< Previous30 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net MIXING AND BLENDING F rom a glance, much of the equipment and machinery utilised in food plants looks similar. Yet drilling down into these processes, one can see the complex array of machines needed for different products. This is perhaps most keenly seen when it comes to mixing and blending. Mixing dry goods together, for example, requires different speeds and machinery from what’s required when mixing wet or viscous ingredients together. Understanding the difference – and installing the right equipment accordingly – is vital to process optimisation. Industrial blenders introduce different amounts of energy and high shear and high impact blending systems, all of which can have an effect on a product’s particle size, influencing consistency and texture. This is advantageous for emulsification, powders and thickeners. The latter is especially useful as stabilising and thickening agents are crucial to the end texture and quality of many products – such as salad dressings, gummy confectionery, syrups and ice creams. But incorporating these gums into a product mix can cause problems during the manufacturing process, and they can be difficult to disperse and hydrate correctly and efficiently. When added to water, most gums form agglomerates which conventional agitators struggle to rapidly break down. But by using high shear equipment, manufacturers can avoid these agglomerates from forming and achieve the desired texture, consistency and mouth feel of their products. Industrial blenders aren’t suited to every application and, in some cases, can be of detriment to a product rather than beneficial. Other options include ribbon blenders which boast dual action ribbon-shaped agitators which creates 32 Á Mixing and blending are responsible for everything from texturizing and emulsification to incorporating powders, flakes and pellets into food products. Yet selecting the right option is paramount for process optimisation. Mixing things up 30-33.qxp_Layout 1 28/03/2022 15:51 Page 1Food & Drink International 31 www.fdiforum.net MIXING AND BLENDING © stock.adobe.com/Sergey Bogomyako 30-33.qxp_Layout 1 28/03/2022 15:51 Page 232 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net MIXING AND BLENDING an intimate blend in a short cycle time. Thanks to the nature of this mixer, it’s ideally suited for powder blending applications where thoroughly incorporating products together is paramount. For blends requiring a gentler mixing action, there’s paddle, tumble and vertical blenders. The latter is ideal for a product that is shear sensitive, or where process parameters are critical. The blending action is gentler than the agitators seen in the ribbon blender, so for loose mixers and those of a more delicate nature, this is a better fit. Tumble blending is a rotating mixing machine that, as one can deduce, mixes through a tumbling rotating action. These machines come in a variety of styles depending on the requirements, from intermediate bulk container blender, the V-shaped blender and the double-cone configuration. Agitation is often conflated to mean all types of mixing processes, but this is an oversight, eclipsing the purpose of agitation in food processing. Agitators ensure the mixing process achieves a homogenous mix faster. Given that there’s dozens of different kinds of products that require this specific kind of mixing, it’s no surprise that there are different kinds of agitators. From low shear to high shear, agitators can be used to mix, disperse and emulsify making them common on production lines. As we’ve already explored, ensuring the correct mixer or blender is in place Winkworth strengthens team with new appointments Winkworth, the designer and manufacturer of industrial mixing and blending machinery, has strengthened its team with the appointments of Callum Lindsay as design/project engineer, and Kyle Hillman as a quality controller/health & safety assistant. Both positions are based at the firm’s Basingstoke premises. Callum joins Winkworth having started his career as a designer allied to automotive, aerospace and motorsport industries. In his role, he will be responsible for progressing projects from inception to the finished product, overseeing the design and manufacture, as well as customer liaison. He also has engineering responsibility for ATEX compliance. Kyle joins Winkworth with an aerospace background, having served his time at GE Aviation as a sheetmetal worker, before becoming an inspector. At Winkworth Kyle will be responsible for establishing robust inspection regimes and controls, to aid in-house manufacture and the development of key suppliers, as well as supporting the management of health and safety. For further information on Winkworth, visit www.mixer.co.uk, call +44 (0)1256 305 600 or email info@mixer.co.uk. L-R: Callum Lindsay and Kyle Hillman © stock.adobe.com/Vladimir Gerasimov 30-33.qxp_Layout 1 28/03/2022 15:51 Page 3Food & Drink International 33 www.fdiforum.net MIXING AND BLENDING can result in huge efficiency and process optimisation gains. This can be taken further still. With continuous mixing and blending, a manufacturer can meet the demand for ever more efficient processes and increase batch throughput. This can be accomplished by using several mixing receptables arranged in such a way that a batch is always being worked on at any given time. However, opting for multiple off- the-shelf options might have the opposite effect and compromise efficiency rather than enabling it. For that reason, manufacturers might be better off opting for a bespoke approach. This equipment is built to exacting customer standards and optimise specific individual processes, meaning they’re purpose-built