SLICING & BAGGING
Making the cut The next best thing since sliced bread might just be the technology behind consistency for all types of bread and versatile bagging options for ever-changing requirements.
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The design and setup of a combined solution covering bread slicing and packaging are dictated by the characteristics of the product and their best fit in bagging choices. Bettendorf Stanford Inc. (BSI) examines the product texture, makeup, consistency, temperature at the time of slicing, and the bakery operation itself to determine the best slicer and bagger combination. When slicing loaf bread, BSI offers the choice between band slicers and reciprocating slicers, each coming with several types of infeeds based on the product, from those fed via an elevator and flight, topand bottom-belted systems, as well as side-belted systems. Each infeed works best with its designated type of product, in combination with a band slicer or a reciprocating slicer; products can range from sweet breads, fruit breads, hardcrusted, dense rye breads, sourdough, artisan-style loaves, to pan breads, soft white/wheat breads, and even gluten-free breads. The main factor in selecting the type of blade and slicing technology for loaf breads is how sticky the loaf is: if it has a high sugar content like cinnamon raisin or is difficult to slice (like gluten-free bread), then a reciprocating slicer is the best way to go, BSI recommends. Band slicers are the best choice for standard types of bread such as white or wheat bread.
This manual operation allows for bakeries to put very different product sizes into the same size bags, Atkins explains, which saves money when purchasing one-size-fits-all bags in bulk. “The problem with going from this human touch operation to a fully automatic line is that a machine only does what it is set up/programmed to do, within its normal operating range. This means that customers will need to watch that their product does not vary more than the machine's tolerances allow. They also will need to make sure to size bags according to each different product and the count size they want to run,” Justin Atkins, director of sales at BSI, illustrates. To connect a bread slicer to automatic baggers, a flighted conveyor is typically used. This conveyor can be a one piece intermediate conveyor that acts as the slicers discharge and the baggers infeed to keep the foot print short, or you can have a flighted slicer discharge timed 1:1 to the bagger’s flighted infeed. Either option has the ability to automatically remove double loafs from a flight. Challenges to meet in these processes also come from “Ensuring the stable operation of the line, including cutting high-quality bread slices, automatically placing the cut product in the bag, and securely closing the bag. Also, if slices of bread aren’t precisely of equal size, the product packaging is damaged or improperly closed, then the consumer’s perception will be negative,” Jūratė Žukauskaitė, area sales manager at Dovaina also shares. Fresh off the R&D drawing board Lithuanian specialist Dovaina has announced its latest innovation in
© BSI
Stepping up to the challenge When slicing and packaging breads in high volumes, BSI observes two key challenges that arise with a manufacturer who upgrades from a semi-automatic to a fully automatic line: bag sizing and product consistency. As most production facilities start out with hand-fed slicing and manual bagging, there is a wide variation in product size and consistency.
© BSI
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www.bakingbiscuit.com 02/2021
