Success stories
How to eliminate downtime due to loss of traction on conveyors without disassembly and without water
Project description
One of the main meat preparation companies in Spain was facing a recurring and critical problem in its production line related to the cleanliness of industrial conveyors.
Original situation:
Challenges posed by the client:
During normal operation of the line of one of the main meat preparation companies in Spain, there was a progressive accumulation of dirt on the inside face of the conveyor belts.
This dirt generated a loss of traction between the belt and the rollers. As a consequence:
- The rollers were slipping.
- The conveyor was not advancing correctly.
- Unplanned stoppages and loss of productive rhythm occurred, affecting the entire chain.
According to the company’s existing cleaning method, when the problem reached a critical point, the only method available was:
- Stop the line.
- Completely disassemble the conveyor.
- Manual cleaning by means of pressure washers.
This process involved:
- High intervention time.
- High labor cost.
- Operational and safety risks.
- Direct loss of production.
The client established several fundamental conditions for any solution:
- Preventive, not reactive solution.
- Cleaning was to be carried out periodically and automatically.
- No need to disassemble the conveyor.
- Prohibition of the use of water. Sensitive electrical components were located in the immediate vicinity of the conveyor. The use of water posed an unacceptable risk to safety, plant reliability and regulatory compliance.
Proposed solution:
Customized steam solution developed by Giconmes.
Proposed solution:
The solution was based on the installation of a Brushless device, combined with a custom-designed anchoring tool for this particular conveyor.
The system allows that, during the established cleaning frequencies:
- Operators can easily untension the conveyor.
- The Brushless device is positioned by means of the specific anchorages, without the need to disassemble the belt.
- The equipment acts directly on the inside face of the conveyor, a critical area where dirt accumulated and traction was lost.
This design guarantees a homogeneous and thorough cleaning, restoring the conveyor to its optimum operating conditions.
Dry steam cleaning: no water, no risk
The Brushless system is powered by a 20 kW RGV20 20 kW RGV20 steam generator, which provides key advantages:
- Use of dry steam, completely avoiding the use of liquid water.
- Effective removal of: encrusted dirt, grease and organic residues.
- Sanitizing effect, improving the hygienic conditions of the conveyor.
- Full compatibility with environments where sensitive electrical components are present, with no risk to the installation.
Clean waste management
During the cleaning process, the dirt released from inside the conveyor is immediately collected by a water-air industrial vacuum cleaner.
This avoids:
- Recontaminations.
- Accumulations in the environment.
- Subsequent manual cleaning interventions.
Benefits obtained
- Elimination of unplanned stops due to loss of traction.
- Preventive cleaning without disassembling the conveyor.
- Drastic reduction of maintenance time and cost.
- Increased safety for operators and electrical installations.
- Improved production rate and line stability.
- Solution fully integrated into existing cleaning protocols.
Technology used:
- Brushless cleaning device, installed by means of a custom-designed anchoring tool, which allows to act directly on the inside face of the conveyor without disassembling the belt.
- RGV20 20 kW steam generator, which powers the Brushless system with dry steam, eliminating the use of liquid water and ensuring compatibility with environments with sensitive electrical components.
- Industrial water-air suction system, responsible for the immediate collection of the detached dirt, avoiding recontaminations, accumulations in the environment and subsequent manual cleaning tasks.
CHALLENGES
We meet customer requirements
Steam solution for cleaning industrial conveyors in one of the main meat preparation companies in Spain. We achieved the following results:
Elimination of unplanned stops. Thanks to a preventive and periodic cleaning of the inside face of the belt, the accumulation of dirt responsible for the loss of traction is eliminated, avoiding roller slippage and unplanned interruptions of the production line.
Effective cleaning without disassembly or water. The system allows to act directly on the critical area of the conveyor without disassembling the belt and without using water, by means of dry steam, guaranteeing a homogeneous cleaning even in environments with sensitive electrical components.
Easy integration into daily operations. The solution integrates into existing cleaning protocols, allowing operators to untension the conveyor, install the Brushless device and complete the cleaning cycle quickly, safely and repeatably, without complex processes or long intervention times.
Increased safety, hygiene and process stability. The use of dry steam provides a sanitizing effect, eliminates grease and organic residues, reduces electrical hazards and improves hygienic conditions, increasing operational stability and reducing maintenance costs.
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There are no emissions beyond those produced during the electricity production process. Consequently, emissions can be neutral depending on the electricity mix. Electric steam boilers are the present and the future.
Absolutely. In fact, it is recommended to achieve maximum efficiency. There is no problem with remote control as long as it complies with current regulations.
A steam generator is a pressure vessel that, together with the piping network, is subject to regulatory control and complementary technical instructions, according to the regulations published in Royal Decree 809/2021, of September 21. Maintenance is divided into a part that can be easily fulfilled by the owner:
- Know and apply the manufacturer’s instructions regarding use, safety measures, and maintenance.
- Not to put the installation into service or prevent the operation of pressure equipment if the requirements of the Regulation are not met.
- Having at least the following documentation for the pressure equipment while they are installed: Declaration of conformity, manufacturer’s instructions (if applicable), and, if necessary, installation certificate, along with other supporting documentation (such as installation project, record of the last periodic inspection, certifications of equipment repairs or modifications, and any other documentation required by the relevant technical instruction complementary to this regulation). For detailed contents, refer to Annex IV of the regulation. Making this documentation available to the competent authority of the autonomous community and the companies responsible for maintenance, repair, or periodic inspections.
- Use the pressure equipment within its intended operating limits as specified by the manufacturer and take it out of service if it no longer meets the necessary safety requirements.
- Perform maintenance on the installations, pressure equipment, safety accessories, and control devices in accordance with the operating conditions and manufacturer’s instructions, and examine them at least once a year.
- Arranging for the necessary periodic inspections as required by Article 6 of the regulation.
- Having and maintaining an up-to-date record of pressure equipment categories I to IV, as defined in RD 709/2015, of July 24, or equipment similar to these categories according to Article 3.2 of the regulation, as well as their installations.
It is known that by applying heat to water, it transforms into steam at the boiling point and atmospheric pressure. From there, depending on the required saturation degree of steam for its proper application, we need to increase the pressure to obtain a higher temperature. To change the temperature and saturation degree of steam, we always need to modify the pressure.
It is a unit of pressure equivalent to 1 kg/cm2, 0.98 atmospheres, or 14.50 PSI.
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