Compact gravimetric mixing line in hygienic design
Katech, a producer of stabilizers for the foods industry, assigned Daxner for the planning, delivery and installation of a gravimetric blending system equipped with two separate mixing lines.
The company KaTech Katharina Hahn + Partner GmbH was established in 2010 for the production of food additives derived from renewable raw materials. The product portfolio comprises among others stabilizers for dairy products and delicacies. The company Katharina Hahn Familien GmbH affiliated with Katech in June 2012. The newly installed mixing line of Daxner serves as a core module for the production of high end powder mixes for the foods industry. The concept design was developed with regards to the specific situation of the start-up company. In line with the available budget volume Daxner planned, delivered and installed a complete gravimetric mixing system equipped with various components in hygienic design, which provides energy efficiency, high flexibility for product changeovers and easy cleaning. Another essential objective was to ensure utmost mixing accuracy and to enable a gentle and hygienic addition of micro ingredients. This was achieved by reducing cross contaminations in order to maintain product quality. Also the minimization of cleaning times and a design for minimum overall operational costs was taken into consideration.
BLENDING
All small and medium components are solely pre-commissioned in the corresponding allergen rooms. These rooms are physically separated from each other in terms of the handled allergen and therefore they only permit access with hygienic, protective clothing. Subsequently a forklift truck positions the bags and the pre-commissioned small and medium ingredients onto the operating platform. There, the operator fills the ingredients into one of the two existing VIB & PRESS bag intake stations. Depending on the product characteristics the mixing system itself is specifically selected. At Katech line 1 is equipped with a horizontal paddle mixer and line 2 with a horizontal ploughshare mixer, in order to provide highest flexibility for various mixing jobs. The control screening machine operates according to the principle VIB and PRESS – an innovation from Daxner. In doing so, it encompasses two major processes: The vibrating screen sieves the product (VIB) and simultaneously slowly rotating paddles press the product through the flat screen (PRESS), in order to gently dissolve agglomerations and lumps. Even if small mesh widths are used, the screen remains free of any residues and at the same time it enables its cleaning due to its vibrations.
BAG FILLING
The finished mixes are discharged into the corresponding mixer receiver bin, which holds the entire mixing capacity. Receiver bins are in hygienic design and equipped with a vibro discharger – in combination with a pressurized air cleaning in the discharge cones – which ensures their residue free discharge. The implementation of the mixer receiver bins enables a fast discharge of the mixers and additionally provides a buffer volume for the below positioned bag filling station. Therefore the number of batches and consequently the plant performance is notably increased. Below the mixer receiver bin the finished mixes are filled into packages ranging from 15 kg to 25 kg by using a bag filling and weighing system, called DAX-PVS. This completely gravimetric and compact designed bag filling station combines a simple, semi-automatic handling with high throughput and easy cleaning (no residue!). The innovation of the bag filling system is the so called PVS dosing system (Pinch Valve System), consisting of a pneumatically actuated rubber hose-dosing system. One major advantage is the easy cleaning of the inner surface of the hose, which is in contact with the product.
This plant meets the required highest standards according to HACCP and ATEX design. Moreover it is certified in compliance with IFS and BRC (contamination free production below 10ppm).
