6. dough sheeter/divider
In cracker processing the mixed dough is conveyed into the pre-sheeter where the dough will be shaped to the initial processing gauge. For flaky crackers the pre-sheeter may have an integrated dough lamination process which layers dough sheets to create the flaky finished texture.
ISSUES
- Dough sticks to belt
- Product carryback produces tracking issues
- Finger splice failure
- Monolithic belt splice failure
SOLUTIONS
The FGP Food Grade Precleaner can be installed against the first bend pulley after the nose roller/bar on the return side of the belt. This will remove excess dough that sticks to the belt and will deposit it into a tray or onto a scrap take-away conveyor.
High quality, long lasting splices are key for dough gauging, which is why the Novitool® Aero® Splice Press is perfect for the job. Popped fingers can catch on the dough, causing the dough to tear, as well as creating a potential contamination issue. And splicing speed is always important in industrial baking operations.
The Novitool® Pun M™ Mobile Finger Punch can be used at the conveyor site and does not require electrical power. This can speed up the processing time of the splice, thus reducing conveyor downtime.
The Alligator® Spiral Lace Fastening System offers the lowest profile mechanical splice option and is a completely non-metallic fastener. It is also a great solution for pre-made replacement belts offering a hinged splice that is quick to install, keeping critical downtime to a minimum. Available in both food grade white and food grade blue options, it is a great option for all industrial baking facilities. Ideal for most industrial baking applications, including metal detection belts.
The Novitool® Amigo™ Splice Press creates a consistent butt splice with no air bubbles or imperfections. The pre-heat option makes it possible to create a great splice in even the most humid of environments. And the actual splicing process is fast and efficient, allowing for the lamination belts to be up and running as quickly as possible.
All great splices begin with a perfectly squared belt end. The Laser Belt Square offers a quick and accurate way to locate a perfect belt cut reference line, every time. A squarely-cut belt end is very important to achieving a perfect finger splice that tracks well.
The 845LD Belt Cutter offers a quick, safe, and accurate way to make a perfectly straight cut in a single pass. A straight cut is important in achieving a finger punch that is square to the belt edges.
15. Cookie, Biscuit, and Cracker Sandwiching
Sandwich style cookies/biscuits and crackers are those that have a layer of frosting or other filling in between two baked cookies/biscuits or crackers. In this process, center frosting, cheese, etc. is applied to the bottom cookie/cracker and the top cookie/cracker is then sandwiched together.
ISSUES
- Frosting/filling adheres to belt
- Belt mistracking
- Finger splice failure
- Monolithic belt failure
SOLUTIONS
The scraped material from an FGP Food Grade Precleaner can be removed from the belt and deposited into a catch pan that is emptied regularly.
All great splices begin with a perfectly squared belt end. The Laser Belt Square offers a quick and accurate way to locate a perfect belt cut reference line, every time. A square cut belt end is very important to achieving a perfect finger splice that tracks well.
The 845LD Belt Cutter offers a quick, safe, and accurate way to make a perfectly straight cut in a single pass. A straight cut is important in achieving a finger punch that is square 845 LD Belt Cutter to the belt edges.
Low profile, high quality endless splices are a requirement for sandwiching process equipment. The Novitool® Aero® Splice Press produces the lowest profile endless splice found in the industry.
The Novitool® Pun M™ Mobile Finger Punch can be used at the conveyor site and does not require electrical power. This can speed up the processing time of the splice, thus reducing conveyor downtime.
Speed of installation is key in all industrial baking applications. The Novitool® Amigo™ Splice Press speeds up the overall process of installing a new monolithic belt while simultaneously creating a superior butt joint. A clean splice with no pin holes is also an important consideration. The Amigo’s pre-heat function allows for the humidity that causes pin holes to be heated out of the joint area prior to full heat splicing. The elimination of pin holes can be a game changer as new, stricter food safety standards are adopted in the industrial baking industry.
The Novitool® Pun M™ Mobile Finger Punch can be used at the conveyor site and does not require electrical power. This can speed up the processing time of the splice, thus reducing conveyor downtime.
The Alligator® Spiral Lace Fastening System offers the lowest profile mechanical splice option and is a completely non-metallic fastener. It is a great solution for pre-made replacement belts, offering a hinged splice that is quick to install, keeping critical downtime to a minimum. Available in both food grade white and food grade blue options, it is a great option for all industrial baking facilities.
17. Product Packaging/Wrapping
In cookies/biscuits and cracker baking, the packing process may include a bagging process, a sleeving process, and a traying process, followed by a boxing process (individual boxes). For small snack size cookies/biscuits or crackers, there can be a bagging process which often includes a system to feed the bagging machine.
The boxing of bagged or packaged small cracker or cookie products is usually done very close to the bagging operation. There will be a short transport conveyor of 6'-10' (2 m-3 m), followed by the boxing operation.
There are different boxing options available:
- Horizontal Cartoners are often used to box flow wrap slugs, bags or pouches into hot-melt glued or tuck-in box sealed packages.
- Bag-in-Box systems open the pre-formed box and feed the bag into the carton from the top. They then move the carton down to be glued or sealed for completion.
Horizontal bagging is more common with standard cookies/biscuits and crackers. In this system, the baked product is stacked in chutes and then loaded into a wrap that is sealed at the ends or down the edge, creating a “sleeve” or “slug” of product. This type of packaging is called Flow Wrapping.
Issues
- Mechanical splice failure
- Finger splice failure
Solutions
High quality splices made quickly are key in industrial baking operations. When plied belting is utilized for the packaging of cookies, biscuits, and crackers endless splices are required. This is especially true with horizontal bagging equipment. A flat, seamless splice will not interfere with the horizontal bagging process. The Novitool® Aero® Splice Press makes the flattest endless splice in the industry.
The Pun M™ Mobile Finger Punch can be used at the conveyor site and does not require electrical power. This can speed up the processing time of the splice, thus reducing conveyor downtime.
The Alligator® Spiral Lace Fastening System offers the lowest profle mechanical splice option. And it is a completely non-metallic fastener. A great solution for pre-made replacement belts, offering a hinged splice that is quick to install, keeping critical downtime to a minimum. Available in both food-grade white and food-grade blue options, it is a great option for all industrial baking facilities. It is ideal for most industrial baking applications, including metal detection belts.
All great splices begin with a perfectly squared belt end. The Laser Belt Square offers a quick and accurate way to locate a perfect belt cut reference line, every time. A squarely cut belt end is very important to achieving a perfect finger splice that tracks well.
The 845LD Belt Cutter offers a quick, safe, and accurate way to make a perfectly straight cut in a single pass. A straight cut is important in achieving a finger punch that is square
to the belt edges.