PROBLEM: Saving energy, while increasing throughput with your spiral conveyor applications.
SOLUTION: Use a spiral belt that has the largest open area to maximize airflow-decreasing dwell times and allowing evaporator fans to run with less resistance.
A primary feature needed to maximize airflow is a belt that has a large open area. The larger the open area, the easier it is for air to flow through the belt, resulting in shorter dwell times, greater throughput and less energy consumption.
Ashworth Brothers' Advantage belts have been tested and proven to have the greatest airflow of all plastic spiral belts. To demonstrate how efficient Advantage belts are, the company commissioned Intertek ETL Testing Services (ETL), an independent nationally registered testing laboratory, to conduct comparative airflow tests and quantify air pressure drop (air-flow resistance) of all commonly available spiral belts.
The results were clear. ETL's testing proved that Advantage belts perform remarkably better than any other plastic spiral belt, having as much as 370 percent less pressure drop than the leading competitors' plastic belts. A lower air pressure drop means a more efficient belt because more air can pass through it. More airflow results in greater air contact with the product being conveyed, lowering dwell times which, in turn, increases production. Less air resistance also increases the efficiency of evaporator fans, lowering electric consumption.
Optimum airflow performance is achieved by Ashworth's unique belt design and construction. Ashworth incorporates stainless-steel rods, as opposed to pliable plastic rods, to provide the strength needed to increase the open area of the plastic mesh. The thinner plastic modules making up the mesh permit greater airflow through the belt. Another benefit of large open area mesh is the improvement in cleaning characteristics; in fact, the Advantage belts are the only plastic spiral belts to be both USDA accepted and BISSC certified for cleanability performance. The strength of stainless-steel rods also eliminates the need to add a center rail when retrofitting from an all-metal belt to an all-plastic belt. Unlike all-plastic belts, Advantage does not require a center rail, resulting in reduced friction and improved energy savings. Additionally, no center rail means easier, faster and improved cleanability of the spiral's inside rail.
The Advantage 200 and 120 are available in 1.5 turn radius and larger and are designed to operate in harsh environments, with temperatures as low as -50°F (-46°C) or as high as 180°F (83°C). Rated to withstand 300 lb. of tension at 100,000 cycles, Advantage is the industry's strongest plastic spiral belt that delivers the most efficient results.
The open module design of Ashworth's Advantage 120/200 belts allows for more airflow in cooling, proofing and freezing applications, decreasing dwell times and increasing energy savings.