Pet Food Processing - November 2023 - 72

EQUIPMENT
" The industry is not as dependent on
highly experienced operators, so the technology
has developed to fill that gap efficiently, "
Jones said. " The ability to store
recipes that are repeatable batch to batch
and shift to shift is just one example.
Further, advancements in engineering
make today's solutions smarter, more reliable,
and with longer service intervals
that make a profitable difference to the
bottom line. "
Jones noted Handtmann solutions are
known for designs that feature accurate
portioning with a short product path that
means less friction and gentler handling
This Vemag pet food
extruder can extrude a
variety of pellets, meat
sticks, jerky and treats
with uniform thickness,
width and length.
Reiser
Designing pet food processing equipment machinery
with reliability, low cost of ownership, short and direct
product flow paths, ease of use, personnel and food safety,
and sanitation are important factors that have evolved
in recent years., as well as making assembly/disassembly
easy and intuitive with tool-less or minimum use of tools
required.
" There are many types of machines utilized for processing
various consumable pet products, " Zeak said. " Today, a
piece of machinery that affords flexibility of use offers great
production and profitability advantage. "
As an example, Reiser's Vemag vacuum extrusion porThe
speed
and reliability
of today's
sophisticated
technologies
increases
the potential
throughput just
by reducing
the unplanned
downtime. "
Micah Jones, Handtmann
tion forming dividers are used for the manufacture of dry,
semi-dry and wet food products, and a variety of dry and
moist treats and supplements, as well as different product
shapes, including strips, sticks, bites, balls, random particulate
and pellet shapes, and other shape varieties.
Within the category of vacuum extrusion portion forming
dividers, there are several system options available.
" A traditional Vemag vacuum extrusion portion forming
divider will use a duo drive infeed scroll spiral with vacuum
suction assist in the hopper to transfer product material to
either a double screw or hub vane delivery system feeding
the desired forming and portioning attachment, " Zeak said.
Another option in vacuum extrusion portion dividers
is the Vemag Total Vacuum System, which uses a vacuum
pump to suck the product material from a feed hopper into
a closed top hopper through an adjustable inlet valve that
increases the surface area of the material being pumped
in order to remove entrained air. Product material is then
transferred into the double screw using a duo drive infeed
scroll spiral and vacuum suction assist. The double screw,
available in various profile configurations, moves the substance
to the desired forming and portioning attachment.
Across the board, from grinding and mixing to the final
package, today's equipment allows for higher throughput
while maintaining a level of product quality that has not
been seen before.
72 PET FOOD PROCESSING | November 2023 | www.petfoodprocessing.net
for consistently high product quality.
" That, coupled with our grinding, mixing and emulsifying
technologies, lets us deliver full-line solutions that
offer more versatile production than ever before, " he said.
" The forward thinking of our Handtmann technologies is
unique - and matched only by the deep knowledge, experience
and commitment of our technical and support
teams to the success of our customers. "
Maintenance matters
Today's equipment is more productive and more complex
than ever. Therefore, regular maintenance by trained staff,
planned service based on today's longer intervals, and attention
to operational alerts by today's automated process
monitoring systems is vital.
" Handtmann supports these needs with an industryleading
training and customer care program that puts our
technician's expertise in the hands of plant teams through
training both onsite and at our headquarters, " Jones said.
" We try to think ahead for customers with preventive
maintenance programs, a rapid response support program
called HVISION that with smart glasses technology that
puts our technician next to the customer virtually and is
resolving their most common issues in less than an hour. "
An added value is that HVISION is Microsoft Teamsbased
so it becomes a go-to, all-in-one virtual support tool
that processors can use for rapid virtual support with their
other suppliers.
" We also offer preventive maintenance and replacement
parts programs, a variety of application optimization services
and extended warranties for beyond our standard
two-year Handtmann warranty, " Jones said.
Zeak's recommendations to keep equipment running at
full efficiency are to follow on-screen HMI reminders for
scheduled maintenance, routinely cleaning equipment inside
and out, installing automatic lubrication systems, using
logs to track maintenance problems, and conducting preventative
maintenance to reduce down time.
PFP
http://www.petfoodprocessing.net
Pet Food Processing - November 2023

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