Zephyr Horizontal Motion Conveyor

Featuring a patented direct drive with a counterbalance system, the Zephyr horizontal-motion conveyor offers a unique motion profile that gently moves the product with no segregation or stratification and at higher capacities than can be achieved with other horizontal motion conveyors. Zephyr minimizes bounce, which reduces product damage, noise, and loss of seasoning and other coatings to maintain product quality.

Zephyr is ideal for frozen bulk foods like potato products, fruits, vegetables, meat, and poultry, as well as dry products like nuts and cereals. Powered by a unique counterbalanced direct drive, this high-capacity conveyor uses horizontal movement to gently slide and convey the product without bouncing. With virtually no vertical loft, Zephyr reduces product breakage and the loss of coatings such as seasoning, batter, and certain types of oil while limiting system noise to 75 decibels or less. Its self-cleaning horizontal motion reduces the chance of product build-up and the counterweight drive minimizes floor vibration.

Offering up to twice the throughput of other horizontal motion conveyors, Zephyr moves products at rates of up to 12.2 m (40 ft) per minute.

Zephyr features robust construction with a stainless steel conveying bed and drive housing, sanitary grounding arms, long-life bearings, and scalloped flat bars, which together maximize sanitation, ease cleaning, and reduce maintenance. Every aspect of the system uses sanitary design and manufacturing principles. Carbon fiber springs with food-safe coating further improve lifespan and sanitation. Zephyr’s simple drive system is powered by an electric motor with few parts to ease maintenance—no timing setup is required. This horizontal-motion conveyor is available in four finishing standards, offering rotary polished beds, ground and polished welds, and more to meet a variety of different sanitation requirements.

Tailored for each customer application, Zephyr’s bed can be up to 1 m (3.3 ft) wide and, depending on width, up to 7 m (23 ft) long with a product depth of up to 254 mm (10 in.). The drive can be located in any position below the bed to support seamless integration with other equipment in the line. Key can equip Zephyr with a variety of bed options including slide gates for scale feed distribution, a discharge to enhance multi-head weighing or a bias to spread the product when feeding a downstream system. It can also be configured with a stop-start mode for scale feeding or product distribution. Zephyr can accommodate varying product flow rates with ease, maximizing the flexibility of the system to meet a broad array of customer requirements.