Primary processing belts need to be hard-wearing and highly resistant to casing and flavouring liquids. They should also be low noise, easy to clean and deliver a long service life.
At Ammeraal Beltech, we have belts with all these characteristics and more; belts with high friction and low friction coefficients, with profiled surfaces, with operating angles of up to 40°, able to trough and with the high lateral flexibility to prevent tobacco dust from spilling.
Primary Processing
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Overview
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This infographic is used as a general indicative example only.
Actual factory and process configurations could vary, but our industry experts know them all.
For this process, belts need to be impact-resistant and have the right friction coefficients to keep the dry tobacco blocks in place on the belt surface.
Main challenges
- Dusty circumstances
- Slippage of bales
Solutions
- Ammeraal Beltech fabric belts demonstrate good wear resistance in this application
- Amtel polyester belts provide just the right friction coefficient
Big tobacco blocks are cut into slices by an automated guillotine system. This operation may take place on a belt or it may occur between two belts.
Main challenges
- The blade hits the belt and cuts it, reducing lifetime
- The impact from heavy falling slices disrupts belt performance
Solutions
- Ammeraal Beltech has durable cut-resistant belt surface solutions available
- Impact-resistant belts remain unaffected by such concussive forces
In this step, the slices are taken on incline conveyors to the first DCC (Drum Condition Cylinder). Here the brittle leaves are treated with heat and steam to make them flexible again. Additional fluids (to add flavours) may also be present.
Main challenges
- Delamination of the belt can occur
- Heat can shorten belt lifetime
Solutions
- Amtel belt lamination is not affected by application temperatures or humidity levels
- Amtel belts are temperature resistant
- For incline feeding conveyors Ammeraal Beltech offers special easy to clean profiles
During Green Leaf Processing, NTM (Non-Tobacco Material) has already been manually removed. In Primary Processing, companies are using high-tech scanner equipment for the smallest bits. Detection is based on differences in material structure and colour.
Main challenges
- Discolouration of the belt over time
- Colour mismatch issues
Solutions
- Ammeraal Beltech has colour-fast belts for this application
- Poliflex and Polikleen belts have stable standard colours for different processing requirements
The feeder belt is used to carry the tobacco to the blending silo conveyors.
Main challenges
- Perforated belts can snag and tearÂ
Solutions
- Ammeraal Beltech’s solid-carcass polyester belt won’t tear
The mixing of different types of tobacco according to precise recipes to produce a characteristic, homogeneous blend.
Main challenges
- Tracking issues at the shuttle belt above the silo
- Too much sticking tobacco on the silo belt (chain or drum-driven solution)
- Belt pollution
Solutions
- Ammeraal Beltech Ultrasync products with polyester coating for good tracking properties
- Tobacco proof scraper solutions to face the belt pollution
- Our silo belts for less sticking tobacco
Blended tobacco is cut into fine strands. During this step, a significant amount of tobacco fluids are released from the leaves.
Main challenges
- Tobacco builds up very quickly on the belt
- Tobacco fluids penetrate the belt surface
Solutions
- The Ammeraal Beltech Polikleen Belt resists build-up and absorption
For this application, a proper belting system design is paramount: the belt runs bi-directionally on a rail system.
Main challenges
- Mistracking
Solutions
- A positive drive Ultrasync or Soliflex solution will help prevent mistracking
The final step for Primary Processing is storing the cut tobacco in silos, which can be either drum-driven or chain-driven. All the silos run very slowly and the lifetime of these belts is long (10+ years).
Main challenges
- Tobacco adhering to belt
- Sourcing belts that are wide enough
Solutions
- Impregnated silo belts counteract tobacco build-up
- Solutions for both drum-driven and chain-driven systems come in widths up to 5 m
Throughout Primary Processing, conveyors have tobacco-proof side skirt material (to avoid tobacco ending up between the belt and the conveyor) and curtains (to avoid pollution).
Main challenges
- Single-side coated curtain material can curl
Solutions
- One-ply dual-side coated curtain material will not curl
- Different approved side skirt materialsÂ