Advantages of Rotary Moulding Machine Scraper Blades

 

Rotary moulding machines are standard equipment for the production of a wide range of bakery products, from biscuits to pet food. But how can you optimise your machinery in order to accommodate changes in the process required for regulatory or marketing reasons? Is it possible to use a single rotary moulder to produce a range of products with different shapes or dimensions?
 

While the options available depend ultimately on the design and brand of the equipment being used, there are always ways to adapt a production process in order to allow greater flexibility in operation. For example, the machine blades used in most food manufacturing applications must be replaced from time to time, so why not take the opportunity to upgrade? Better materials can offer improved edge retention, increased longevity, reduced tailing, or possibly all three. Meanwhile, adjusting the size and shape of each machine knife by commissioning custom components which are optimised for the individual application can allow for the making of larger or smaller products, the production of new shapes, or finer control over the adjustment of each blade.
 

In the case of rotary moulding machine scraper blades, being able to finely adjust these machine knives is an important part of getting the best out of the technology. Whereas embossing cutters produce large volumes of scrap material, one of the most valued advantages of the rotary moulding process is its efficiency with ingredients, and how waste is separated away from other parts of the machinery where a buildup could cause malfunctions. Adjustable rotary scrapers can therefore be fine-tuned to make this one of the most efficient and consistent ways of producing baked goods.

 

One of the key factors which must be taken into account when adjusting rotary scraper blades is the consistency of the ingredient material. Rotary moulded items are produced from a soft dough, which may include all grades of shortcake and shortbread. Depending on the product, such material may be smooth, or carry inclusions of whole grains, nuts, dried fruit, or other ingredients. A worn rotary scraper blade, or one which is badly adjusted, may tear out chunks of the dough mixture, deforming the final product and compromising the process.

 

Careful adjustment is also needed to limit the amount of removed material which is retained by the forcing roll. Fresh dough from the hopper should be continuously fed into the process, rather than individual items being made up of a large percentage of ‘recycled’ dough. During longer production runs of many thousands of units, dough trapped on the surface of a roll can go round and round, introducing air and hardening the gluten by secondary mixing. The result will be lumps of dough which no longer conform to the intended recipe. If the rolls are out of sync or turning at different speeds, the result can be ‘wedging’ – the tendency of products to be thicker at one end than at the other, as the dies have not been filled evenly. An accumulation of dough layering on the extraction web, where material has been displaced to the trailing edge of the die, is known as ‘tailing’. Having the facility to adjust all components to fine tolerances is important to eliminating all such malformations.

 

At Precision Edge, we are equipped to address any problems which might arise from such technical issues. When we supply rotary cutters and other scraper blades, we always try to anticipate the requirements of the application and recommend the most appropriate product. If your process can perform better and needs bespoke rotary scrapers, we can design and machine them for you using the highest-quality materials.

 

Highly adjustable, purpose made rotary moulding machine scraper blades will allow you to get the very best out of your production machinery. Please contact us to learn about components for your specific equipment.