Extrusion advances

Thursday, 25 June 2009

We look at the latest extrusion equipment which can help confectionery manufacturers to offer some unique, high-quality finished products Extrusion can offer an attractive way of producing large quantities of standard quality confectionery products. However, it can also be used to produce unique high quality products, without compromising the plant’s production rate. DFE Meincke strives to help confectionery manufacturers achieve just this, as Kenneth Petersson, development engineer at DFE Meincke A/S told us! “DFE Meincke has always been known for accurate and durable machinery. Our old, as well as new, extrusion machines are based on exactly these two points. Furthermore we always try to build as much flexibility into the equipment as possible. For instance, on our V50 system you can easily switch between extrusion, depositing or wire-cutting, without losing long periods of production time. And you can combine up to three different masses on the same machine, to give you a wide variety of products. “However, to separate yourself from the competition you need more than just reliable machinery and high production rates. What you need are products that are unique in either taste or appearance. It can be difficult to find new varieties of taste and if you insist on pursuing this goal, it can take much time and development to get there. DFE Meincke can offer an easy way to make new and unique products through shape and appearance. In order to achieve this we can not only provide machinery in the traditional sense, but also the necessary know-how in order to come up with new product ideas. We work closely with our customers throughout this process to make sure that they get exactly what they want. “However, new ideas are only the first step to getting a truly unique product. You also need technology to make it happen and this is where DFE Meincke has been pushing the boundaries. New manufacturing technology now allows us to make almost any shape and to put small details inside the products that would be impossible to achieve with conventionally manufactured die plates. Imagine you could have a company logo, a smiley face, or any other shape embedded inside an extruded product. With the help of the new die plate technology this is possible.” The technology is called SLS (selective laser sintering) and it has been used in other industries to make prototype parts. However, with some adaption it can also be used for normal production parts. Basically it allows the company to make more complex geometries and more detailed die plates than is possible from standard milling. ‘Because the extruded products that our customers want are based on the shape of these die plates we can now offer them a whole new set of possibilities. So it goes without saying that at DFE Meincke we expect a lot from this new manufacturing technology,” concludes Kenneth. Extruders for liquorice, fruit twists and sugar pastes A range of extruders for the confectionery industry are available from BCH, including side flow, twin screw, continuous, or batch fed. The extruders are primarily designed to handle liquorice, liquorice allsorts, fruit twist and sugar pastes, but can handle other viscous food pastes and gels too. With the addition of a BCH flow divider, which ensures even weight distribution of products, the company is now also able to extrude caramels, fudge, fondant, gels, fat based products, multi-layered biscuit products and low viscosity fruit extrusions. Other innovations from the company include the liquorice/fruit twist extrusion using up to four colours and four flavours for the confectionery and nutraceutical industries. Also, the 100% fruit extrusion line is a system using a combination of BCH’s large surface area MaxiVap Evaporator technology which is used for long running caramel plants combined with BCH’s liquorice extrusion technology.  The fruit cooking and extrusion system has enabled the company to achieve evaporation of high moisture fruit mixes to typically 85% solids, at which point they have a consistency of a soft dough which can be extruded using BCH extrusion technology. This then enables production of a healthy snack bar using 100% organic fruit ingredients which can be co-extruded in a variety of colours, shapes and different flavours. The latest innovation from BCH is the Micro Liquorice Extrusion line which offers a cost-effective solution for new start-up companies as well as certain developing markets within the Middle East, Africa and Asia who wish to gain a foothold in the sector without committing to a huge initial outlay. BCH expects its new user-friendly and easy-to-install solution to be of interest to niche companies serving smaller segments of the confectionery industry. The new extrusion line presents a viable option for users lacking the large sales volumes to warrant investment in larger, more expensive production lines, and could also offer advantages in test kitchens environments. Latest developments from Pavan Group The latest developments from Pavan Group, for the production of extruded products include the F55 Former-Extruder for the production of pellets from pregelatinised raw materials using interchangeable dies and a cutting group. The mixture is obtained by mixing flours and liquid ingredients in the high-speed premixer. Solid and liquid ingredients are mixed slowly and accurately in the mixer to obtain a homogeneously hydrated and stabilised dough. From the mixing tank onwards the dough can be maintained under vacuum. The dough is brought to the extrusion axis where the product is formed using a compression screw, a cylinder with heating/cooling system, a headpiece and a die to obtain the desired product shape. Finally, the product reaches the headpiece and is cut by a system with rotating blades. The headpiece is hinged in order to ensure accessibility during cleaning operations. The screw is also easy to remove, says the company. Each processing stage is controlled by a PLC and users can interact with the machine using an operator panel installed on the side of the machine. Also new from Pavan Group is the G55 Cooker-Extruder which is designed to extrude and cook a wide range of flours and starches. Thanks to its versatility and to the flexibility of its regulations, which are all automatically controlled by a PLC, the G55 is said to ensure a product with high and consistent quality. The mixture is obtained by mixing flours and liquid ingredients in the high-speed premixer. The mixture rests inside the mixing tank and is then brought to the extrusion axis. The product is cooked and extruded using an extrusion screw with modular sections and a jacketed cylinder with multiple cooking stages with independent regulation of the temperature in each stage. Finally, the product reaches the headpiece and is cut by a system with rotating blades. Each processing stage is controlled by a PLC. The user can interact with the machine using an operator panel installed on machine side. Test facilities Extrufood has recently introduced new test facilities, where recipes and products can be tested, developed and evaluated for texture, bite, taste and shape consistency in a food-grade and confidential environment. Extrucenter offers fully equipped facilities to mix and blend ingredients, pre-heat them and finally extrude them. Different colours and or flavours can be added before or during extrusion, depending on the