Cereal baking and drying belts are widely used in food processing plants around the world. These belts are fitted to vacuum belt dryers, microwave dryers, or hot air dryers depending on the product being conveyed.

The ovens or dryers are used to either dehydrate, bake, or roast the product before it is packaged, which is the final stage of production.

For cereals conveyed for hot air drying, a mesh-type belt is generally used. Our product codes for these belts are:

• PTFE Coated Mesh
  • GM2-95-NA (0.16″ x 0.16″ opening)
  • GM-82-NA (0.08″ x 0.08″ opening)
  • GM-72-NA (0.04″ x 0.04″ opening)

For belts with added strength, we offer our GM2-95-NA with aramid yarns.

The benefit of using an open mesh for cereal baking and drying belts is that it allows air to flow around the belt, providing efficient distribution of air around the product.

Closed Weave Non-Mesh Belts

Non-mesh belts are typically used in processes where products are roasted rather than dehydrated. In this case, we would use the following products:

• PS-36-NA (0.014″ thick)
• PS-68-NA (0.027″ thick)

The continuous service temperatures for these cereal baking and drying belts are 500°F (260°C). The belts can operate at higher temperatures, but the longer they are exposed to these temperatures, the shorter their lifespan will be. We have seen belts operate at 572°F (300°C) for short periods.

Belt Tracking Options

We offer various tracking options for our belts. We can install tracking guides made from square sections, known as PTFE dry gland packings, which are generally 0.20″ x 0.20″ or 0.31″ x 0.31″. Another option is to have eyelets in the edges of the belts, which can be attached to the machine’s chains with springs to aid in driving and tensioning across the belt width. This setup is often seen on Meyer fusing machines.

For more information, you can watch this video.