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Laminating: All the means to a laminated end
All the means to a laminated end
From viennoiserie to Danish pastry, and any number of hybrid, new creations, laminated dough is the path to the sought-after airy, light layers. Gentle dough stretching and folding is a must, however, there is by no means a one-size-fits-all approach to the process. Tried and tested laminating methods and line setups can accommodate flexibility and consistency in results.
+Precision and consistency are required to turn blocks of dough into thin, delicate sheets. The big challenge lies in the correct distribution of the dough reduction steps while avoiding any unwanted tension in the dough. Inconsistencies in the reduction steps will significantly impact the structure of the final product. Keeping rework dough under control is another important aspect, according to the reduction plan chosen on the line, Rademaker experts point out.
Three methods with Rademaker
Rademaker developed three different laminating methods, to closely match different types of dough, production capacities and processing needs. “Every dough type and end product require a specific application and laminating method. It is also possible to apply inline laminating, as it knows no restrictions regarding laminating widths of up to 1,600m,” Rademaker explains. The three methods are: + Lapping: The dough sheet runs vertically within a guiding system that moves back and forth. This symmetric lamination method is unsuitable for soft dough and has a maximum lamination width of 600mm. + Horizontal laminating: The belt with the dough sheet moves back and forth above the next conveying belt.
This is an asymmetric lamination system suitable for soft dough with no restrictions regarding the laminating width. + Cutting and stacking: A guillotine cuts the dough sheet into rectangular sheets that are then stacked on top of each other. This flexible, symmetric system lays both even and uneven layers. It is suitable for soft doughs, with no restrictions regarding the laminating width.
Rademaker laminators are developed to produce many varieties of laminated dough for mid-sized to industrial bakeries, combining process and recipe information to optimize flour usage and for a fast start-up. It is the end product with its requirements that ultimately dictates the best process and associated solution. To develop customized laminating solutions, Rademaker uses its standardized units in the construction of a complete line: “We build a line and adapt it to the desired situation. In addition, for each recipe, we can define our own parameters needed in the processing of the various doughs and/or fats,” the specialists explain. This flexibility allows for a wide variety of configurations, from a block processor to a fully automated laminator, with working widths varying from 600 - 1,600mm. The laminators can be designed in different shapes (L-shape, U-shape, Z-shape etc.) and laminating belts can also be set up straight in-line. “Thanks to this flexibility, the line can be optimally configured to meet customer-specific applications, resulting in the best possible production efficiency,” Rademaker explains.
To integrate them with existing technology, a signal exchange is possible with the upstream equipment, but is less necessary. This is strongly recommended, however, with the equipment downstream of the laminator. Rademaker stresses: “In case of stops, for whatever reason, in the downstream flow, you will also want to stop production on the Rademaker line. This feature is provided in our production lines.”
Rademaker specialists
A light touch, automated as needed
Dough-friendly processing is key for light, airy products with laminated dough. Rademaker designed its dedicated equipment, “to focus on efficiently handling the dough with the utmost care, at the required capacity.” Then, depending on how the dough reacts in the starting phases such as the reduction step, the next steps are mapped out for the appropriate production setup. Laminated doughs with
margarine, for example, can be processed without cooling and resting; conversely, cooling becomes a necessary step after layering the fat when softening butter. This involves not only temperature control, but also that of the humidity of the ambient air. “An incorrect relative humidity can cause dehydration as well as condensation, which certainly makes it a point of attention,” Rademaker points out.
Its laminators range from semi- up to fully-automatic production lines. Manual processes can include taking laminated dough blocks off the line for cooling or proofing, and placing them back onto the line, for example. “For a fully automatic process, we have transferred the cooling and resting traditions into an industrial process solution. In this way, we can offer a fully-automated laminator with capacities of up to 10,000kg of dough per hour,” adds the specialist.
The cooling and resting system can be optionally added, especially for the continuous processing of laminated and sheeted dough. Cooling ensures that the integrity of the layers remains intact and that the fat and dough layers are consistent, resulting in a significant improvement for further processing of the dough sheet. Resting directly influences taste and shape/volume, the combined result of dough relaxation (stress reduction) and controlled yeast activity. The outcome of this process is the development of mono sugars and CO2. “With our Cooling & Resting system, operating with indirect air coolant for accurate temperature control, we have transferred the artisan traditions of the past into an industrial process,” Rademaker explains. The cooling principle of the system consists of tubes positioned underneath the belt, creating an active air coolant while minimizing unwanted vaporization. Because no air is directly blown onto the dough sheet, the dough will not dehydrate. With this system, a minimum coolant temperature of -17°C can be achieved.
