IPCO set to unveil latest belt range at iba
Swedish-headquartered manufacturer IPCO will use this year’s IBA to showcase its latest range of bake oven belts and stainless steel belt conveyors.
Previously operating as Sandvik Process Systems, IPCO is now an independent company within the Scandinavian Wallenberg group. The company is a major supplier of stainless steel belts for confectionery processing, with applications ranging from simple conveying to cooling / solidification, conditioning, casting, freezing and finishing.
The flat surface of a steel confectionery conveyor means there are no joints or crevices in which germs can hide. Its smoothness means cleaner, easier discharge of candies, chocolate and similar products at the end of a conveying or processing line. And stainless steel can be subjected to any method of cleaning – steam, pressure, detergents, brushes, chemicals, even aggressive scrapers – to ensure the lowest levels bacteria and highest standards of hygiene.
For the snack market, the most common application is as a bake oven belt, where IPCO carbon steel belts are used for products as varied as granola bars, biscuits, cakes, macaroons and brownies.
IPCO’s manufacturing capabilities enable the production of bake oven belts from 800 mm to 3500 mm wide. This means that wide bake ovens can be used to increase production without having to invest in new facilities.
Solid and perforated bake oven belts offer lower maintenance, easier cleaning and a substantially longer working life than other belt materials. IPCO can work with OEMs to support oven upgrades, supplying a comprehensive range of conveyor accessories including tracking devices, tensioners and skid bars.
Other highlights of the stand will include its innovative salt-based QuickCleaner system offers a fast, easy and safe way of removing carbon residues and potentially hazardous acrylamide from steel belt conveyors used in bake ovens.
A combination of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and calcium phosphate is blasted onto the moving belt, removing the bulk of the residue without damaging the steel. The chemical action of the salt cleaner then attacks the organic residues at a molecular level, further enhancing the cleaning. A built-in suction hood removes the cleaning material from the belt as part of the same process.
The company will also be demonstrating its latest stainless steel conveyor unit, a food-grade system with applications across the entire food processing sector.
A stainless steel framework allows easy access for cleaning, with no narrow gaps or other hard-to-reach places. The conveyor belt is ‘endless welded’ to eliminate any trace of a joint and its smooth surface means there are no hidden gaps or recesses. All bearings are food approved and lubricated for life with food-approved lubricating grease. The motor is food-approved and has IP66 protection.
