Pet Food Processing - May 2024 - 62

EQUIPMENT
" Newer oven sales will often include an RBS Scorpion
oven data logger, " Freymoyer said. " Our data logger can
graph the temperature, heat flux, humidity and air flow
throughout the tunnel oven giving our customers a better
understanding to define the optimal baking curve
and maximize throughput for an oven system. "
In most cases, replacing ovens that are more than 20
years old alone can significantly reduce gas consumption,
as most older ovens were built back when gas consumption
was not a concern and gas costs were low.
" This is just the first step, " Freymoyer said. " The next
step, when the infrastructure is in place, is to replace the
penthouse for each zone on our ovens changing from
gas to electricity. This flexibility enables you to select the
best option for today and tomorrow.
" Each zone for an RBS electric oven comes with five
set points: top heat, bottom heat, top air, bottom air and
exhaust. Each standard zone comes with two blowers,
" The footprint of your solution, and how to maximize
production with limited floor space, is almost always an
introductory call question that we receive, and it can
often be the deciding factor, " said Zack Olson, manager
of growth strategy and innovation for BAK Food
Equipment, Burr Ridge, Ill. " We have responded by carrying
the main industry-leading options for baking systems
that take limited floor space into account. "
All of our equipment is built to
seamlessly integrate into existing
facilities with no headache. "
Zack Olson, BAK Food Equipment
That includes both an in-line solution and a spiral solution,
which add to production capabilities by utilizing both
floor and vertical space. Both range in capacity and capability,
but most importantly, the company can fit either into
practically any footprint the customer has available.
" In reference to our in-line and spiral baking solutions,
the spiral units are built to the customer's specifications,
so no two units are the same, " Olson said.
" The client can specify exact parameters that need to
be met in terms of footprint, baking surface area/space,
throughput and operational controls. From there, we
will build a machine that achieves those parameters. "
BAK's in-line unit features modular solutions, which
allows clients to add capacity without having to purchase
an entire line by simply adding another node.
All types of products can be produced on either unit
- from dried cat treats to baked dog biscuits, these
units cover a wide variety of products within the pet
food industry.
" All of our equipment is built to seamlessly integrate
into existing facilities with no headache, " Olson said.
" We can build an oven to hook up to an existing proofBAK's
spiral oven
solution provides
processors with an
answer to the footprint
challenge. The
system utilizes vertical
space instead
of taking up a large
amount of space on
the production floor.
BAK Food Equipment
one for top and one for bottom, whereas most of our
competitors will try to utilize a single blower and several
dampers to control the air flow.
" Dampers over time will become stuck and operators
will forget the proper positioning to achieve the ideal baking
curve and efficient bake, " Freymoyer continued. " The
controls for the top, bottom and exhaust are all set from 0%
to 100%, making it very intuitive. Of course, the temperature
is set as required. Each zone as well as our dryers are
set up this way, making it easy to train new operators and
developing the optimal baking curve for your product. "
Space is key
Maximizing available real estate on the production floor
is a priority for all processors including those in the pet
food space.
62 PET FOOD PROCESSING | May 2024 | www.petfoodprocessing.net
ing spiral, or we can design an in-line unit that feeds a
blast freezer, among other applications. Our control systems
can be discrete/stand alone or connected to larger
IT control systems. "
Maintenance is also taken into account with the oven
solutions. All applicable BAK equipment comes with
clean-in-place systems that drastically reduce the maintenance
needed and increase the longevity of the equipment,
according to the company.
" We also choose best-in-class components and materials
to maximize quality while reducing the chances of
cross contamination and other concerns, " Olson said.
These trends reflect the industry's ongoing efforts to
innovate and adapt to evolving consumer preferences,
regulatory requirements and sustainability concerns in
the pet food and treat market.
PFP
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