Industries / Food & Beverage
Food & Beverage Conveyors
Product movement between processing and packaging stations
Connect filling, labeling and packing stations within a food or beverage line. Conveyor Technologies helps with confined transfers, product presentation at inspection, and conveying surfaces for cleaning, cooling or drainage.
On this page
01 / Your process
Packaging lines
Fit between machines
The space between a filler, capper and labeler includes the transfer points as well as the conveyor body. A low-profile frame fits beneath equipment where vertical clearance is limited. Conveyor Technologies coordinates belt width, length and motor/gearbox placement around those connections.
Move cartons, trays and bundles
Flat belt and cleated configurations carry cartons, trays and bundles between stations, including case packing and palletizing areas. A flat belt provides a continuous support surface. Cleats provide spacing and separation where the handling task requires them.
Coordinate line movement
Variable-speed drives allow the conveying pace to follow the surrounding equipment. Timing belts transmit movement through engagement between belt teeth and pulley grooves for labeling and other positioning tasks. Belt movement, package support and station timing work together; belt engagement alone does not locate the package.
Choose a starting point
Conveyor options to explore
Packaged products and food carried directly on the belt place different demands on the conveying surface. Cleaning methods, chemicals and machine access also shape the configuration. Conveyor Technologies helps connect those needs to the options below. The Conveyor Selection Guide explains the wider product range.
Modular Plastic Belt Conveyor
Modular belting for food processing and packaging, with access beneath the conveying surface for cleaning and maintenance without separating the belt.
Useful when: Frequent cleaning is part of your food-processing or packaging routine.
Cleated Conveyors
Cleats support incline movement, spacing and separation of cartons, trays and bundles between packaging operations.
Useful when: Cartons, trays or bundles need to travel up an incline between packaging operations.
End-Drive Conveyors
A low-profile conveyor for transfers between packaging stations, with the motor and gearbox at one end.
Useful when: Packaged products need to move from filling or labeling equipment toward case packing or palletizing.
Center Drive Conveyor
A repositionable drive along the conveyor leaves space at the infeed and discharge, for layouts where neither end has clearance for a motor.
Useful when: You need to connect packaging machines where a motor at either transfer point would be in the way.
Wire Mesh Belt Conveyor
An open conveying surface allows air and liquid to pass through for cooling, drying and drainage after processing.
Useful when: Products leave a heating or frying process and need airflow around them before the next step.
02 / Your process
Inspection and detection
Present the product to the inspection station
Vision inspection, metal detection and checkweighing each need the product to pass through a particular inspection area. The conveying surface supports the product while the drive controls its travel. Inspection conveyor configurations include precision-machined pulleys and sealed bearings; Conveyor Technologies helps arrange the product path and movement around the selected station.
Coordinate downstream handling
When inspection is followed by a downstream reject position, the control sequence needs to relate the inspected product to its later arrival there. Camera triggers, conveyor speed commands and reject timing are therefore considered together.
Metal-detectable belt compounds are among the material options. This is a belt-material choice, separate from coordinating the detector and reject equipment.
Conveyor Technologies helps review the conveyor interfaces with the selected inspection and reject equipment. Detection performance and reject compatibility depend on the complete system arrangement.
03 / Your process
Cleaning access and wet operation
Frame and bearing construction
Washdown configurations include stainless steel frames, sealed bearings and corrosion-resistant hardware. Sealed-for-life bearings do not require routine relubrication.
Reach the conveying surfaces
Cleaning involves both the carrying surface and the places beneath it. Open frames provide access from below; removable belts expose the belt and underlying surfaces for cleaning and inspection. Belt construction, removal access and drive protection are matched to the cleaning exposure and product-contact requirements.
For direct food contact, the relevant material and component documentation belongs to the selected configuration. Conveyor Technologies helps review those choices against the cleaning environment and facility requirements. Conveyor selection alone does not establish facility compliance.
04 / Your process
Cooling, drying and drainage
Airflow through the belt
Wire mesh offers an open conveying surface for cooling and drying applications, including products leaving heating or frying processes. The openings allow air to pass above and below the product as it moves through the process.
Liquid drainage
Liquid passes through the open belt while the product remains supported. Smaller items need an opening pattern that supports them throughout travel. Conveyor Technologies helps select that pattern and confirm the permissible product-contact temperature for the belt and conveyor configuration.
Conveyor selection starts here
Discuss your process
Tell us about the product or package, the operation or transfer, and the cleaning environment. Conveyor Technologies can help select the conveying surface, drive and mounting arrangement for its place in your line. A brief description is enough to start.
