Bühler JetMix creates smoother pre-ferment for bakery industry

Pre-ferment is a mixture made mainly from cereal flour and bulk liquids such as water and milk.

AKMH

JetMix is installed with US-based Kollmorgen’s stainless-steel servo motor called AKMH, which dissipates any lost heat to the outside and lowers derating.

The system is ideal for large bakeries that produce 100 to 120 tons of flour a day for bread, bread rolls, cakes and baked goods.

“Mechanical kneading methods for dough production are always associated with a high energy input. With the JetMix, the production of pre-ferment is significantly faster and more energy efficient​,” said Heinz Lauermann, team leader, Material Handling Powder & Liquids, Bühler.

He said, by using AKMH stainless steel motors, it has combined high productivity with maximum hygiene as each flour particle is evenly hydrated by an atomized water spray.

The JetMix consists of four servo axes: two of them form the pump drive for the water and push the pre-ferment along with all four driving the dosing screw and centrifugal stirrer.

The pressure is regulated by the servo drive so that, when the flour and water come into contact, they coalesce into a lump-free dough.

According to Bühler, the JetMix’s performance stands at 3.0 tons per hour with a pressure of up to 16 bar.

Speed control

“The broad speed control range of the motor helped us a lot during development to identify the correct speed for different types of flour and pre-ferments​,” added Lauermann.

“If we had small drops rather than a fine spray, we would get lumps​.”

After being mixed in the JetMix, the pre-ferment is pumped into a storage tank for further fermentation.

Lauermann added during development of the JetMix, Bühler was adamant it would be equipped for CIP (Clean In Place).

He said the stainless-steel 1.4404 makes the AKMH series corrosion-resistant against aggressive cleaning products and the design of all the edges has a radius of at least 3mm and the surface finishes have a roughness of <0.8 μm to prevent accumulation of dirt.

“Bühler’s JetMix demonstrates how hygiene properties and cleaning capabilities of machines in the food industry can be improved when stainless-steel motors are used​,” he said.