Automation features are incorporated to make the Rademaker laminating line adjust to parameter changes it detects: when deviations are measured, either in the dough or in the process, the line course-corrects the process flow using its automatic speed adaptation (Cascade control). The specialists elaborate: “The advanced control system features fully automatic speed adjustment and enables the different sections to operate independently.” While the last dough part of the production run is processed towards the last section of the line, the first section of the line is ready for cleaning or to start the production of another product. The operator receives a notification when the next recipe can be started on the machine.
In addition, smart features are built in to closely control the operation. “Process control utilizing intensive data handling and communication is becoming increasingly more important in industrial production processes. Our control platform enables OMAC based data exchange with neighboring (third party) equipment as well as LMS, MES, or ERP systems,” Rademaker highlights. Moreover, the equipment can be monitored and optimized online for efficiency, thanks to advanced data processing.
SoftProcessing technology: FRITSCH
The answer to challenges in laminating dough perfected by FRITSCH is its SoftProcessing technology, which helps avoid any unnecessary tension and compression. It is featured in the company’s laminators to produce uniform dough sheets. It should be noted this range of machines was renamed to cluster them according to end-product groups and performance spectrum: LAMINATOR 900, 1100, 1300 and 1500 are part of the industrial range, and the LAMINATOR 700 is specialized in mid-range production. The numbers indicate the table width of the LAMINATOR. The operating principles of the FRITSCH SoftProcessing technology are as follows: the pre-portioner of the dough band former (the FRITSCH TBP) works with two rollers that constantly fill the TBP with dough so that the amount of dough contained always remains the same.
“The dough is therefore constantly spread under the same pressure. The TBP forms a thick dough band using a five-roller dough sheet former,” the specialist explains. In the next processing step, the FRITSCH satellite head and the cross roller ensure that the dough band is clearly defined and calibrated to the desired dough thickness. Fats (e.g., butter or margarine) are then applied with a fat pump, to ensure that it is evenly discharged onto the dough band and that a clearly defined ratio of dough to fat is maintained. “Our industrial LAMINATOR can optionally be equipped with a water separator, which is placed just before the nozzle of the fat pump,” FRITSCH adds, so that it can be drained off when butter is used, and therefore not reach the dough band and impact its quality.
Product and process flexibility
The industrial LAMINATOR can use various folding units with layering units being the primary choice for high-volume production. They ensure precise laminating as it places layers accurately on top of each other to form dough blocks. The table under them is height-adjustable, to minimize the drop height of the dough. The layering unit can process a wide variety of types of laminated dough, such as croissant, yeast, puff pastry and brioche dough. It can achieve various amounts of layers and foldings, respectively, including odd numbers of layers. The fold width and number of layers can also be adjusted automatically.
Numerous parameters can be set and components adjusted on the LAMINATOR to produce an optimal dough band for each product. The newly-developed FRITSCH Operating System (FOS) is key to having the equipment adapt and
© FRITSCH
adjust to process variations. “With the new FOS, the system is controlled according to performance. With the new control panel, numerous basic programs and corresponding performance parameters are available for different products, where only a few parameters, such as the rolling gap and number of layers, need to be readjusted to achieve the desired result,” the company details. The FOS uses predefined programs, which simplifies the use of existing recipes and the introduction of new ones, in which case only a set of defaults have to be set such as the line output, the number of folds and the roller gap, and not all data points from scratch. “This significantly reduces the time needed for setting up a new product. The software checks whether the desired change in output is feasible. The drives coordinate with each other in terms of their performance and, if necessary, regulate themselves to that of the smallest drive,” FRITSCH explains the steps.
In addition, components on the line can be started automatically when needed, for efficiency. For example, flour dusters or cross rollers will only be switched on when they are currently being used in the production process. “This is a standard feature of our industrial laminating lines (LAMINATOR 900, 1100, 1300, 1500),” FRITSCH underlines.
The LAMINATOR can also be equipped with a cooling chamber for additional benefits, including: + An even and faster cooling process, to control the yeast activity + Uniformity for downstream processing steps + Consistent quality + Humidity and contact cooling control – meaning that the dough will not dry out and there will be no skin-building on its surface. Contact cooling is a feature unique to
FRITSCH technology, with a significant influence on the quality of the final product Coming soon
FRITSCH is working on further technology updates and is preparing to introduce a new innovation this year, the company shared with us: the FRITSCH Smart Production Insights (SPIs). “The FRITSCH SPIs are a dashboard that grants our customers a live insight into their production, enabling complete process transparency. With the continuous capture of data and visualization of key performance indicators in real-time, it will be possible to achieve further improvements still in overall equipment effectiveness,” the company anticipates. The data provided by the SPIs can pinpoint the exact cause of disruptions or malfunctions, and take actions accordingly, to prevent such unplanned downtimes.
