Baking & Snack - February 2020 - 107

EQUIPMENT
Depositing

As demand for line flexibility increases, automatic depositors need to hit the ...

by Nico Roesler

Whether they're indulging guilt-free with mini products
or enjoying traditional cakes at events, consumers are
demanding a variety of cake and muffin sizes and creating a moving target for bakers.
In the industrial bakery, operators need systems that
offer increased flexibility while maintaining accurate
deposits of batter into myriad pan sizes that range from
mini to large.
There are several main types of depositors on the
market: volumetric piston, air-pressurized and servodriven. The industry standard has long been less than
1% fluctuation in deposit weight accuracy, but new advances have changed the way pressurized and mechanical systems are driven to protect inclusions, avoid waste
and increase efficiency. No matter the system, it needs
to be flexible enough to fill pans with deadeye precision.

Moving targets
Flexibility, when it comes to depositors, means several
things. Machines today need to handle a variety of batters and place them into pans of any shape and size.
Sometimes depositors must fill single pockets. Other
times, they provide complicated multi-pocket configurations or layer different batters. Depositing a French
macaron batter that requires impeccable accuracy is
very different from dropping large portions into cheesecake pans.
Batters range in viscosity from flowable and self-

levelling to stiff and difficult to flow. They can be delicate
and highly aerated, like angel food cake or require two
different colored batters to create a marble cake. Today's
depositors offer answers to most of the challenges these
complexities bring.
Unifiller Systems combines depositors, nozzles and
accessories to provide the output and flexibility needed
to achieve efficiency goals. Andy Sigrist, director of special projects for Unifiller, said that bakers can use single
or multiple pistons with interchangeable product cylinders to increase line flexibility.
"Beyond the selection of a depositor, the key to successful batter depositing lies in the range of nozzles offered," he said. "Unifiller provides specific nozzles for the
full range of portion size from mini to the largest sizes."
The Unifiller MultiStation includes specific and flexible
modes for depositing and spreading batters. This servodriven rotary piston depositor was designed for soft or
stiff batters. Bakers can choose nozzle configurations of
six or eight across with up to three product cylinders.
It can spread, inject, layer, deposit, mid-fill or decorate
batters and is gentle on delicate products or inclusions,
Mr. Sigrist said.
Unifiller depositors can also be used when switching
between mini-sized portions of 1/3 oz to several pounds
for full-sized potions. "While the base depositor may remain the same, different nozzles and product cylinders
suited for the specific application will provide flexibility

Today's depositors need to
fill traditional cheesecake
pans and change to
smaller products without
sacrificing accuracy.
Unifiller

www.bakingbusiness.com / February 2020 Baking & Snack 107

http://www.bakingbusiness.com

Baking & Snack - February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - February 2020