FDBusiness.com

A large beer brewery in South Africa is operating a 90.000 c/h can filling line, installed in 2013. The line is equipped completely with Rexnord “Flush Grid” MatTop^® conveyor chains in PSX^® material in combination with Magnetflex curves in ULF material (“Combi-X”). Rexnord PSX material selected for this project as a result of the need for completely “dry running” conveyors, without concessions to can filling speed and line efficiency. The advantages of no external lubrication for this brewery are important savings on water usage, reduced costs on lubrication and dry production floors, which improves the worker safety in the production hall.

In October 2013 the line started up with excellent performance of the conveyor chains and corner tracks. The performance has been validated in December 2015, after more than two years of running at full capacity. The results are excellent!

Low Friction

The line has been running since start up in 2013 without the need for any external lubrication, with the exception for the section between filler and pasteurizer, where water and soap used only to get rid of beer residue coming from the cans. The friction level of PSX material on the dry running conveyors is low and constant, which is important to maintain the optimal product flow and have minimal backline pressure on the delicate cans.

Wear Resistance

The chains in PSX material and ULF corner tracks show minimal wear after more than two years of continuous use. No replacement is therefore required for the near future. This means costs for maintenance to the conveyors are minimal, giving them the full benefit of the dry running solution.

Conclusion

The excellent performance of the high-speed can line at the brewery proves that it is definitely possible to run conveyors without external lubrication. Rexnord chains in PSX material in combination with corner tracks with ULF top sections ensure optimal conveyor performance and durability.