Weigher Overcomes Sticky Dough Problem At Bakery

APV Baker, an international supplier of bakery equipment, has chosen Lock Inspection Systems' CK10 doughweigher to help its customers reduce unit costs and increase productivity.

APV Baker, an international supplier of bakery equipment, has chosen Lock Inspection Systems' CK10 doughweigher to help its customers reduce unit costs and increase productivity.

Having already installed Lock checkweighing equipment in several plants, when a major customer was looking to eliminate costly inconsistencies in product weight, APV Baker turned to Lock once more.

Peterborough (UK) based APV Baker manufactures and supplies bakery machinery for the confectionery, biscuit and snackfood industries worldwide.

One of its key customers is UK baker Warburton's, which was looking to increase output and obtain lower unit costs, whilst at the same time ensuring that product quality and consistent product weight were maintained.

After analysis and liaison with the Warburton's engineers, APV Baker installed two Lock CK10 doughweighers at the site.

Constructed from stainless steel to IP65 rating, the CK10 is claimed to provide bakers with reliable dough weight data, accurate to +/- one gramme on pieces of up to 1kg and at line speeds of up to 150 pieces per minute - the speed of the Warburton's lines.

Installed after the dough rounder, by which stage the dough is less sticky, a fixed table doughweighing unit was incorporated in the line with two in-feeds to create the appropriate pitch.

A reliable reject mechanism was a vital component as a faulty device can bring the whole line to a standstill.

The 'lift and drop flap' reject supplied by Lock means under-weight or over-weight pieces are removed from the line.

The rejected dough is captured in a bin so it could be easily recycled, further reducing costs.

The installation of the CK10 was carried out in accordance with the appropriate guarding and weighing legislation.

Keith Graham, marketing manager at APV Baker, commented: "Dough has traditionally been problematic for checkweighers due to the stickiness of the dough and the speed at which the lines run.

With Lock's help however, we've been able to achieve consistent product weight even at the highest line speeds, enabling us to make significant cost savings.

The unit's reliability and ease-of-use also means that less time is needed for maintenance and repairs.".

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