A cooking and depositing solution for confectionery companies needing to make hard candy and toffee on a single production line has been developed by Baker Perkins. The line features the new Universal depositor, an addition to the ServoForm
™ family that is setting today’s standards in quality, output and flexibility
Hard candy/toffee flexibility will be welcomed in those parts of the world with a distinct season for these two product types, as well as by manufacturers wishing to diversify.
The Universal depositor optimises outputs of striped, layered and centre filled hard candy, and solid or centre-filled toffee. Two sets of moulds are supplied: aluminium moulds with pin ejection for hard candy and flexible rubber moulds with ejection by deformation of the mould for toffee.
Quick release mould fixings ensure operators can achieve simple changeover between aluminium and rubber mould sets.
The line incorporates a multi-functional Microfilm cooking system. For hard candy, the cooked syrup passes directly to the depositor. For toffee applications, the cooked syrup passes through a ‘Carablend’ unit for caramelisation before depositing. Additional ingredients such as butter, fondant, nuts and flavourings can be blended into the syrup in the Carablend unit.
Refrigerated cooling is provided for toffees.
The ServoForm
™ platform offers greater quality and flexibility than traditional methods such as die forming or cut and wrap. The nature of the process creates complete control throughout the system, leading to extremely high dimensional shape and weight accuracy, negligible scrap rates and efficient wrapping, plus low maintenance and maximum hygiene.
Greater flexibility and process control are created by the adoption of servomotors as standard to control depositor movements on ServoForm
™ depositors. Three axis control is standard, enabling deposit weights and fillings to be changed at the touch of a button, giving the operator complete mastery of the process, including ‘on-the-run’ fine tuning of operation. An optional fourth axis of control is available for the mould lift.
Servos are under the control of a PLC, and a touch-sensitive screen that gives full process visualisation, recipe management, alarm handling and data logging. The system can be integrated with upstream and downstream equipment, or into a SCADA plant supervisory system.
Higher output is another key benefit, achieved by mounting drive components on the machine frame rather than the depositing head. This unique ‘underband’ design reduces the inertia of the head, allowing a higher depositor running speed. It also contributes to improved hygiene and easier maintenance.
The introduction of a totally self-draining hopper ensures an improved product flow, with reduced hopper retention time.
The newly upgraded ‘Microfilm’ confectionery cooker delivers greater product variety, superior quality and higher operational efficiency than traditional cooking methods. These advantages are seeing Microfilms increasingly used for low boilings such as toffee, as well as hard candy.
PLC control is now standard with touch-sensitive HMI screens for operator control. Features include on-screen trending of process parameters that helps operators improve real-time process control, and provides information for trouble-shooting and longer-term process development. Recipe control and system alarm management are included.
Baker Perkins Microfilm cooker and ServoForm
™ depositor systems are the recognised market leaders throughout the world, with over 500 plants at work.
For more information
Go to www.bakerperkinsgroup.com/servoformuniversal
Contact us
Or call our Customer Services on:
+44 1733 283000 fax +44 1733 283008
Email on bpltd@bakerperkinsgroup.com
