PROTECTING AGAINST CROSS-CONTAMINATION

Protecting product from cross-contamination is critical, especially when it comes to seed and pulse crops. Your conveyance is where the risk for contamination is usually at its highest. This necessitates constant clean-out measures that take up valuable time and are less than cost-effective. Here at Norstar, we believe that chain conveyance provides a well-balanced solution to the issue of cross-contamination and here’s why…
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A Self Cleaning Conveyor
Cleaning out your conveyors is an often frustrating and time-consuming process. We designed our chain conveyors to minimize the amount of maintenance required. We did this in a number of ways.

1. The tail section of a conveyor is a prime location where material can be thrown and can start to build up. Norstar has developed a self-cleaning tail that features a curved back wall plate that directs any material thrown towards the back of the conveyor into the handling flow, preventing any build up. This back plate is attached to the conveyor’s tensioning system and moves with the sprocket, ensuring that the back wall remains the same distance from the conveyor paddles whether you are loosening or tightening the chain. Because the chain tensioner is located in the tail, the head of a Norstar Chain Conveyor is stationary. This allows for the discharge to be positioned at the end of the conveyor head with no corners or ledges where product can accumulate.

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1. Norstar encourages the use of Cleaning Paddles (one for every 10’ of chain). These cleaning paddles feature a rubber plate that is sized to slide against the conveyor walls and floor. This provides a “squeegee effect” that helps move any stubborn material and maintains a clean conveyor housing.

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1. Our En-Masse Conveyor models feature a single chamber design that allows for maximum fill rate. This open chamber poses no risk of product drop off as it is completely enclosed. The skeletal chain and paddle allow for material to flow through the return chain down to the discharge without any catch points.

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1. For the purpose of moving material at steep angles, Norstar's Incline Chain Conveyor features a two chamber design with the discharge and the return chambers divided by a steel plate. This plate is slotted to ensure that material is able to slide through to the discharge chamber below and not left in the return.

Fully Enclosed Protection
Norstar Chain Conveyors feature a fully-enclosed conveyor housing that effectively seals off the product from external elements. Our conveyor covers are bolted on and we utilize UHMW seals at the shafts to ensure moisture and dust do not make contact with the material being handled. A fully-enclosed conveyor housing negates the need for external dust control measures, keeping your site clean and prevent further contamination risk to other products within the area.

Choose the Right Gate
One of the many optional discharge accessories we offer is our Cross Slide Gate. Our Cross Slide Gate is an excellent choice for applications that are sensitive to cross-contamination. We designed this gate with a slide plate that sits flush with the conveyor floor when closed. There is no lip or ledge for material to pass over and get caught up on. This allows for seamless flow without the worry of product being left behind. It also minimizes product damage during flow.

Conclusion
Keeping your product clean and pure is a key ingredient to your success. That is why we spend so much time figuring out how to best design a conveyor that better protects you from cross-contamination and that minimizes your clean-out maintenance. ​