Cameras added to the line’s set-offs are another new feature, added to make it easy to observe hard-to-see places during production, such as the cooling tunnel, for example.
The FRITSCH LAMINATOR can process a wide range of doughs. “Depending on the desired end product, our LAMINATOR can easily process up to 8 tons of dough per hour in industrial use,” the company highlights.
FRITSCH specialists
It's all in the dough band: RONDO
To maintain consistency in production, with many variables starting with changing dough and fat consistencies, RONDO prioritizes minute process supervision and control. It takes an encompassing assessment of the manufacturing process: “Even if the RONDO MLC laminator can handle different dough conditions and variations of the dough’s consistency, the mixing process upfront must be kept as constant as possible,” observes Alexander Weissbach, head of Technology, Product Management and Dough-how Center. The laminating process itself must be gentle enough regardless of these variations, to preserve the dough structure. “Any impact brought to it will be reflected in the final volume of the products, and it will be especially visible on sensitive products such as pre-proofed frozen croissants. If the gluten network is damaged, ice crystals will start to grow around these points during storage, which will, in turn, damage the network even more, resulting in freeze burns and low volume products,” the specialist explains. Similar considerations apply to the fat used in laminating, as the volume and the structure of the final baked product will depend on its functionality and lifting effect. “Therefore, the composition and the structure of the fat must not be damaged during
the fat band forming and the laminating,” Weissbach concludes.
The quality of a laminated dough band or block starts with the dough band former MIDOS, the dough structure is maintained even for pre-proofed and rested doughs. “The four-roller design and the single drives allow settings to form a perfectly even dough band quality, shape and weight accuracy. The MIDOS is the only dough band former on the market which can form a dough band without the use of additional flour or oil, resulting in a better physical lift of the baked goods,” RONDO’s specialist explains.
To ensure even fat layering, the fat pump designed by the Swiss company is equipped with a two-stage feeding process to preserve the structure of the fat in the process. Butter or margarine blocks are fed to an eccentric cavity pump, which then feeds it to a nozzle where that fat band forming will take place. “This process combines two major points, a shear-reduced fat band forming to keep the butter structure and continuous feeding to reduce the weight variations. If the shear rates are too high during the fat band forming, the structure of the fat will be negatively influenced, and consequently the volume of the baked goods,” Weissbach says.
Possible configurations
With the families of RONDO MLC Laminating lines and ASTEC laminating lines, Rondo is covering a production volume ranging from 200 to 5,000 kg/h. Now in its fifth generation, the RONDO MLC line for laminating, feeding and make-up was designed for diversity, for any product variations in ranges including pastries, yeast pastries, artisanal breads, pizza, donuts, and more. Its make-up line, for example, can incorporate any tools needed for filling, folding, cutting, decorating and rolling up by plug and play, allowing configurations to upgrade easily. It comes in several versions: + The Block standardized lines: For the production of dough blocks ranging from 4 to 400 fat layers + Feeding line: For the continuous feeding of make-up lines + Laminating lines: For the production of dough bands with capacities from 10 and up to 100 fat layers – continuous feeding included
The modular design of the MLC allows it to grow together with the production needs. The smallest laminating line can produce a continuous and constant dough band with just one fat layer. By folding the dough manually, the number of layers can be increased. “With this starting line, the work intense dough dividing, scaling, and manual sheeting is eliminated. The result is a constant and homogenous base for the block laminating,” he illustrates. The MLC can later be equipped with additional components to increase its automation features and capacity. “Even after several years, the MLC can be adapted to the current needs by adding or even removing components,” adds Weissbach. A full range of automated processes can be set up for this line. Its control system is also designed in a modular scale. IIoT components can also be added in stages, to permit the MLC’s integration into an MES system, for example. All production parameters can be exchanged with the superior MES system. In addition, predictive maintenance can also be enabled with IIoT features. RONDO is also offering a retrofit to update the controls and the electrical components of older models to the newest generation.
The MLC’s dough band formers are designed to keep the quality of the formed dough band as constant as possible, even if the characteristics of the dough vary. In this way, the settings of the line will only need a minimum of adjustments while operating. This helps to reduce the manpower on the line, the specialist from RONDO explains.
Moreover, by combining the RONDO MLC laminating line with the RONDO Smartline, the options of product categories that can be produced becomes close to unlimited, highlights Weissbach: “Laminated dough bands are precisely formed and sheeted to the desired width and thickness with the MLC. On the Smartline, dough bands for the production of bread, pizza, yeast dough, thin doughs and even gluten-free doughs are formed, without stress and damage to the dough structure. This combination is unique on the market and enables producers to react immediately to variations in the market demand.” +++
Alexander Weissbach, Head of Technology, Product Management and Dough-how Center, RONDO
