Take the Baker Perkins Innovation Centre in Peterborough, UK, for example. As well as product development, customers use Baker Perkins’ Innovation Centre facilities to evaluate process technologies for existing products. This can include converting snacks made with a single-screw extruder, to a twin-screw process. Potential benefits include a wider palette of ingredients, greater throughput, improved quality and increased flexibility.
Companies find that thorough trials, often using their own raw materials, provide a reliable basis for trouble free commissioning of new plant or launch of a new product.
The Innovation Centre is used by customers from all regions of the world who develop high quality end products for their respective marketplaces. It is a secure environment where visitors are assured of total confidentiality.
Extruders
A recently installed SBX Master twin-screw extruder installed in the Innovation Centre widens the selection of potential applications and end product options. The new extruder, with a 250 kg/hour maximum capacity, is ideal for both short runs for initial development purposes, and longer runs to optimise a process and confirm its stability and product quality.
This is a new twin-screw extruder with innovative features that increase flexibility and reduce the cost of ownership.
A range of post-extrusion forming and cutting technologies, including co-extrusion with savoury pastes and creams, can create high-value snacks with an interesting and diverse range of shapes, textures and surface finishes.
The Baker Perkins SBX Master twin-screw extruder is available in a range of outputs between 250 and 2,300 kg/hour of snacks or cereals. It is the basis for extrusion systems making standard direct expanded snacks.
The Baker Perkins modular Snack Master concept means that as a business develops, a line may be extended in stages to broaden the range of products that can be made.
And then Buhler Aeroglide’s new AeroDry SD+ Sanitary Conveyor Dryers allows potato products to be processed at a higher sanitary level.
New Approaches
A complete redesign from the ground up was generated by collaboration with processors worldwide and incorporates numerous sanitary features that allow faster and easier cleaning, reduced cleaning downtime, and significantly reduced risk of cross contamination.
The SD+ option features include one-piece slab roofs and floors that are pitched to one side of the machine to eliminate water pooling; a comprehensive water management system that directs water and other cleaning fluids out of the dryer; minimised flat horizontal surfaces, crevices and other collection points making cleaning easier and faster.
All about Flexibility
Flexibility also relates to the manufacturer being able to meet a customer demand. Take Kiremko’s recent order for a major European French fryer as a perfect example. The ask was a complete French fry line including a substantial two-stage fryer, the latter piece of equipment has been developed by Kiremko’s engineering department and is truly state of the art, incorporating a special cantilevered belt with an exceptional width of 2.4 meters (almost 8 feet) and is suitable for both coated and uncoated French fries, offering flexibility to one of the largest French fry producers in western Europe.
This newly produced Kiremko 2-stage fryer is long and wide. It has a length of 16 meters and a width of up to 2.4 meters, which meets the requirements of the largest producers. By applying acantilevered conveyor belt the maintenance is reduced to a minimum whilst maintaining maximum operational reliability.
From headquarters in the USA and facilities in The Netherlands, Australia and Mexico, Key Technolgy circles the globe with automated process technology and innovations that assure quality, efficiency, and rapid return on investment.
The Walla Walla-based company designs, manufactures and markets process automation systems for food and other industries. This technology integrates automated optical inspection systems, specialised conveyor systems, and processing/preparation systems – all offering enhanced flexibility to the food processor.
