10. Sep 2018

Mesh belts: Use in drying foodstuffs

High productivity, long service life, first-class stability: GKD mesh belts made from stainless steel or plastic are ideal for sophisticated drying procedures in the food industry.

Belt drying is an established technology for drying foodstuffs such as fruit and vegetables, cereals, tea, coffee, herbs, tobacco, and pet food. The gentle and economic drying procedure preserves valuable substances like vitamins and essential oils. The properties of the products, such as color, aroma, appearance, or water absorption potential, are protected and their shelf life increased. To ensure a gentle yet highly efficient drying process with graduated temperature zones and air speeds, woven or spiraled dryer belts are subject to strict requirements. Woven belts from GKD produced from highly tempered stainless steels impress in the food industry with hygienic safety and resistance to aggressive cleaning products for clean-in-place (CIP) processes. TRACKMATIC™ belts with their unique design, comprising cables in the running direction and crimped cross bars with guide lugs on the bottom side, ensure both excellent tracking stability and flexibility. For very adhesive products, GKD also offers these belts with plastic coated warp wires. This custom-built design is food-safety-compliant and simplifies belt cleaning thanks to the concealed wire. The high transverse stability of the TRACKMATIC™ belts allows high layer thicknesses to be output in continuous operation. Optimally designed woven seams for specific applications ensure long service life.

The dimensions and temperature resistance of synthetic belts from GKD are tailored exactly to the respective system type and process so that they guarantee the requisite process reliability, even for critical applications. In addition, the carefully matched ratio of open area with defined pore size to air and vapor permeability means that they offer high process efficiency. The modern weaving technology from GKD is key in providing the combination of high air permeability with small pore size and minimal product loss. The subsequent thermal treatment of the mesh tailored precisely to the specific application minimizes uncontrolled shrinkage, elongation, or inaccurate tracking of the belt and reduces creasing. Even with critical applications, the synthetic belts custom designed for the specific system or process are therefore an attractive alternative to conventional belt types as they ensure particularly high process stability. The entire belt design – mesh and seam – complies with the FDA regulations and EU Directive 10/2011. What is more, the especially flat PAD seam from GKD guarantees consistently greater strength and lower wear with the use of scrapers and wipers.