Baking & Snack - April 2018 - 100

OVENS

Knowing the level of
moisture in a product
and controlling moisture
removal helps bakers
turn out more uniform
baked goods.

Mr. Knott suggested that recipe management is a control
that can sometimes be taken for granted. "When you make
that SKU five or six weeks from now, you can bring up the
settings that were previously successful. Having the ability
to store recipes is a big contributor to oven control."
Additionally, Mr. Gingrich noted, WP Oven Control
is equipped with indicators that alert operators when the
temperature in the oven chamber falls below the recipe
protocol, whether it's a slight drop or an excessive one.
In the age of technology, data has become a baking parameter all its own. "Middleby is advancing oven control
by measuring, logging and mining specific KPIs for realtime artificial intelligence (AI) analysis and autonomous
machine control," Mr. McCally said. "These KPIs are built
around product throughput, quality, system efficiency and
reliability. The strength of AI is the speed and precision that
predictive, proactive and reactive process changes can be
made to optimize oven performance."
Tromp Group Americas refers to this data era as "Smart
Industry," according to Jim Cummings, president. "All
modules and devices are continually collecting data, available for vertical communication," he said. "This makes us
ready for Smart Industry solutions."
At CH Babb, the latest trends in data collection is installing new PC-controlled operator systems rather than a PLC,
according to Mr. Stockton. The PC can be used to establish
a more in-depth management system with the capability to
store and trend the data, easily email it as necessary and log
it with other information such as graphical data.
CH Babb also can equip ovens with cameras for product
monitoring and data collection. "The camera can tell you
what's coming out of the oven - size, shape, color - and if
the product is outside of those specs, it can sound an alarm
and email a photo. It can even make slight adjustments to

AMF Bakery Systems

the oven parameters to keep it within certain specs," Mr.
Stockton said.
Data logging can benefit the baker in a variety of ways
ranging from product testing, controls assessments and
food safety checks. The SCORPION data logger from
Reading Thermal helps achieve many of these goals. "When
we install a new oven, we'll use the SCORPION to map it,"
Mr. Moye explained. "We'll look for the proportion of radiant heat to convection, humidity levels, balance of airflows
- left, right and center - and temperature profiles across
the band and through the entire bake."

Thanks to technology
advances in oven controls,
trial and error can now be
executed in real time.
Additionally, for new oven installations, RBS technicians will map the old oven with the SCORPION and use
that data profile to set up comparable settings for the new
machine.
Similarly, Gemini/W&P profiles its tunnel ovens at startup using a MOLE unit from ECD/Bakewatch, which measures oven temperature through the bake. Once necessary
adjustments are made, temperature is evened out across the
band, and proper fan settings can be established
In general, baking is a combination of art and science,
as well as trial and error. Thanks to technology advances in
oven controls, the trial and error can now be executed in
real time rather than waiting until the product comes out of
the oven to determine the tweaks.
"In the old days, you needed a full-time oven operator for three shifts per day to inspect the product as it exited the oven, maybe making constant tweaks as things
changed," Mr. Stockton said. "It's a little more work up front
now, but it ties in the whole system, and it makes the operation more repeatable, which means the baker is greatly
increasing efficiency."
Setting the S-curve begins with having the right goals
in mind and modifying the specificities along the way. As
Mr. Johnson advised, "The baking process is a controlled
removal of moisture from the raw product ... and the key
word is 'controlled.' "
With control comes repeatability and a more consistent
product. "You want the same thing coming through that
oven every time; you want it all consistent and sellable," Mr.
Stockton said. "It might be challenging to get the entire operational line, including the oven, right up front, but once
you do, it's repeatable. And when you become that efficient,
those controls will pay for themselves."

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Baking & Snack - April 2018

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