The new, direct-drive GEA A-Tec and GEA E-Tec spiral freezers and coolers from GEA Refrigeration Technologies are especially designed for sensitive food. They feature the Intralox Direct Drive System, in which the Acetal conveyor belts are directly geared to the drive drum. The new direct-drive systems will primarily benefit the manufacturers of deep-fried, breaded, and sugar-glazed products. This advantage arises from the fact that, with conventional spiral freezers (i.e., low-tension freezers), it is possible for sugar or fat to drip and decrease the friction between the drum and the conveyor belt – which can lead to jerking.

Direct-drive systems are not affected by this problem, so that the running conveyor runs flat without tension variations, the food during cooling or freezing remains in place on the conveyor belt, and no deformations can occur because of a change in position. The gentle transport offers additional benefits: for example, baked goods or packaged prepared meals can be exactly positioned on the belt at high density, since their position on the belt does not change. The low-tension freezers and coolers offer output up to 7 tons per hour, depending on the product to be processed. The direct drive system is seamlessly integrated in the GEA spiral series with a top drive outside the enclosure with the GEA A-Tec series, and a bottom drive inside the enclosure in the GEA E-Tec series.