Pneumatic conveying systems play a vital role in the food and coffee industry, allowing for the efficient and precise movement of dry materials throughout the production process. While there may be some challenges, such as product breakage, dusting, system maintenance, downtime, and repair costs, these can be effectively managed with proper attention and care.
Let’s examine how pneumatic conveying systems can assist in addressing and improving some of the issues that may arise during production.
Coffee Pneumatic Processing Challenges and Solutions
Here are three common challenges we see in coffee processing plants and how Progressive Products can use our expertise to help solve them.
Abrasive Wear on Elbows
With a high volume of coffee beans passing through your pneumatic conveying system, the elbows will naturally suffer wear and tear over time. This damage can lead to frequent replacement, which results in costly downtime, loss of product, and contamination concerns.
Solution
Progressive Products offers a variety of elbow products that can significantly extend the life of your elbows, saving you time, resources, and money. One option is our proprietary Ceram-Back® elbow, which has a hard ceramic coating that lengthens the life of bare elbows almost anywhere in your system.
Materials Breaking
Another challenge coffee plants face with pneumatic conveying systems is product breakage. When processing coffee beans, breakage can lead to the product becoming unusable, leading to costly product loss.
Solution
Progressive Products can help you minimize this challenge by recommending a longer radius elbow that will reduce the impact of the coffee beans experience within the system, resulting in less product breakage and dust generation.
Maintaining Cleanliness and Hygiene
With coffee beans, cleanliness, and hygiene are of utmost importance because even small amounts of dirt or other contaminants can negatively impact the quality and taste of the coffee. While a pneumatic conveying system won't let any outside contaminants in, it's crucial to minimize internal build-up of the product within the system, as this can lead to bacterial growth that may cause a health hazard down the line.
Solution
Progressive Products considers this when recommending elbows, ensuring that they are made from high-grade materials that minimize contamination and make maintenance easier. Our Cast Ceramic Flat-Back Elbows use a pipe for the inner core substrate and food safe ceramic tiles for the back are perfect for companies with contamination concerns.
Progressive Products takes a thoughtful and precise approach when helping you get the parts you need for your pneumatic conveying systems. We take you through an in-depth consultation process, asking about your current system, needs, concerns, and the pattern of wear on your elbows. This extra step helps us understand your specific requirements and recommend the right elbow product.
Remember: We’ll never try to sell you something you don’t need. Contact us for a consultation today to discuss solutions to your pneumatic conveying needs.
