Brewery’s conversion to dry-running conveyor taps into savings

Craft Brew Alliance, a leading independent craft brewing company, knew the conveyor system in its Woodinville, Wash., plant was in need of an update. By converting its Redhook Brewery bottling line to a dry running conveyor chain and wear track, the operation has improved performance while eliminating the need for 111,000 gallons of water and 675 gallons of soap for lubricating stainless steel chain.

“As a brewer, we have a special interest in water sustainability, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when you convert to dry conveyor,” says Kurt Schmidt, maintenance manager for Redhook. “The real payoff comes when you stop soaking your equipment and plant with water all day long.” The changeover won’t be complete, he adds, until the pumps, plumbing and nozzles for the water spray system are removed, along with the drip pans.

The changeover is part of a bottling line overhaul (Emerson Industrial Automation, emersonindustrial.com) that started with resurfacing the floor in December 2013. “Our floor had been badly damaged from years of water puddles and cleaning; it was eroded an inch into the concrete in some places,” Schmidt explains. “One bottling line had stainless steel chain on it that was about 12 years old. It needed soap-and-water lubrication spray, which damaged bearings, reducers and sensors, not just the floor. The steel chain builds up slime, then spreads it around and requires daily washing with an antimicrobial, all of which add to cost.”

The dry operation yields savings on energy, maintenance and damage, Schmidt says, and friction is so low that even “dry lube” is unnecessary. “We have reduced slip hazards, energy, maintenance, water, soap and chemicals to treat discharge water,” he says. “Even with a partial installation, we have cut water use by 60%.”

The bottling line runs 20 hours per day, four days per week, typically at 425 bottles per minute. At its fastest single-lane throughput, it runs about 150 fpm. Bottles enter the line from an uncaser, while the empty cases follow the bottles on a parallel conveyor to the case packer at the end.

The bottles are mass conveyed about 200 feet, through several 90-degree turns, across a static transfer plate and into a combiner where they are single-filed at higher speed through the filler. They are mass conveyed afterward about 100 feet, nesting four to five wide, until a combiner again single-files the bottles for the labeler. The bottles are then mass conveyed 100 feet further to the case packer.

Production imperatives at Redhook prevent a prolonged shutdown, so the change to the new plastic chain has been done in phases. “We tear out everything down to the frame and modify it if we think it’s necessary,” Schmidt says. Key drive components, such as bearings, sensors, sprockets and gear drives are all replaced. The cost for the new conveyor components—inclusive of everything—is about the same as needed for an overhaul using stainless steel chain, he says, and offers additional benefits.

“The radii allow lifting the chain out of the track for easy cleaning underneath. Typically, there’s a tab that locks the chain down so you can’t clean under it,” Schmidt adds. “These radii are also designed with a one-piece supply and return, so there’s no gap where debris can collect. The overall smoother conveying motion of this chain has reduced downed bottles and jams, too, another plus for operators.”