S&L's Mixing Solutions for the Food Industry: A Simple Yet Effective Mixing Plant for Foodstuff Production

Over the years, and continuing into the present and future, the standards for food production and processing have always been set at a relatively high level. Food production involves using labor, machinery, energy, and scientific knowledge to transform raw agricultural materials into products suitable for intermediate or final consumption. The end result must be safe, healthy, and delicious to meet the demands of consumers.

Today, it's evident that we're confronted with even higher standards and more formidable challenges from both the market and consumers. Finding more competitive and efficient processing methods has become crucial for securing a larger market share. An increasing number of consumers now have elevated expectations regarding product safety and quality. The key to innovation largely lies in implementing automation or leveraging new technologies for the development of substances. The preparation, processing, and mixing of various substances play a pivotal role in this regard. S&L has amassed extensive expertise in the field of food ingredients, covering aspects such as raw material feeding, weighing, mixing, and packaging. It's important to note that food mixing plants differ significantly from chemical mixing setups. For food mixing plants, simplicity and ease of cleaning are the most essential criteria in the design process.

Typically, most food manufacturers start by pre-weighing the primary raw materials and then feeding them into the conveying system. When it comes to small additive materials, they are usually placed in a weighing hopper and fed into the mixer in batches. When our engineers design the feeding system, the ease of cleaning is always the top priority for our customers. In this regard, vacuum conveying stands out as the best option for food manufacturers compared to screw conveyors and other conveying methods. This is because vacuum conveying systems have no dead spaces, making them extremely easy to clean. The basic design of a vacuum conveying system consists of a dump station with a dust collector motor situated on the ground. Raw materials are then transported through food-grade PU pipes. A vacuum feeder, connected to a vacuum pump positioned above the mixer, is used to discharge the raw materials into the mixer. The advantages of a vacuum conveyor are numerous. It has a compact structure, is free from pollution, easy to clean, saves valuable working time, and requires less space. Workers can conveniently feed the raw materials on the ground without having to climb onto a platform to transfer heavy materials from the ground to the elevated platform. Additionally, the food-grade PU pipes are easy to replace whenever needed.

Based on the physical characteristics of the raw materials, ribbon blenders and plough mixers are widely favored in the foodstuff industry. A ribbon blender is a gentle mixing machine featuring a U-shaped vessel and a double helix ribbon agitator. It is particularly well-suited for mixing light food powders such as milk powder, nutritional vitamins, flour, sugar, and coffee powder. Moreover, it doesn't alter the physical size of the raw materials during the mixing process. On the other hand, a plough mixer is a high-speed mixing machine with a cylindrical shell. Plough shovels are either welded or bolted onto the arms, and the shaft rotates at a high speed to create a fluidizing effect. Additionally, several sets of choppers are installed on the side of the vessel to break up any agglomerates in the powder. The plough mixer is especially effective for mixing powders with liquid spraying. For instance, some flour manufacturers add vegetable oil during the mixing process. However, when it comes to food mixers, the following components require special attention:

Material Contact Parts: All parts of the mixer that come into contact with the materials should be meticulously polished to ensure there are no cracks or crevices where products could get trapped. The agitators are welded and then ground smooth to ensure a free flow of materials.

Seal Parts: The seal between the two end parts of the mixer should be easy to replace and clean in the future. We recommend using food-grade Teflon or PTFE materials for the seal, and a split housing design can simplify the cleaning process, especially for applications that demand high levels of sanitation.

Trough Shaft: Opt for a trough shaft without flanges for better performance and ease of cleaning.

Cover: A variety of custom cover designs are available. Features like bar-style hinged covers, hinged bag dumps, and hinged hood assemblies provide complete access for thorough equipment washdown.

Cleaning Device: The mixer is equipped with a cleanout door on the vessel for daily cleaning. If necessary, a CIP (Clean-in-Place) cleaning system can also be installed, although it's a complex system that may not be suitable for all types of materials.

There are two main methods for packing the finished products: manual packing and automatic packing. Between the mixer and the packing machine, a transfer bin is essential for storing the finished products. The discharge valve on the transfer bin is connected to the packaging machine during the material packing process. Generally, vertical screw packaging machines are commonly used for packing products in small weights. Shuanglong Group (S&L) is capable of providing a wide range of solutions tailored to the specific requirements of each customer.

Our mixing plant is suitable for processing a diverse range of products, including but not limited to:

Milk Powder

Tea Mixing

Grain

Beverage

Protein Powder

Dry Flour

Spice

Tobacco

Coffee

Bakery Items

Animal Feed

In conclusion, S&L's mixing plant for the food industry offers a comprehensive and reliable solution for food manufacturers, ensuring high-quality production while maintaining strict standards of hygiene and safety.