Brian Vernet

High Shear Mixing Technology for Mayonnaise Production

Application Notes & Case Studies /

The Quadro Ytron® Jet Mixer configured with our bypass dispersion assembly is ideally suited to the first step of mayonnaise preparation with the ability to disperse powders or liquid ingredients sub-surface in the pre-mix. Sub-surface dispersion through the Jet Mixer head prevents powder lumps and agglomerates from forming, while also creating a uniform distribution of course oil droplets for the next step of processing. A uniform distribution in the pre-mix improves the reliability of droplet size reduction in the emulsifier while producing a more consistent stability in the mayonnaise.

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Tomato Paste Lift & Seal Tote & Drum Discharger

Application Notes & Case Studies /

Customer replaced two (2) existing tomato paste container dischargers with robust sanitary units designed to be washed down. The units utilized integrated hydraulic pumps to help minimize equipment on the floor. The dischargers were engineered to work with an existing platform and tanks. The customer also had specialty tomato paste in fiber drums, so they tasked NBE to design a special fixture to insert into the container discharger to handle four drums at a time.

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Size Reduction of Dates Eight-Times Faster with Screen Classifying Cutter

Application Notes & Case Studies /

Unlike a hammer mill in which a series of hammers strike and break the material until it passes through a bed screen, the screen classifying cutter employs re-sharpenable solid stainless steel cutter blocks that are welded without seams in a staggered array, and cut against two bed knives — one on the upswing, one on the downswing. With the variable speed motor, the plant can run the cutter at 1,500 rpm to produce particles down to 1/16 in. (1.6 mm), or at 1,200 rpm for particles down to 3/16 in.

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Vibratory Screeners Keep Dessert Toppings in Shape

Application Notes & Case Studies /

The customer uses two 40 in. (1016 mm) diameter screeners, which are positioned at the sifting station near the end of each production line. The sprinkles emerge from an area called the panning room where they are shaped and coated. Each stainless steel, food-grade screener has two vibratory decks: a top deck with a 6-mesh (3350 micron) screen and a bottom deck with a smaller-aperture 14-mesh (1310 micron) screen to yield sprinkles within a defined size range. A chute automatically feeds the sprinkles into the center of the top screen on each unit. The vibratory action of the screener moves the sprinkles from the center toward the edge of each deck. Oversized sprinkles move in controlled pathways to a discharge spout at the periphery of the top screen.

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Off-Spec Chocolate Bars Reworked Using Vibratory Screener

Application Notes & Case Studies /

In two production lines, the blend of molten chocolate and solid particles is then fed through double wall piping into the center inlet of one screener dedicated to dark chocolate, or the other dedicated to white chocolate. Imbalanced weight gyratory motors impart multi-plane inertial vibration, which accelerates the rate at which molten chocolate passes through 1020 µm (17-mesh) apertures in the screen, and the rate at which solid particles travel across the screen and exit through a discharge spout at the screen’s periphery. Molten chocolate passes through the screen in less than one minute and cools by no more than 0.5°C (0.9ºF), preventing it from solidifying. Vibration starts automatically when the pump feeds the screener, and runs for a pre-set time once the pump has stopped. Each screener can handle 150 kg (330 lb) per hour.

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Feeding, Conveying and Extrusion in Confectionery and Chocolate Manufacture

Application Notes & Case Studies /

Coperion K-Tron’s highly accurate feeders and pneumatic conveying systems are used for transfer, weighing and feeding to batch cookers and/or mixers. In addition, Coperion provides food components that fulfill highest demands in hygiene, ease of cleaning and gentle product handling. This equipment, in combination with Coperion’s high efficiency twin screw extruders, is used for the production of a variety of products including caramel and chocolate, licorice and various filled candies. Innovations in both material handling and extrusion for confectionery manufacture are an integral part of the overall Coperion systems solution.

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Major Ingredient Transfer and Weighing for Snack Food Processing

Application Notes & Case Studies /

The manufacture of baked snack foods generally requires various ingredients to be transferred to mixing and extrusion processes. Depending on the percentage of each ingredient in the blend, materials are usually categorized as majors, minors and micros. In many cases, the transfer and weighing of these majors, minors, and micros can be a manual and tedious process. When increased production demand and lack of overall process efficiency caused a manufacturer of baked snack foods to switch from a manual to a more automated process, they approached the Coperion K-Tron Process Group for help.

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Low Profile Bulk Bag Discharger for Whole Bean Roast Coffee

Application Notes & Case Studies /

Customer only had a 13.5’ available height in their building to unload their bulk bags of whole coffee beans. They also had to transfer a specific batch weight of beans to their downstream mixer. We supplied a Low Profile Frame along with a Low Profile Bag Hanger with Chain Reservoir to fit within the available space. The Discharger included a Load Cell Package to integrate with the customer’s mixer scale to provide the required batch weight to their mixer.

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High Volume Coffee Bean Discharging System

Application Notes & Case Studies /

High volume bulk bag discharging system. The transfer rate is 66,000 lbs/hour for each set of (3) bulk bag dischargers. High speed hoist are integrated to minimize bulk bag travel time from the loading position to the unloading position. The operator can control the hoist from ground level and on the operator access platform. Hoppers are provided as a buffer during a bulk bag change over. The hoppers discharge into the customer supplied rotary air lock and pneumatic conveying system. An operator platform with access stairs is included with each set of (3) dischargers.

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Bagging Systems for Whole Bean and Ground Coffee

Application Notes & Case Studies /

Customer needed a versatile bagging system that could be easily operated and handle multiple types of coffee. The roasting facility had equipment on 2 different floors, the roasting process happened on the top floor. The second floor housed all of the bagging equipment. Once the coffee was roasted it was feed into work bins to prepare a batch for loading into the baggers. A vacuum suction loading hopper was provided to allow operators to easily fill the hoppers without handling the coffee or dumping by hand. Initially, only two bagging stations were purchased in 2006 and an additional coffee bagging station was provided in 2015 to keep up with growing demand

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