaged pizzas, to individually wrapped burritos and even bags of vegetables. Without a doubt, heating up frozen food is much more convenient and less time-consuming for the average person than prepping and cooking a homemade meal. But there are also many hygiene and safety considerations during the production process before this food makes it to your plate. March is National Frozen Food Month, and in celebration, we’re highlighting the many ways in which our PureSteel^® stainless steel metal belts are key in the safe production of these preserved provisions.

Challenges of Frozen Food Production

Consumers are increasingly embracing frozen food. In fact, according to a 2021 report released by the American Frozen Food Institute and the Food Industry Association, frozen foods brought in $65.1 billion in retail sales in 2020, which was a 21 percent increase compared to the previous year.

While the frozen food industry is changing, the challenges of the food production process have mostly stayed the same. According to an article featured in Food Manufacturing, an industry news website, keeping frozen food safe and following hygiene requirements can be a challenge. Temperatures during the freezing process range from anywhere between 25 degrees Celsius and -30 degrees Celsius, so equipment must be able to withstand extreme temperatures. Manufacturing equipment must be cleaned regularly, according to the article; however, some protective paint coatings on parts can deteriorate under corrosive washing conditions, allowing for potential contamination.

PureSteel^® as a Sanitary Alternative

When using conveyor automation technologies, companies involved in food production, have found that stainless steel conveyor belts aid in the cooking, freezing and handling of edible products. Our durable PureSteel^® stainless steel metal belts are widely used as part of sanitary food processing conveyors.

Compared to HTD or flat neoprene belts, PureSteel^® metal belts do not generate particulate, which is ideal for food processing. Our belts can also withstand sustained exposure to extreme temperatures, making them perfect for frozen food manufacturing. And since a PureSteel^® metal belt is a single element, it does not generate friction that requires lubrication, which helps to keep conveyor systems clean. Stainless steel metal belts are also resistant to corrosion and can be easily sanitized, either chemically or with intense steam.

Implement PureSteel^® In Your Food Processing Operations

Would your frozen food processing operations benefit from the unique attributes of our PureSteel^® stainless steel metal belts? Our highly trained and experienced engineers can design, develop and manufacture a complete stainless steel metal belt system to serve your needs. Reach out to us today if you have any questions or if you think your facility could benefit from our products.

While it has existed in some form for decades, 3D printing has emerged as an important and groundbreaking technology with near-limitless applications from manufacturing to medicine to aerospace and beyond. The process allows manufacturers to construct complex parts quickly and cost-effectively by creating a three-dimensional solid object from a digital file. In this blog, we’ll explain how our stainless steel belts are the perfect continuous conveying solution for 3D printing applications.

Belt’s Role in the 3D Printing Process

A 3D printed object is created by using an additive process, which lays down successive sheets of material onto a surface, one layer at a time. One of the major aspects to consider in this process is the surface that the material is being printed on top of—is it movable? Impermeable? Smooth? PureSteel^® belts, pulleys and drive tapes are excellent for additive manufacturing applications for these exact reasons.

The moveability of a surface provides two separate benefits. First, it allows multiple items to be printed simultaneously, without operator action to remove completed printed parts from the machine. It also allows for the printing of larger parts: a section can be printed and then indexed by the belt to print the next section until the part is completed. Both of these benefits can reduce labor expenses while increasing profit margins. Additionally, our PureSteel^® belts will not stretch, warp or break, and the smooth, impermeable surface provides easy release of the extruded product. Unlike other belt options, seamless belts will not curl or warp the printed object.

The Creation of the Infinite Surface

The Belt team has worked on several impressive 3D printing projects in the past, including the development of the White Knight 3D printer by NAK 3D Designs, which is owned and operated by Karl Brown. After developing a personal interest in 3D printing, Karl strove to create an infinite printing surface for seamlessly printing large objects, something not previously possible. After being told by several 3D printing belt specialists that fulfilling the specifications for his design was not possible, he contacted Belt Technologies.

As fellow 3D printing enthusiasts, our team provided Karl with engineering and design feedback to determine the appropriate thickness for the size of the belt to ensure smooth, long-lasting operation. The endless belt, combined with linear rails and several additional top-of-the-line pieces enables the White Knight 3D printer to do what no one else can: print an 8-foot-long sword in one complete piece.

How Can We Help You?

The team at Belt Technologies is thrilled to see the success of Karl’s design—can we do the same for you? We’ll work with your design and engineering teams to ensure your 3D printer components not only achieve optimal results but also maximize the lifespan of your equipment. Contact us today to learn more about our PureSteel^® 3D printer drive tape, timing tape and pulley manufacturing capabilities

In post-medieval Europe, laypeople and physicians sought out apothecaries for medicine. Responsible for formulating and selling their own drugs, these professionals were skilled chemists with a penchant for healing. Since then, apothecaries have evolved into the contemporary pharmacist—and while advancements in science have made medicines safer and more effective, today’s pharmacists share the same goals as their historical counterparts. January 12 marks National Pharmacist Day, and to celebrate our modern healers, we are going to highlight how our PureSteel^® metal belts and conveyor systems help keep the medical and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries moving.

The Important Role of Pharmacists

While physicians prescribe us with the medicine we need to recover from an illness, it’s not their job to provide us with their suggested remedies. That’s why we head to our neighborhood pharmacy to pick up medicine—but pharmacists do much more than just hand over a drug.

Pharmacists are indeed responsible for providing medicine, but they are also experts in how to correctly store, preserve and take drugs. In the United States, pharmacists must earn a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, and are exceptional resources for people and physicians who are looking for advice on general health topics like diet, how drugs will interact with one another and the side effects of medicine. Pharmacists are crucial in providing information so that people don’t misuse prescription drugs—the manufacturing of which benefits heavily from hygienic metal belts.

