The food manufacturing industry utilizes different types of equipment to streamline the production process. In addition to food crumblers and rotary crushers, tumbling drums and vibratory screeners provide an efficient means to process different grades of food. While there are other types of machinery used within this industry, these are some of the more popular.
Food Crumblers
Food crumblers are used to reduce the size of various types of materials, and are able to produce either a coarse or a fine-ground product. They can be used for milling grain into flour and similar types of products. Food crumblers may also be used for creating food pellets and other types of pet food. In addition to working with dry substances, they can also be used to process liquid products such as cooking oil.
Rotary Crushers
Rotary crushers are designed to reduce the size of wet or dry materials. In addition to food processing, these machines are used for recycling. In general, rotary crushers have shaft impactors which exert a considerable amount of force. It’s important to note that these machines can be calibrated to provide a specific reduction in size. The ratio for this can range between 10:1 and 25:1.
Rotary speeds do vary, and can be set at 85 rotations per minute to 1,200 rotations per minute. The current models can also be customized to include different sets of hammers. Due to these modifications, a variety of materials can be worked on by these machines.
Tumbling Drums
There are different types of tumbling drums that are used to process dry and wet materials. The horizontal octagonal barrel, for example, is used almost all of the time for dry tumbling. Sometimes, these barrels have a metal skin and a hardwood lining. One of the benefits of this is that the hardwood lining can be replaced if needed. The standard size of these barrels is 30 inches in diameter by 36 inches or 42 inches in length.
The most popular barrel dimensions, however, are 18 inches to 36 inches in diameter and 18 inches to 42 inches in length. When using a horizontal barrel, the speeds will vary from 20 rotations per minute to 38 rotations per minute. The speed chosen will depend on the types of items that will be tumbled as well as the size of the barrel. Dry tumbling barrel speeds are usually maintained at 28 rotations per minute to 32 rotations per minute.
One-third of the barrel’s load will usually consist of parts. When loading a barrel, the size, shape, and weight of the parts is important to consider. Whether or not the parts are fragile is also of concern along with the desired end result. The amount of time it takes to tumble a product will vary between six to 24 hours. This will depend on how much material needs to be removed from the parts.
Wet tumbling requires a specific ratio of parts to media. In this instance, the barrel load height shouldn’t be at less than 45% or greater than 60% capacity. If the load height is between 40% and 45%, this will usually produce a poorer finish. The optimum load height is considered to be 50%. There should be roughly three parts media to one of parts, which keeps the parts from striking each other.
Vibratory Screeners
Vibratory screeners can work with either wet or dry materials. During this process, the material flow is separated into grades. After this step is completed, it results in a final product or it can be further processed.
High-frequency vibrating equipment is used to produce smaller particles. This type of equipment is constructed with a shaker that has a fixed frame. The drive only vibrates the screen cloth, which can create particles that range in size from one-eighth of an inch and smaller.
Learn More About Food Production Equipment
When you’re in the food industry, you want to have the most efficient and effective types of equipment. This can significantly impact your production levels as well as the overall quality of your product line. If you would like to learn more about the best type of food production equipment for your business, you can discuss this with an approved industry supplier.