Bakeries and snack manufacturing plants employ a wide variety of conveyor belt systems to move ingredients, doughs, formed products, finished baked foods and snacks, and packages through processing and packaging.

Belt conveyors are the most common choice in today’s automated bakeries, and many different belts are available. Fabric, rubber, plastic, steel and wire mesh belts are all fairly common.

Belt conveyors can run with low and high tension and feature positive or push drives. Decisions about which belt a bakery or snack manufacturer needs often depends upon the application.

The Right Food Conveyor Belt is Critical to Producing High Quality Bread

Because consumers taste for baked bread has changed significantly, getting the right belt for the right application is critical to producing high-quality breads. It now takes a variety of bakery belts to handle the production process for a larger variety of breads. White bread consumption is being replaced by whole wheat, multigrain, and various specialty breads; and consumers want more variety in taste and texture, as well as health benefits.

Factor 1: Flexibility
There are key factors in the selection of the proper belt for the application. When transferring the product between operations -- whether it's a tight transfer of a finished product, roll forming, or a dough dump -- the belts ability to flex over a knife edge transfer or over a rolling nose bar are important factors to consider when selecting the right bakery belt. 

Factor 2: Gripping, Releasing, and Feed Rates
Gripping and releasing the product at the proper time impacts the output volume/feed rate and selecting the proper fabric and compound for each operation allows the product to be released correctly. Our application specialists are well trained and can recommend the right belt with the right flexibility that will work best on your conveyor design. 

Factor 3: Belt Compatibility With the Ingredients and the Environment
When producing specialty breads, the conveyor belt needs to be compatible with both the environment and the ingredients. Dough consistency, moisture, heat -- these are factors that all need to be considered when selecting the proper belt. We stock conveyor belts with various fabric construction designed to endure the environment and produce quality breads. With a wide variety of bakery belts to choose from -- whether a specialty bake shop or a large, high-volume bakery -- we specialize in the ability to handle every application.