to a manufacturer’s unique needs. With the growing number of food and drink manufacturers moving towards more specialised optimised processes to maximise quality and minimise cost, no doubt these bespoke options will become more popular still. Whatever the processing capabilities of mixing and blending equipment, one issue still remains – hygiene. Without a thorough washdown and sanitation routine in place between batches, mixers and blenders become a major health risk. When high viscosity food ingredients are mixed together, ingredients closest the vessel walls tend to move slower which affects the overall efficiency of the mixing process. Scrapers are purposefully designed to come into contact with the vessel walls to scrape away sticky ingredients and incorporate them back into the mix. But some particles can become embedded in the scraper itself, creating abrasion on the vessel walls which leads to wear. Ingredients can also collect on the scraper arm, where they can contaminate the next batch. This is just one example, highlighting the wider need for mixing and blenders to be regularly and thoroughly cleaned between batches. This does result in periods of downtime, which can be avoided if a company embraced continuous mixing operations, as outlined previously. Innovation never sleeps for food processing, and updates in mixing and blending technologies offer food manufacturers the chance to regularly evaluate and update their processes which, in turn, helps boost efficiency, process optimisation and improve product consistency. © stock.adobe.com/Renar The right mix Developing a liquid mixing process requires specialist expertise, whether manual or automatic in operation. Factors such as solids suspension, distribution and shear sensitivity determine the type of agitation, blending, or mixing required. Positioning of the mixer, access, temperature control and CIP requirements must be considered, along with risk assessments at the design stage to ensure compliance with directives such as PED or ATEX. Axium Process specialises in all aspects of liquid processing, including the development and design of hygienic mixing vessels and processing skids, from a simple blending skid up to a full-scale automatic PLC controlled mixing system. In-house operations include welding, fabrication, mechanical and electro- polishing, with quality control at all stages in compliance with EHEDG and ASME BPE guidelines. Axium provides full traceability dossiers which can include materials certification, borescope direct view and video record, welder qualifications, weld maps, logs, dye penetrant, pressure testing, ferroxyl testing, TSE certification and Approvals. As a leading UK based Hygienic Engineering company, Axium Process specialises in hygienic process systems and precision fabrications, offering a complete engineering service that encompasses Stainless Steel, Hastelloy, and Aluminium alloys. For more information visit www.axiumprocess.com 30-33.qxp_Layout 1 28/03/2022 15:51 Page 434 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net GEARS, DRIVES AND CONTROLS Driving progress Driving progress 34-39.qxp_Layout 1 28/03/2022 15:58 Page 1Food & Drink International 35 www.fdiforum.net GEARS, DRIVES AND CONTROLS A s automation becomes ever more widespread in the food industry, so too do hygiene standards increase, necessitating a more rigorous and thorough washdown. Although this is applicable across the supply chain, it is keenly felt where those gearboxes that come into direct contact with food are concerned. Entire lines of gear assembly – such as speed reducers, open gearing, couplings and shafts – are now commonplace, and are used for everything from pumping and agitating to feeding, filling and packing. Yet it’s beverage and confectionary production where gears are most extensively used. Where the former is concerned, speed reducers are critical for the bottling and packaging of bottlers while confectionery manufacturers utilise speed reducers in conveyors, mixers and a myriad of other equipment. Indeed, market analysis confirms that, alongside steel, the food and drink industry is one of the key drivers of the industrial gearbox market. Global supply chain disruptions during 2020 led to increased demand in 2021, but we are currently experiencing a levelling out of the market. There’s a lot for food and drink manufacturers to consider when it comes to gears and drives – from meeting strict hygiene regulations to ensuring parts are made exclusively from non-corrosive food grade materials. Food and Drink International explores. 36 Á 34-39.qxp_Layout 1 28/03/2022 15:58 Page 236 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net GEARS, DRIVES AND CONTROLS © stock.adobe.com/boitano Tel: +44 (0)1707 331111 info@welwyntoolgroup.co.uk www.welwyntoolgroup.co.uk Hot Air delivered direct to the point of application HOTWINDMISTRALVULCAN However, according to Plant Engineering, there is an expected renewal of uncertainty regarding economic growth, leading to a lower market growth rate in 2023. Regardless of this dip in growth, it’s no exaggeration to say that there is an incredible number of drives and gearboxes within the food industry. This proliferation presents a key challenge to manufacturers – gearboxes have to be not only robust enough to withstand regular intensive cleaning cycles, but must be corrosion and rust proof, and be designed to have as few holes and openings that could enable microbial growth as possible. Therefore, any exterior components of the gearbox must be made of food-grade materials, either high quality stainless steel or synthetic plastic gears and casing and be filled with food-grade lubricants. This helps to avoid not only corrosion, but the contamination of food and