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Efficient waste removal
Most food operations generate by-products, particularly if
engaged in primary processing. Traditional removal methods
include: manual removal using tote bins; blown air systems and
vacuum systems; flumes that use water as a transport medium;
or a combination of all three. However, these methods can incur
high running costs, particularly in the form of manual labour.
Progressive cavity (PC) pumps offer an alternative via enclosed
piped systems. They remove solid, semi-solid or liquid waste from
both high care and low risk areas, without compromising hygiene
standards. SEEPEX has designed a series of PC pump solutions for
waste removal that can chop and pump in the same unit. Featuring
an auger feed into fixed and rotating knives, or a grinder and pump
combination, they can chop most products, producing a lower
volume of waste which is easier to handle. Discarded products,
defective raw materials, trimmings and rejects – including overrun
– can be handled in a single system, enabling pre-treatment and
source segregation of waste and by-products, even when they
vary greatly in dry solids (ds) content and viscosity. This helps
to preserve the residual value of the by-product; particularly
beneficial if the resultant ‘soup’ is sent for treatment at an
anaerobic digestion (AD) plant, to be converted into biogas.
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Quicker, simpler and more accurate product transfer
Many food processors still rely on manual labour to move their
product from one location to another, often with the help of tote
bins or conveyors. Part of the reason for this is a belief that only
liquids can be easily transferred via a pump. However, PC pumps
can handle highly viscous products, or even those that don’t flow,
with ease – SEEPEX pumps are used within food factories around
the world to transfer everything from wet coleslaw, to sticky honey,
to whole chicken breasts, and everything in between. And because
PC pumps have a very low shear action, they maintain product
integrity, making them ideal for very sensitive products such as
whipped cream or foams, as well as very soft solids like soft fruits
and vegetables in yogurts and sauces. They can transfer products
over distance and can achieve high suction lifts of up to nine
metres. The ability to pump against almost a full vacuum enables
the efficient use of degassing equipment and enhances the quality
of the final product. In addition, a pipeline is significantly easier
to clean than a conveyor belt, helping to maintain standards of
hygiene.
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Greater adherence to food hygiene and safety standards
No matter what the pumping application – ingredient dosing,
product transfer, or filling of finished products – it can be
achieved using PC pumps with cleaning-in-place (CIP)
as standard, reducing the need for manual cleaning
labour. Not only do they comply with today’s strict
hygiene standards, PC pumps can also be bespoke
with auger feed for viscous products if needed.
Hygienic design features ensure efficient pump
cleaning whilst liquid divert ports enable
efficient cleaning of downstream systems with
turbulent flow.
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4
More accurate dosing and metering
Whether you’re adding sauces to ice cream,
botanicals to spirits, colourings or flavourings
to food/dairy products, or even dispensing
viscous fillings into pies, it’s essential that
the ingredients are dispensed at a constant,
proportionate rate to ensure even mixing and
distribution. This guarantees a consistent, high-
quality product and controls ingredient costs,
but it’s difficult to achieve this level of accuracy
when relying on manual labour. It’s also a
challenge if using a traditional dosing pump, as
the pulsating action causes a gap in the process,
resulting in uneven distribution of ingredients.
In contrast, SEEPEX’s PC pumps are virtually
pulsation-free, providing a stable, accurate
(+/-1%), linear flow to dispense the correct
amount of ingredients every time, maintaining
product quality and reducing wastage. And as
an automated process, it saves on labour and
provides traceability. SEEPEX’s range of PC
dosing pumps includes a Smart Dosing Pump
(SDP). By inputting only the required flow rate,
the SDP ¬automatically makes any necessary
adjustments, providing all the benefits of a PC
dosing pump with enhanced control options.
5
Greater flexibility and future-proofed
systems
One of the most common barriers to automation
is the fear of investing in a system that could
become obsolete if your product or process
changes. After all, it’s usually cheaper to retrain
a person than to invest in a new automated
line. However, PC pumps are not only easy to
set-up and calibrate, they are also simple to
adapt, enabling food processors to future-proof
their operations with a flexible system that
can respond to changing consumer demand. PC
pumps are able to handle products with a range
of viscosities, temperatures and consistency. This
means that a single pump can be used even
when products or processes change. The
modular construction of SEEPEX PC
pumps goes further than most,
however, providing greater
flexibility for food processors
that need to adapt and develop
their processes to access new
markets.
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