Heat and Control advance the understanding of conveying horizontal motion by more than 25 years and three generations of FastBack.

In this respect, Pack Expo International 2022 in Chicago, in October, will see the debut of Heat and Control’s revolutionary horizontal motion conveying technology – FastBack 4.0. The novel machinery is the result of more than ten years of research and development and numerous international patents.

“Investing in continued innovation is at the heart of what we do at Heat and Control. Ensuring high performance that provides results are a priority when we undertake design development such as FastBack 4.0,” Tony Caridis, Heat and Control, Inc. President said.

FastBack 4.0 retains all the benefits FastBacks are famous for and includes instant reversing capability, trouble-free – no preventive maintenance, no lubrication, no flexures, no linear bearings, no bushings, the longest design life, high-pressure washdown capability, fewer moving parts (by 70%), easy maintenance – only two wrench sizes needed for all operations – 13mm and 17mm, and a small footprint for both ease of installation and ease of sanitation.

The Circular to Linear Drive Conveyor

A new approach to horizontal motion conveying, FastBack 4.0 is a circular to linear drive conveyor. A rotational (circular) drive motion that results in a horizontal (linear) motion is a crucial design element. The circular-to-linear drive efficiency supports the pan’s vertical weight in addition to converting rotational motion into pure horizontal motion. This design innovation has obtained numerous international patents and possesses capabilities not found in any other design.

“One of the things that people notice when they see the new FastBack 4.0 for the first time is its beautiful simplicity. The team was able to expand in every way on the hallmark benefits of the FastBack product line while making it extremely simple to use, operate, and own. We believe this will set new benchmarks for 2022 and beyond,” Blake Svejkovsky, Heat and Control, Inc General Manager – Product Handling Systems added.

Heat and Control partnered with the world’s top industrial bearing manufacturer SKF (AB SKF) to help make FastBack 4.0 a reality. A precise and customized application that achieves the objective of revolutionizing the horizontal motion conveyor category is the result of the development partnership. With its extensive industrial network, SKF is also able to achieve growth goals globally, supporting the Heat and Control vision.

The FastBack 4.0 is smaller and thinner to fit in a wide variety of locations, reverses instantly giving more control over product handling, and has an ultra-quiet 70db range. There are no pinch points or moving arms to cover and protect which further improves the working environment. FastBack 4.0 provides higher travel rates than any other horizontal motion conveyor.

“The design process focused on improving sanitary conveying, regardless of if we were comparing against vibratory or other horizontal motion conveyors, we wanted 4.0 to set a whole new standard,” said Blake Svejkovsky.

Easier to Own

When it comes to the operational design goals of FastBack 4.0, special attention was given to making it easier to own, removing the pain points that production line managers and operators face regularly when it comes to maintenance, cleaning, and performance.

“Feedback we receive from plant managers and operators is often about needing to reduce downtime and this aligned with our goal of designing the perfect system, one that becomes the best student and not a troublemaker, offering the highest level of operability with the lowest level of effort,” said Blake Svejkovsky.

The product will be launched with the FastBack 4.0 (100) version which is intended for weigher feeders and other applications where a FastBack 90E would have been used. The FastBack 4.0 (100) is the first of future releases of FastBack 4.0 drive design and capacity options/sizes are coming soon.

Since its introduction in 1995, FastBack conveyors have brought unmatched benefits to the food processing markets – near zero breakage and product damage, no loss of coatings or seasonings, greatly reduced sanitation and associated downtime, quiet, smooth, and trouble-free operation proved with thousands of units for years of operation. Because of these benefits, FastBack is recognized as the number one brand in horizontal motion conveying with the highest resale value and the largest market share.