Author: HaF Equipment

Date: December 22, 2020

Low Head Height – Minor Ingredients Batching

HaF uses Navigator Technology for Minor Ingredients for Pizza Dough Batch System

HaF recently was posed the challenge of unloading super sacks of minor’s ingredients for a batch system to make pizza dough.  But the customer only had 14-foot of elevation in the production area.  A typical bulk bag unloader would not fit!  No Problem!  HaF utilized their Navigator Technology to unload super sacks in the tight ceiling height and feed the dough mixer.  The Navigator Technology can be used in various ways.  One great application is low ceiling heights.

Date: December 15, 2020

Wet Dust Collector Used For Sticky Residue

HaF uses Jango Wet Dust Collection Technology for Sticky Residues at a Glue Plant

HaF recently was posed the challenge of collecting and capturing sticky residue at a glue plant.  The conventional dry dust collection methods would not work… customer already tried that.  The customer did not know what technology would work for their application.  No Problem!  We Got This!  HaF thought outside the box and applied our Jango Wet Dust Collection Technology.  The recent startup went well.  HaF performed the full turnkey installation including duct run.  On this specific application HaF utilized a modulating damper valve in conjunction with a flow meter to help balance the system.

A HaF Case Study by Michael Thiel (HaF Equipment)

HaF Equipment recently commissioned a successful 50-Lb Bagger for a USDA application packaging spray dried powders from a milk based raw feed.  This bagger project for our customer was not the first, as our customer appreciated the design of the HaF Bagger.

There are several important features that we included for this specific bagger:

1. Surge Hopper

A simple item, such as a hopper, can be overlooked when designing a 50-Lb bagging system.  The purpose of a surge hopper above the bagger is to provide residence time for the powder to settle.  This settling period provides a more consistent flow of material at the bagger, thus providing more consistent weigh-ups.  If you would like to know HaF’s design setpoint for residence time, email us and we will work with you on your application.

2. Variable Pitch Screw Auger

For bagging applications, the screw auger design is critical.  HaF has several different auger designs, depending on bulk density and flowability (sluggish or free flowing) of the material.

For dairy applications involving bagging (bag filling) spray dried powders, HaF has a specific designed auger setup tailored to both accuracy, poor flowing materials, and flood filling materials.  We provide different auger profiles specifically suited to customers’ powder.

3. Inflatable Filler Head

The operator places an open top bag on the filler head and uses a foot pedal to start the cycle.  The inflatable filler head expands to seal the bag inlet.  The bag is held in place on the filler head, which is connected to the load cell.  The weigh up begins.

4. Shutoff Valve and Accuracy

At the discharge of the screw auger we utilize a shutoff quick clean valve that will stop the flow of powder in order to meet the tolerances of the weigh up.

By utilizing the specifics of HaF’s designs, and the multipoint features of the feeder, HaF typically meets the weigh up accuracy of +/- 1%, easily.  We have special designs that can achieve 0.1% accuracy.  Contact us if you require this level of accuracy and we will share with you how we can achieve it.

5. Cleanability

For our recent customer’s feeder, and all our sanitary designed feeders, we utiklize our design concept of “Tool Free Quick Take Apart”.  HaF specializes in quick clean and easy to clean equipment.  It is very important in sanitary applications that the operator can easily disassemble and clean the equipment, and then reassemble, in as shortest amount of time as possible.  We get it.  And we have answered.

It is good to partner with a company that is flexible to adapt to your key important design specifications.  The point is to listen to the customer and respond with creative solutions. Every application is unique.  We are ready to help.  Contact HaF:  [email protected]

A Gain-In-Weight Dense Phase Conveyor Case Study by Michael Thiel (HaF Equipment)

A great way to speed up your batch production is to add a gain-in-weight dense phase conveyor. A recent customer used HaF Equipment to pre-weigh powdered limestone under a silo.  The dense phase conveying vessel also served as a weigh hopper.  When the mixer called for a new batch, the dense phase vessel transferred the pre-weighed batch of material.

The great part of dense phase conveying is that the batch can sent long distances!  Nio matter where you locate your mixer, the Gain-In-Weight Dense Phase Conveyor, can deliver, and do so very quickly!

Every application is unique, so the most important aspect of any project is to connect with the end user.  Communication is critical.  We are ready to help.  Contact HaF for your enrobing feeder projects ([email protected]).

