What is a Serpentine Cooling Conveyor and How Does It Work?
While not a strict necessity of every filling project, managing product temperature can be critical where, for example, hot fill or molten products are being prepared. Keeping the temperature consistent protects the integrity of the container and the closure while maintaining the efficiency of the packaging process. A serpentine cooling conveyor is generally a specialized conveyor system that helps a packager control temperature by providing extended cooling time within a compact footprint.
How a Serpentine Cooling Conveyor Works
Rather than provide a single, straight line conveyor, these cooling conveyors travel back and forth in a serpentine pattern allowing for extended dwell time and proper cooling usually after the fill but before sealing or labeling bottles. Once filled, bottle and product will enter the cooling conveyor and move through multiple lanes, and often multiple layers, of the serpentine path, gradually cooling through the simple passing of time or with the help of forced air through fan systems. The cooling process helps to stabilize the liquid product as well as the container before allowing for more downstream packaging tasks such as capping, labeling, or coding.
The key components of the serpentine conveyor typically include a stainless steel conveyor frame and adjustable rails to accommodate different container sizes. Variable speed controls allow operators to quickly and easily adjust the dwell or cool times for products, while airflow or fan systems can assist in the cooling process. Each of these components contribute to the simple goal of maximizing efficiency through finding the right cooling time while minimizing the space requirements for the same cooling time.
Why Extended Cooling Time is Important
Packaging systems will often run containers and product straight from the filler into a capping machine. The conveyors exist to simply move product from one machine to another. When necessary to heat products in order to achieve a consistent fill, those higher temperatures can create risks as the bottle and product move to the next packaging stages. High liquid temperature can lead to bottle deformation or paneling if the closure is applied too quickly. Caps may become damaged or even loosen due to pressure changes after sealing hot products. Pressure changes may also cause product expansion or even foaming. Warm bottles can also wreak havoc on label application, causing problems with adhesion, all of which can lead to inconsistent packaging appearance. By allowing proper cooling time, the bottle and product can smoothly transition to the next steps in the packaging project without risking the above issues.
An Efficient and Flexible Solution
Two significant advantage of serpentine cooling conveyors are the ability to create longer dwell times in short space and the adaptability that allows for multiple container sizes, shapes and speeds. Manufacturers with limited floor space can now use both vertical and horizontal clearance to save space for other packaging or non-packaging business related activities. The adjustable lanes and speed controls also allow the flexibility to run multiple sizes and products without the need for separate lines or extended conveyor systems, even where cooling requirements for different sizes or products are not the same.
At Liquid Packaging Solutions, serpentine cooling conveyors are engineered and designed with the customers goals in mind. Though often built as part of a complete packaging solution, cooling conveyors can also be seamlessly integrated with existing filling, capping, and labeling equipment to optimize not only the cooling process, but the downstream performance of the entire packaging process. For companies handling hot fill or temperature-sensitive products, we encourage you to give LPS a call to discover how the right cooling solution can improve your operational reliability and your overall package quality.