recipe. Skilled staff are also available. Using the company’s unique twin screw counter rotating cooking lab extruder all kinds of licorice, fruit gum and fruit snacks can be made. The test centre has a lab-size cooling belt and a cutting machine, so samples can be made and cut to size. A twin screw co-and-counter rotating lab extruder is also available – ideal for testing different recipes of chewy candy and chewing gum, fudge and caramel. In combination with the cooking extruder, centre filled products can also be made. The products will get their final shape by going through one of our dies. Standard shape dies are available in the test centre. Tailor-made dies for products can also be made on request. New technology Two years ago Lalesse introduced the new direct drive concept on its single screw extruders – a compact and very high powered drive system. This proved to be successful – making the extruder stronger and offering higher capacities on the extruder. The 90d can reach approximately 200kg/hr, while the 200d can reach to over 350kg/hr. Flavouring is another issue. Lalesse can offer its on-line flavour system, where slurry is made to demand and slurry is not pumped. Clean oil is brought to a small vessel, flavour powder is added and stirred into a fresh slurry. At all times the total quantity of slurry is approx 5 litres, production runs can anything from 5 minutes. Production runs are no longer dependent on the amount of slurry left over and blocking pumps will no longer stop production. Lalesse is currently engaged in tests on adding flavour to the mix, pre-extrusion, prior to the extrusion process. Results are said to be astonishing – not only for taste, but also for bowl life, and in this way a totally fat-free snack can be made. Belt dryers (all indirect heated) or high powered IR dryers featuring the latest in IR technology added to that a good electronic temperature control contribute to the total process. Multi-coloured solutions Delver has developed a new depositor/extruder – the Multishot DEB 4 – for the production of multicoloured solid and filled chocolates, drops and sticks, by managing the simultaneous dosing of 4 different masses. The Multishot DEB 4 is provided with four independent dosing controls that allow the masses to be combined and deposited in any way to achieve an endless variety of new articles. The depositor is equipped with a computerised dosing system that guarantees the synchronisation of the four dosing heads in a range of dosing functions which give the possibility to deposit into both moulds and onto the belt, either by spot or ribbon dosing. Moreover, the special dosing system gives the possibility to perform continuous extrusion, too, in order to obtain chocolate ribbons cut by a fast guillotine in multi-coloured sticks and bars. Easy and quick changeovers are granted by the ability to disassemble and clean the depositor in a very short time, enhancing production flexibility. The Multishot DEB 4 is operated via a touch screen industrial PC with a user friendly graphic interface that makes managing all of its functions easy and intuitive. Flexible extension possibilities OKA can offer two series for extrusion applications. The fully servo controlled machine range OKAMATIK distinguishes between the AK version and the AQ version. Both systems are available with single or double hopper design for simple or co-extrusion. Both models can be up-graded with a third hopper for semi-liquid fillings or toppings in order to expand the possibilities to triple extrusion. The machines are fully jacketed and temperature controlled for confectionery applications. The dosing concept is based on gear pumps giving great advantages compared to piston-extruders or simple roller extruders. The OKA concept is said to assure high weight preciseness, large range of processable viscosities as well as absolutely smooth surfaces of the product. This concept avoids any pulsation of the extruded bars. In most cases a direct rope extrusion can be applied so that slitting and separation of a slab material can be avoided. The AK extruder is designed as a stand-alone, heavy duty and high capacity extruder whereas the AQ extruder is designed as a more flexible unit which can easily be converted to a wire-cutter, depositor or even an encruster. Both extruders are capable of handling confectionery materials with ingredients such as chopped nuts or other solids. Multi-grain extruded chips In order to answer the growing healthy snacks market trends, Clextral has developed technology for the production of whole grain and multi-grain extruded chips. Using the Twin Screw Extrusion (TSE) technology, Clextral can produce a chip rich in wholegrains and fibres and low in fat content. Chips can be produced in different shapes (wavy, square, and triangle), texture and flavours and show visible inclusions. The TSE processing machine consists of two identical co-rotating, intermeshing, self-wiping screw profiles operating within a closed barrel. During extrusion the material is forced to flow under controlled conditions along the length of the extruder barrel and through a shaped opening at a defined throughput. TSE can perform various functions including feeding, conveying, mixing, forming, compression, hydration, heat transfer, shaping and cooking. In the case of the production of multigrain chips, TSE is mainly used to mix, compress, cook and form an extruded product that will be expanded later thanks to post treatment operations. The Twin-Screw extrusion process design for the production of multigrain chips is gentle enough to disperse and protect the visible inclusions, and appropriate to obtain a micro mixing of all the ingredients, the right thermo-mechanical cooking of the food materials and the right dispersion of the water content. It is the perfect dispersion of the melt that allows the production of a homogeneous texture during post treatment operations. Keeping up with market trends Thanks to the constant monitoring of market trends and requirements over the years, Executive realised the growing demand for chewable items and has focused its activities and resources on extrusion and forming technologies for the production of newly developed and high-quality solid and centre filled gum based and chewable products. Delta Line represents a state-of-the-art solution in the extrusion and forming process for sugar and sugar-free gum as well as for chewy candies and toffees. Thanks to the high levels of performance, in terms of speed, efficiency and flexibility, in less then three years 22 complete Delta Lines were supplied to the major producers and multi-national companies in Europe, Americas, Japan, Asia. Tailor-made applications, equipment and control systems have been developed and implemented on stand-alone machines, as well as on complete processing lines, in order to comply with individual customer requirements. In recent years, centre filling in liquid, semi-liquid and powder form has offered added value to any type of product.  Executive’s partnership-philosophy towards its customers has allowed it to introduce and implement extrusion technology with a range of dedicated and innovative equipment for handling any filling solutions. Full-optional units can be connected to the extruder head and synchronised with the line speed, thanks to customisable control and software programs, developed in-house.

 

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