MiniTec not only offers conveyor components and lines, but also realises sophisticated material flow solutions, as the example of an industrial coffee roasting plant shows. Here, many food production guidelines had to be fulfilled and goods of different types and packaging had to be transported. The coffee products are transported quickly and safely over a length of 1.2 kilometres, across different levels, at high speed and very smoothly.

In addition to long distances, differences in height also need to be bridged. The WF 3000 spiral conveyor from MiniTec is an elegant and practical component for such applications. With this system, differences in conveying height of up to three metres can be bridged. However, the spiral conveyor also offers a second major advantage: it serves as a storage or buffer for conveyed goods on a very small footprint. On the conveyor section of up to 50 metres, with a space requirement of only around three square metres, such systems allow a constant material flow even at full capacity. Two electric motors are sufficient to operate the system, which has a positive impact on the energy balance.

State-of-the-art control technology is used to synchronise and tune the motors, which enables dynamic speed applications. The entire system is also trimmed for extremely low-noise operation thanks to design features and optimised slide rails. The use of high-quality components enables virtually maintenance-free operation, and the bowl feeder is also extremely resistant to contamination. In combination with the energy-saving motorisation, this ensures a high level of efficiency in production.

A simulation solution was used for this, which enabled a digital test run. Based on the knowledge gained, various changes were made to the model system until it ran smoothly. For example, guide rails were installed so that the coffee packets stay on track and do not fall off the conveyor belt. The effort paid off: In the finished system, the process worked completely smoothly right from the start. Incidentally, this approach also reduced the overall lead time for the project.

Experience in material flow and automation
A conveyor system of this size not only requires precise planning, but the installation and fine-tuning of the production processes must also be carried out with the utmost care. This is where MiniTec customers benefit from the engineering team's many years of experience in automation and systems engineering in a wide range of industries. At the coffee roaster, the installation and commissioning was realised in just two months. Since then, the coffee products have been travelling down the line: With the required smooth running at high speed and absolutely reliably.