drink products. Hygiene, like innovation, is never still. Regulations will change and develop and food manufacturers must adapt their equipment accordingly in order to meet these changes. Given what we’ve 34-39.qxp_Layout 1 28/03/2022 15:58 Page 3Food & Drink International 37 www.fdiforum.net GEARS, DRIVES AND CONTROLS Our extensive product range includes: Innovative, system-compatible air heaters Powerful, robust blowers Compact, flexible hot-air blowers Comprehensive range of accessories 3 Heat output & air volume steplessly adjustable with potentiometers 3 Integrated temperature controls 3 Integrated temperature probes 3 Protection against heating elements or devices overheating 3 Brushless power motors 3 Integrated power electronics already touched on, it’s no surprise that those areas in plants where drive systems are found are also often the areas that have the most stringent hygiene and sanitation requirements owing to their proximity to the food or drink product being manufactured. Not only does this equipment need to be made of robust materials that provide water resistance and rust prevention but must also need to be resistant to cleaning agents and disinfectants. There’s a whole host of extremes that equipment can be exposed to when it comes to cleaning, from caustic washdown solutions to high-pressure hot water. Indeed, for sanitary machines high heat resistance is a must as steam sterilisation is required after a high heat cleaning. Moreover, equipment can be exposed to and affected by process by-products during production, such as sugar, seasonings and brine, among others. Therefore, it’s critical that manufacturers do not try and buy cheap. It’s a false economy and what may be cheap in the short term can 38 Á 34-39.qxp_Layout 1 28/03/2022 15:58 Page 438 Food & Drink International www.fdiforum.net GEARS, DRIVES AND CONTROLS result in costly repairs and replacement parts as those inside corrode. Fortunately, there are many expert suppliers out there that can connect you with gears and drives that perfectly meet the needs of your plant. With all the above in mind, it’s interesting to note the many common causes of premature drive failure. By understanding the ways in which this can occur, manufacturers are better equipped to avoid these pitfalls and ensure longevity in their equipment. According to industry research from Technidrive, these failures are: motor failure due to water ingress; gear unit seal deterioration as a primary failure resulting in lubricant leakage and subsequent gear unit failure; gear unit shaft corrosion inducing seal wear and lubricant leakage causing either gear component or bearing failure; motor burn out due to overload; motor burn out due to phase loss; and motor or gear unit bearing failure due to external loading. The research also notes that, as well as the aforementioned, issues with corrosion and contamination cause significant maintenance issues. There’s an incredible demand on gearboxes and drives. They must be made from materials that can withstand heat, high pressure, whilst being quick and easy to clean, corrosion and rust resistant and be safe for use in contact with food. It’s no wonder that manufacturers run into trouble by selecting subpar equipment or, as in some cases, the wrong equipment for what they need. However, any supplier worth their salt will guide you through all the ins and outs, ensuring that your specifications are met and you remain compliant with the latest hygiene regulations. © stock.adobe.com/DedMityay 34-39.qxp_Layout 1 28/03/2022 15:58 Page 5Shady Lane, Great Barr, Birmingham, B44 9EU England Tel: +44 (0)121 360 0155 Fax: +44 (0)121 325 1079 For all your Power Transmission Solutions • Roller Chain • Gears & Sprockets • Timing Belt Drives • Clamping Elements • Inverted Tooth Chain • Inverted Tooth Sprockets • Sealmaster Bearings • Shaft Couplings • Freewheel Clutches • Torque Limiters • Overload Clutches • Sheargard Clutches The Driving Force In Power Transmission sales@crossmorse.com www.crossmorse.com Power Transmission Solutions Cross+Morse is a Birmingham-based manufacturer of power transmission products and solutions with over 100 years of history. The company operate in a 5000m 2 fully integrated factory with a dedicated and loyal staff who have amassed a depth of technical expertise and engineering experience over their many years of continued service. Innovation is highly valued at Cross+Morse, which is why the company constantly invests in new machinery and technology as well as training programmes and apprenticeships to maintain the highest standards of quality and service it is well known for. With its in-house team of application and design engineers at your disposal Cross+Morse can provide bespoke technical solutions to your power transmission problems in the most cost-effective way. Cross+Morse have a comprehensive line of corrosion resistant power transmission products. These products are engineered to perform in corrosive and contaminated environments and to help extend the life of the product and cut down on nuisance maintenance. Cross+Morse offer the following products which are suitable for washdown environments:- Stainless steel roller chain and attachments, Stainless steel sprockets, taper bushes, shaft clamping elements, McGill ® cam followers, Sealmaster ® bearings and gearboxes. Chain and attachments also available with nickel plating and aquaproof. Cross+Morse are certified to ISO 9001:2015 and have been for over 20 years. To find out more, visit www.crossmorse.com, email sales@crossmorse.com, or call +44 (0)121 360 0155. Cross+Morse – serving the industry for a century Food & Drink International 39 www.fdiforum.net GEARS, DRIVES AND CONTROLS 34-39.qxp_Layout 1 28/03/2022 15:58 Page 6Next >