David Welch, Reading Bakery System’s European Sales Manager, explains how their continuous mixers simplify bakery production with automated precision
How has Reading Bakery Systems designed its continuous mixers to be user-friendly and easy to operate, even for operators with minimal training?
When RBS (Exact Mixing) thinks of user-friendly, we consider three areas – ease of operation, cleaning, and maintenance. We have designed the mixer control systems so the operator only needs to select the recipe and start the system. The controls do all the work after that. They maintain the proper flow of all ingredients, as well as self-diagnostics and interaction with downstream equipment to know when to alter the throughput rate to match line requirements. From a cleaning perspective, the mixer includes a clam-shell design so the operator has easy access to the entire inside of the mixer when cleaning. CIP programming is also possible. Maintenance requires just a few inspections of seals and bearings every 30 to 90 days. After installation, downtime will be less than 1% during the first 5 years of operation. We also monitor the dough temperature and automatically adjust the water and/or cooling jacket on the mixer to maintain a set point. This way, operators do not need to make manual adjustments as the equipment and ingredients change temperature throughout production runs.
Can you explain how your continuous mixers automate the mixing process and what specific features contribute to eliminating the need for manual labour?
Our continuous mixing systems are fully integrated from ingredient metering to dough discharge. This is possible through the use of gravimetric dry feeders, mass flow liquids, and a recipe management system.
The recipe management system allows plant production management to store recipes in the controls. The operator only inputs the throughput goal, selects the proper recipe, and starts the system. Continuous mixers also produce dough at an on-demand rate, which eliminates the need for operators to manually scrape mixer bowls, move dough, or portion dough into downstream processes.
How do your continuous mixers ensure consistent product quality throughout the production day, even during extended operation periods?
When using continuous mixing systems, all parameters are constantly monitored and saved digitally. The data is placed on graphs comparing actual values to set points. When set points and actual values don’t match, the operator is alerted.
Examples of the parameters measured include ingredient stream rates, dough temperature, mixing energy input, throughput, mixer shaft speed, coolant temperatures, starts and stops, ingredient refill status, ingredient totalisers, dough totalisers, and many others.
Continuous mixing systems are fully automated. After recipe set-up, the operator’s only function is to respond to any alarms should a parameter be out of range.
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