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TECHNICAL INFORMATION
The production of sandwich biscuits
SECONDARY PROCE SSING AFTER BAKING ALLOWS BISCUIT MANUFACTURERS TO PRODUCE
MOR E PRODUCT VARIATION S THAN WOU LD BE POSSI BLE WITH BAKI NG ALON E
© Franz Haas Waffel- und
Keksanlagen-Industrie GmbH /
PR / hb 2006
One of these secondary processes is
combining two or three biscuits to sandwiches with cream filling between the biscuits. By selecting different biscuit shapes and
cream fillings, products can be varied in appearance and taste.
+
With its SWM machines, the Austrian company Franz Haas Waffel- und KeksanlagenIndustrie GmbH offers the biscuit industry
sandwiching machines, which can produce
600 up to about 2400 sandwiches/min depending on the type of machine and biscuit.
The selection of a sandwiching machine is
based on the desired capacity, whether it shall
be connected to a packaging machine or not,
the packaging arrangement and whether the
sandwiches need to be cooled before cooling.
Suitable biscuits
Both cut and moulded biscuits can be processed. The biscuits may be round, rectangular
or square with a standard diameter or length
of 35 – 65 mm. Important for the smooth opBAKING+BISCUIT ISSUE 03 2006
eration of the sandwiching machines are uniform product dimensions.
Creams for sandwich biscuits
The fillings are usually sweet creams with 30
– 40% fat content and 60 – 70% solid components (mainly sugar). By adding flavors and
colors various effects can be achieved. The
system developed by Haas is also able to process aerated creams which contributes to raw
material cost savings. Furthermore, special
add-on devices allow also jam to be processed
as filling material.
Operating principle of the sandwiching
machines
Stacked on-edge, the biscuits are fed from the
cooling conveyor downstream of the oven automatically or manually via chutes or vibratory conveyors to the sandwiching machine.
The biscuits for the bottom part of the sandwiches are arranged with their engravings
facing the machine and are fed onto a transport chain upstream of the cream depositing
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
head. The engravings of the biscuits for the
top part of the sandwiches are faced away
from the machine and are conveyed to a position downstream of the depositing head.
The cream is supplied from a tank into the
depositing head. From the depositing head the
cream is applied via openings onto the bottom
biscuits which pass below the head. Downstream of the depositing head the top biscuits
are put on the creamed bottom biscuits and
pressed onto them by a pressing device. Finally, the finished sandwiches are discharged
to a conveyor belt or a packaging machine.
The machines have one or two in-line depositing heads and process one, two or four parallel rows of biscuits.
Cream depositing
The cream tank is either mounted onto the
depositing head or placed separately beside
the machine. In the first version, the cream is
pressed by rollers onto a worm conveyor,
which further feeds the cream into the depositing head.
In case of the separate arrangement, a worm
conveyor feeds the cream from the tank to a
main rotary piston pump, which delivers it to
smaller dosing rotary piston pumps. Each row
of biscuits has its own pump with automatic
pressure control.
Both methods ensure precise and uniform depositing even at starting and stopping the machine. It is also possible to process a wide variety of creams with different densities and
viscosities. The depositing amount and position of the cream deposit can be adjusted both
during operation and standstill. Therefore,
such adjustments do not require interrupting
production.
Machines with two depositing heads allow interesting combinations. For example, it is
possible to produce sandwiches consisting of
three biscuits with two different cream fillings between them or sandwiches containing
one cream and one jam layer.
To keep cream temperature constant, the
cream tank, pumps and pipes have a water 43
44
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
jacket which is advantageous for processing
special creams and running the machines in
areas with difficult climates. A further advantage is that in case of production interruption
due to a malfunction the cream does not solidify and clog the feeding and depositing systems.
Packaging and cooling
As mentioned above, the packaging arrangement of the sandwiches and the question
whether they need to be cooled or not influence the configuration of the machine. Cooling may be necessary if the cream is not hard
enough to guarantee the stability of the sandwich products.
The sandwiching machines designed for direct and automatic feed to pillow-pack machines allow the usual packaging arrangements with a height of one or two sandwiches
and a length of up to six sandwiches. For arrangements with stacks of three sandwiches,
there is a special device, which is a simple robust design working with cams and featuring
no malfunction-prone parts such as springs.
Sandwiches to be cooled are fed lying flat or
stacked on-edge to a cooling conveyor or into
a cooling tunnel. It is possible to separate the
BAKING+BISCUIT ISSUE 03 2006
products into several parallel rows by a row
multiplier as required.
Common features of the sandwiching
machines
All types of the sandwiching machines are
easy to operate and to service. They can be
adapted to biscuits of different thicknesses
both during operation and standstill. A frequency-controlled drive with speed display
allows settings for an optimal process flow.
Due to their robust design, the machines are
suitable for 24-hour operation. The number
of components was kept as low as possible to
facilitate maintenance and upgrading. The
biscuit transport chain is automatically tensioned and lubricated to increase service life.
Automatic cleaning of the transport pins by
compressed air and of the transport chain by
brushes prevent the build-up of cream remnants and clogging. The frame and panelling
are of stainless steel, the cantilever design facilitates CIP.
The modular design facilitates upgrades, retrofits and adaptions. For example, it is possible to position the sandwiching machines left
or right of the biscuit cooling zone to make
best use of the space available. +++
atelierhaegeli.ch
The step to automation
RONDO MLC
The Rondo Modular Laminating Concept (MLC) has been designed to
close the gap between artisanal and highly automated pastry production. Being truly modular the Rondo MLC can be easily expanded
to match the demand of a progressive business. Therefore Rondo
MLC keeps all options open for further growth.
The rondo MLC incorporates automated solutions for laminated dough
blocks as well as continuous dough bands. Both provide:
– increased productivity
– lower production costs
– improved quality
Rondo MLC can be integrated into existing 600 mm wide lines. The
six different configurations offer possibilities to manufacture laminated
products at both economical and professional levels.
www.rondodoge.com
Seewer AG
3400 Burgdorf/Switzerland
Tel. + 41 (0)34 420 81 11
Fax + 41 (0)34 420 81 99
[email protected]