Fewer breakdowns and rejects in confectionery conveyor system

What was needed: Surface coating to reduce adhesion on the transition plate of the conveyor belt

Requirements: Suitable for food contact, high resistance to abrasion/wear, very good coefficient of friction, chemical resistance

Industries: Packaging sector, food industry

Success for the customer: Ever since the sliding plate has been coated with iglidur IC-05, intermediate cleaning and conveyor belt stops are no longer necessary. The food-compliant material proves to be absolutely resistant to scratches and abrasion, even after months of 24/5 operation and regular contact with cleaning agents. The customer benefits from significantly more reliable process control and less waste.

In one of our customer's conveyor systems for confectionery, it didn't take long for product residues to accumulate on the sliding plate, which serves as a transition surface between conveyor belts on the turning unit. The accumulated deposits increased the coefficient of friction to such an extent that the product transfer became uneven and there was an increase in malfunctions.

To maintain the system's functionality, regular intermediate cleaning cycles of around ten minutes every one to two hours were required. These cleaning cycles caused recurring downtimes and impaired the efficiency of the entire production process.

To solve the problem, the company was therefore looking for a food-safe, abrasion-resistant coating with the best non-stick specifications. During a customer visit, our sales engineer heard about the problem and took a sample plate with him to find a solution.

At igus, iglidur powder coating IC-05 was applied to the sample plate; it was tested and then handed over to the customer for their own evaluation.

The IC-05 material conforms to FDA and EU 10/2011 and has been tested for harmful PFAS. It produces a homogeneous, closed surface with a very low coefficient of friction, which significantly reduces product adhesion. At the same time, the material has high abrasion resistance and withstands chemical cleaning agents. This means that it can be cleaned with standard mechanical and chemical processes without the surface getting damaged.

The coated sliding plate was installed as part of an upgrade to the conveyor belt in the summer of 2025. Since then, it has been used in 24/5 operation and the result is extremely satisfactory: the intermediate cleaning required due to product accumulations and the associated downtimes are no longer necessary. Cleaning as part of the daily hygiene shift is sufficient and the coating withstands this without any problems. Product transfer at the system's turning unit has improved significantly and there is less waste.