A Gravimetric Enrobing Feeder Case Study by Michael Thiel (HaF Equipment)

How do you apply a spice blend onto a base piece of product? 

How do you evenly coat the product?

How do you get the right amount onto the material?

Adding spices or flavorings to a base product is a foundational aspect of food manufacturing that is critical in many applications.  Whether it be coating a potato chip, a chocolate candy, or a piece of cereal, enrobing feeding directly impacts the consumer.  I am sure many of us know friends or family that evaluate the coating of a piece of cereal or a potato chip with every bite they take.

Recently, a customer turned to HaF again to provide a feeder that would feed a blend of spice to a piece of base product.  The first aspect of the application to evaluate is the customer’s needs.  What is the end goal?  We connect with the customer first on this level.  For this application they required a continuous application of blended spice (a mixture of various sugar powders) at a consistent dosage rate over the range of six to seven feet.  The final auger length from inlet centerline to discharge centerline was approximately eight feet.

With this information, the design considerations can begin!

1. Powder Flow Characteristics

In this case study, the feeder handled various sugars.  These powders attract moisture. While the system can run with un-treated air, it will get messy in a hurry.  We recommended and the customer agreed that dry air with a dewpoint of 40 F or lower was to be used for the proper handling of these powders.  For example, the vacuum convey system that moves the blended batch from the blender to the filter receiver above the feeder should use dry inlet air.  This dry air is also necessary for an aeration of the material and back pulsing of any filter media along with purge seal air.  It is important to manage any moisture that can enter the system.

2. Cleanability Design

It is often overlooked how the operator will interact with the equipment once installed and commissioned.  At HaF, we follow a strict design philosophy of tool-free, quick take-apart.  This design philosophy caters to the food industry where cleanability of equipment is so important.  For the enrobing feeder in this case study, HaF used a drop bottom door on the auger that allows the operators to easily rinse out and dry the auger.  The auger was also designed with a quick remove housing auger tube to take the feeder apart easily and quickly by any operator.

3. Hopper Sizing

The sizing of the feeder hopper depends on the dosage rate and bulk density of the powder.  Then the design consideration to answer is how many refills per hour can the process allow.  For example, if the hopper is larger, there will be fewer refills per hour which allows the feeding system to remain in gravimetric mode for a longer period of time, which is important because it allows the feeder to rely on accurate load cell weighing.  But a larger hopper requires higher elevation, so there is a balance.  On this project, HaF designed the system with an approximate six refills per hour, which drove the sizing of the feeder hopper.  For this application a hopper was sized to hold two cubic feet of batch.  But the final hopper water fill volume was much larger than this to accommodate necessary surge in the system to have during refills.

4. Auger Style

The auger size and discharge style are of utmost importance.  The size of the auger is determined by the dosage rate and bulk density.  For example, does the auger need to be 4-inch, 6-inch, or 9-inch?  This sizing is often determined through in-house trials and testing.  For this application, a 6-inch auger was selected.  Next, it is important to connect with the end user to understand what level of adjustability is required.  For this application, adjustability was important.  The cantilevered auger, which was tool free quick take apart, had an adjustable multi hole distribution on bottom of the discharge tube that could be adjusted to impact the way the powder was applied over the six foot spread.

5. Dust Control

No one likes dust.  Especially the operator!  On this gravimetric enrobing feeder, a bin vent with an exhaust fan was used to pull a slight vacuum on the feeder so as to ensure dust would not leak out any seam on the feeder.  This simple design consideration impacts the quality of the work environment of the operator for many years.

6. Feeder Control

Lastly, it is important to understand what level of control the end user requires.  In some cases, a volumetric feeder is all that is required, meaning, the auger is controlled using a pre-set correction curve where motor speed correlates to the customer dosage rate setpoint.  But in this case study, the gravimetric feeder was requested.  In this case, the feeder is on load cells and is controlled by a gravimetric controller.  Gravimetric feeding gives a perfect ratio of pounds of spice to pounds of base being coated. When the base rate varies, the gravimetric feeder speeds up or slows down accordingly, and is constantly checking the actual dosage rate via the load cells. This type of continuous gravimetric feeding reduces waste and provides a more consistent coating on the base product.

Every application is unique, so the most important aspect of any project is to connect with the end user.  Communication is critical.  We are ready to help.  Contact HaF for your enrobing feeder projects ([email protected]).