Stainless Steel: Sanitary and Safe

In today’s day and age, manufacturing and material handling equipment in the medical and pharmaceutical industries are heavily regulated for safety purposes. Due to this, automated conveyor systems that are used to handle pharmaceutical materials must be completely sanitary, easy to clean and resistant to corrosion. Our PureSteel^® metal belts live up to these requirements as they are made from stainless steel, a material known for its smooth and impermeable surface that does not hang on to microbes and bacteria.

Compared to other belt materials such as flat neoprene or HTD, our PureSteel^® stainless steel belts do not generate particulate, making them ideal for cleanroom environments. Stainless steel is resistant to corrosion, meaning it can be sanitized by high-pressure steam, high-pressure wash or chemical cleaning. A lack of hidden gaps, recesses and crevices on stainless steel belts also makes them much easier to keep clean than other belt materials. PureSteel^® metal belts are also extremely durable, as they are virtually non-stretchable. Combined with a protective chromium oxide surface layer, our belts are the longest-lasting and most hygienic surface for transporting medical equipment and pharmaceutical products.

PureSteel^® Helps Make a Pharmacist’s Job Possible

When it comes to adhering to the strict regulations of the pharmaceutical and medical industries, there’s no better product to use in conveyor systems than PureSteel^® metal belts. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you implement our belts in your facility.

Here’s a startling statistic: approximately 48 million people become sick from contaminated food each year, and an estimated 3,000 of those people die. But it’s not just a handful of illnesses at the source—there are actually more than 250 diseases that are spread through food alone. So what can be done to avoid this? The best way to prevent foodborne illnesses is through hygienic food production and preparation; a task perfectly tailored to Belt Technologies and our PureSteel^® metal belts.

Worldwide Food Service Safety Month

December, which is recognized as Worldwide Food Service Safety Month, is the ideal time to emphasize the hygienic benefits of our stainless steel belts and conveyors. The observance is designed to remind the public that food safety is crucial, whether cooking at home or processing food that will be shipped to millions of people.

To emphasize the point, just a few months ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning after more than 800 people contracted salmonella from onions across 37 states. Despite the extensive nature of the contamination, the source was linked to one processing facility—indicating a food processing issue. Events such as these are almost entirely avoidable with the right precautionary measures and sanitary clean-room production elements, including hygienic metal belts.

Keeping it Clean with Belt

So why are metal belts more hygienic than the competition? Firstly, stainless steel is resistant to bacteria, making belts produced from this material easy to clean and in compliance with even the strictest USDA requirements.

They also don’t generate particulate like flat neoprene or HTD alternatives, so they won’t create dust that could impact production in a cleanroom environment. Additionally, PureSteel^® products don’t generate component friction and therefore do not need lubrication, reducing the amount of maintenance required and keeping the conveyor system clean.

PureSteel^®: No Better Option for Food Safety

There’s no contest—PureSteel^® belts are the most sanitary and reliable option on the market, perfect for ensuring a hygienic environment for any food-related application. Contact us today to learn how we can help you create a custom solution specifically for your facility.

From food processing to robotics, many industries rely on conveyor systems to accomplish their manufacturing goals. Belts are such a key component to conveyor systems that even the material they are made from can make or break the accuracy, durability and cleanliness of the entire conveyor operation. So, what belt material is the best? Here, we look at the benefits of metal conveyor belts when compared to belts made from other materials, such as polyester, nylon or cotton—and discuss why it may be worth upgrading to metal belts in your facility.

Durability

When it comes to assessing durability and longevity, conveyor belts made from materials such as polyester, nylon and cotton are leagues behind those made from metal. Unlike the alternatives, our PureSteel^® stainless steel endless metal belts can withstand extreme temperatures, vacuums and hostile environments.

Metal belts are not susceptible to the effects of long-term wear of fabric belts, such as stretching or warping. Engineers using metal belts can also choose from a variety of different alloys to achieve varying resistance to chemicals, temperatures and corrosion based on need. And as an added benefit in nearly every application, PureSteel^® metal belts have a high strength-to-weight ratio.

Hygiene

The cleanliness of a conveyor system is important in many applications, especially those in the food, pharmaceutical and technology industries. Metal belts don’t generate particulates like flat neoprene or HTD belts do. They are especially useful for cleanroom environments as they do not create dust that could impact production. As a single element, our endless metal belts do not generate component friction and therefore do not need lubrication, reducing the amount of maintenance required and keeping the conveyor system clean. Our metal belts can also be sterilized in an autoclave.

Precision, Accuracy and More

We produce our metal conveyor belts with smooth edges and high-precision tolerances that other belts generally can’t achieve. PureSteel^® metal belt conveyor systems also allow for accurate and repeatable results at enhanced speeds. While other belt types and chains often see the pulsation of chordal action during use, PureSteel^® metal belts do not, resulting in smoother operations. Their good thermal and electrical conductivity discharge static electricity, making them extra useful in electronic component manufacturing.

Metal Belts in Vertical and Vacuum Conveyor Systems

In addition to our horizontal conveyor systems, we offer vertical and vacuum conveyor systems that also use PureSteel^® stainless steel belts, customizable with a wide variety of attachments and perforations. In vacuum conveyor systems, customizable perforated metal belts help allow for accurate part positioning and can be surface treated and coated for your specific needs.

Could you benefit from an upgrade to an endless metal belt conveyor system? If so, our team is ready to help you find the right belt and will create a custom solution specifically for your facility. Contact us to learn more.