Baking & Snack - June 2023 - 70

DONUT PROCESSING
Producers are
enjoying growing
consumer appetite
for donuts, but
meeting this demand
may be difficult.
©naiyanab-stock.adobe.com
Many donut producers looking to grow may also find
that space for a longer production line in their facilities
is at a premium, Mr. Magistrelli observed.
" One of the easiest ways to boost capacity is to create
systems with wider working widths, " he said.
Rademaker offers donut lines with working widths of
600-mm to 1,000-mm (23.6-inches to 39.4-inches) wide
to accommodate a variety of production demands.
Another area of innovation that has bolstered donut
throughput is the injection process, Mr. Sarajian said.
Donuts today can be filled at high speeds across multiple
rows simultaneously.
The Axis Automation injection system, for example,
is a high-speed filling system that maintains consistent
volume within 1% at rates of up to 30 cycles per minute.
Mr. Sarajian added that to automate injection filling,
donut lines need some form of product alignment so
that equipment operates properly.
" Alignment is critical, because if donuts are not aligned
when presented to the injection needles, then the dwell
time for the injection process gets longer while the system
waits for all of the donuts to arrive in the correct location, "
he warned. " This can have a significant impact on production
throughput. "
Implementing with perfection
Automating donut production provides many benefits
that solve the biggest challenges producers face, but adding
this automation can pose obstacles of its own. This
requires bakers to do their homework on the automation
they're considering and confirm it's the best fit, both
for their product and for their production speeds.
" Ask for a proof of concept or a demo, " Ms. Bal suggest70
Baking & Snack June 2023 / www.bakingbusiness.com
TO SATISFY CONSUMERS'
GROWING DONUT
DEMAND, MAXIMIZING
OUTPUT WHILE
MAINTAINING THE QUALITY
PRODUCT THEY EXPECT IS
PARAMOUNT.
ed. " Ensure proper training materials and cleaning guides
are provided. Speak to your staff, let them know why the
equipment is being brought in and how it can help them. "
Mr. Sarajian noted that Axis Automation encourages
bakers to send operators and maintenance personnel
to its facility during the final stages of equipment
construction.
" This provides invaluable hands-on experience that
can be used to ensure that the equipment starts up
smoothly in the plant and achieves maximum overall
equipment effectiveness as quickly as possible, " he said.
Automation simplifies many aspects of donut production,
but it doesn't mean bakers don't have to pay attention,
Mr. Moline warned.
" You still have to pay attention to preventative maintenance,
especially when you're talking about yeastraised
donuts, " he said.
This includes closely monitoring the operation of the
cutter, as well as the cutting depth, making sure donuts
are cut all the way through, he added.
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Baking & Snack - June 2023

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