MAY 6, 2015 AT 11.40 AM / POP-UP FLIGHT

Originally Published in the April/May 2015 Waikato Business News

Uni Chains Pop-Up Flight, from Viking Conveyor, is the perfect fit to support the growing food processing industry in the local Waikato region, which isn’t immune to the current market trends surrounding food safety and saving waste, time and costs.

Pop-up flight does just what the name says. It pops up at the foot of the conveyor incline to support the food as it moves up the elevator, holding it steady. Then, once the product’s been successfully discharged, the flight pops down again so an automatic scraper can clean up the belt – especially helpful for sticky, clingy food products.

To enhance food safety the belt is very easy to clean as the flight pops down so the belt is flat and can be scraped clean, leading to lower contamination risks.

Uni Chains Pop-up flight is able to minimise product falling on the floor and going to waste as the product moves up the elevator.  The Pop-up holds the product in place so it doesn’t go all over the floor and end up waste. Reduction in waste is an important benefit due the increasing costs of raw food which are impacting product margins.  Any reduction in waste can only help the bottom line! 

“The Pop-up flight was originally intended for the meat processing industry, but due to the various features of the Pop-up flight, it found its way into other applications like fruit and vegetables, seafood and pharmaceutical raw materials” comments Kris Rao, Viking Conveyor’s Uni-Modular Product Manager.

“There are a number of applications where utilising Pop-up flights would be extremely beneficial in the food processing industry.  They are perfect for any situation where the incline conveying of raw food sticks, freezes or clings to the belt.  Once the food has been transferred off the belt, the flights run loose or collapse so an automatic scraper can clean the belt to avoid contamination” comments Kris,  “Static flights are not suitable due to the need to use an automatic scraper to remove any remaining product that is left on the belt.

“Pop-Up Flights would also benefit any incline conveyor belt that has issues with product waste on the floor and product carry-over on the return section of the belt.  Also, the belt can go around tight spaces as the flights collapse, so the belt does not need to have a large return space.”

What does the uni Chains Pop-Up Flight help you achieve?

The Pop-Up Flights will reduce your product loss by minimising product wastage on the floor and helping you recover products which tend to stick to the belt. This, along with lower waste disposal costs and lower cleaning costs leads to less total cost in the production process. To add to this, time is also saved as you don’t have to dedicate as much time to cleaning the belt or any product that falls on the floor.  There are lower contamination risks, as the belt is easier to clean. It is now also possible to scrape clean a flighted belt, and the reduction in the transfer gap at the discharge point also means that there is a lower risk of product damage.

These benefits all combine to make uni Chains Pop-up flights a useful addition to any facility’s processing equipment.

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