Baking & Snack - September 2019 - 88

MIXING

Mixers are engineered for
durability and flexibility to
support the heavy impact of
producing a variety of doughs.
AMF Bakery Systems

future, and are supported by a team that can help them
make their best products every day," Mr. Cross said.
Bobby Martin, executive product manager, AMF
Bakery Systems, noted the DuraBowl mixer bowl design is engineered to support the heavy impact of bagel
dough production, typically made with a triple roller bar
agitator. The DuraBowl also comes standard with the
sigma blade agitator for cookies, pretzels and bar dough
blending processes.
Shaffer has made several advances to make its systems
more robust. In addition to its VerTech jacket, which
provides efficient cooling with greater bowl strength and
longevity, Mr. Ferree noted that the company has focused on continually improving its frame design for its
mixers to make them more durable.
To handle the stiffer doughs, Peerless strengthened
all components from agitators, shafts, frames, drive systems and bowls to increase the rigidity, reliability and
performance of its mixers. The Peerless KleanVue mixer
comes with a stainless-steel frame composed of round,
precision, laser-cut tubes with a slot-and-tab design to
interlock the pieces into a strong, structural matrix. "To
distribute the physical loads from the drive components,
the frame is designed to directly transmit all drive forces
into the floor rather than through the vertical supports
of the bowl," Mr. Kesig said. "This configuration significantly strengthens the frame, which reduces deflection
and material stresses."

88 Baking & Snack September 2019 / www.bakingandsnack.com

Mr. Kesig added that the KleanVue mixer also isolates
the drive forces from the mixer shaft with a misalignment coupling that extends the life of the gearbox, main
mixer shaft, bearings and seals. The coupling also acts as
a thermal insulator to eliminate heat transfer down the
shaft into the dough.
In addition to outfitting its depositors and injectors with servo-driven motors that use less energy and offer more versatility and greater repeatability, E.T. Oakes switched to an air-purge shaft
seal from a compression seal to enhance its slurry
mixers' long-term performance and prevent leakage out of the bottom of the tank. "The air-purge
shaft allows us to meter in a small amount of
air resulting in a positive pressure in the seal
gland," explained Bob Peck, vice-president of
engineering. "By having positive air pressure,
the batter cannot enter the seal area because
there's a higher pressure keeping the batter out
and eliminating any leakages altogether."
Oakes also offers a new top-cover seal design for this
mixer. The new seal prevents leaks when using highvelocity spray balls during a clean-in-place procedure.
"CIP is a very aggressive form of cleaning, sort of like
a hurricane or tornado of water, so if you have any leak
paths on that seal, it will find its way out," Mr. Peck said.
"Our new seal prevents any of that during sanitation."

Pursuing better options
Many improvements in sanitation, durability and process
controls come from collaborations that lead to innovation.
When great minds think alike, this often leads to problemsolving and reimagining the mixing process.
"AMF collaborates on the product mix and required
dough parameters to determine the best mixer, tools
and dough system for that baker," Mr. Martin said.
"There is no secret other than taking the time to understand the customer's product needs to determine the
best solution. Together, we weigh both cost and value to
achieve a common goal of producing the highest quality
products for consumers."
To determine the proper mixing style, many technical centers combine science with the art of baking to explore multiple mixing options from different tools and
speeds of rotation against such varied ingredients, hydration levels and processing parameters.
For instance, five technologists at VMI's Process
Development Center in France analyze the evolution of the
dough during the mixing process, after mixing and then
again after baking. In January, the company plans to open
its Linxis North America Technology Center in Kansas
City, MO, at the headquarters of VMI North America and
Shick Esteve, both sister companies of Linxis Group.

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Baking & Snack - September 2019

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