1. Spray nozzles in the Food & Beverage Industry | Where Can They Be Used?

The effective use of spray nozzles in food & beverage processing lead to process automation, cost reduction, improvement in productivity and quality. This series of articles provides 10 carefully selected case studies on spray nozzle applications, such as cleaning, coating, moisture conditioning, disinfection, humidification, and air blowing.

The previous article covered three case studies dealing with greasing molds, applying glaze, and disinfecting areas in baking factories. This second article will discuss three examples of greasing the conveyor belt, moisture conditioning of dough, and disinfecting the conveyor belt in confectionery manufacturing factories.

2. Confectionery Factory | Greasing Conveyor Belt

The Problem:
A confectionery factory experienced problems with greasing the conveyor belt of the tunnel oven for baking cookies.

The nozzles used for greasing applied excessive oil which resulted in unevenly baked cookies, heavy oil smoke causing a lot of oil stains, and sometimes making operators sick.

The Solution:
A small pneumatic spray nozzle for spraying an extremely small amount of liquid was designed and produced.
Its customized flow rate was only 0.25 L/min with the liquid pressure set at 0.1 MPa and the air pressure at 0.3 MPa.

The Results:
Using this nozzle reduced the amount of oil sprayed to such an extent that it was barely visible on the conveyor belt and the oil was applied so thin and evenly that it was barely noticeable until one touches the surface. This prevented oil smoke from rising, which improved the work environment and reduced the oil consumption substantially.

Spray nozzle used for this process:
Compact Design | Low Flow Rate Fine Fog Nozzles | Flat Spray | CBIMV80005

3. Confectionery Factory | Moisture Conditioning of Cream Puff Dough

The Problem:
A confectionery factory was searching for measures to optimally moisture-condition the dough for cream puffs before they were conveyed into tunnel ovens, to reduce the puffs from cracking during baking due to dryness.
Moisture helps prevent cracks; excessive moisture spoils the dough.

The customer called IKEUCHI for a solution to their moisture control problem on a moving conveyor line.

The Solution:
A pneumatic spray nozzle for spraying extremely fine fog was selected. This nozzle, which can produce a fog with the just right droplet size, moistens the dough but does not get it wet.

Mounting multiple nozzles on a header that fits across the conveyor and connecting it to a sensor which turns the spray on and off created an automatic spray unit without wasting water.

The Results:
The defective rate was reduced by 80% and the customer was very happy with the decreased product loss.。

Spray nozzle used for this process:
Low Flow Rate Fine Droplet Nozzles | Full Cone Spray | BIMJ Series

4. Confectionery Factory | Disinfecting Conveyor Belt

The Problem:
A confectionery factory, disinfecting the conveyor line for making cream puff dough with alcohol by hand, was searching for a more suitable approach to proper hygiene control.

One of the problems they were facing were that the amount of alcohol applied varied depending on the operator, which made it impossible to strictly and numerically control whether or not the amount set forth in the food hygiene standards was used.

The Solution:
The requirements were to disinfect the conveyor belt by spraying a consistent amount of alcohol on it as it is facing down on its return to pick up product, and that the sprayed surface needs to be dry by the time it is facing up again to avoid alcohol from coming in contact with the product. In addition, there was only limited air supply.

After calculating the necessary spray amount from the required amount of alcohol per area unit and the surface area to be disinfected, a pneumatic nozzle was selected that is able to spray the required amount of alcohol even with the limited air supply available. Multiple nozzles were mounted on a header to create a spray unit.

The Results:
Alcohol being applied evenly and thinly dries quickly and does not wet the conveyor belt or comes into contact with the product. Using nozzles that can continuously spray a consistent amount of alcohol has eliminated the uneven application caused by manual application. In addition, it made it possible to numerically prove compliance with the amount set forth in the food hygiene standards.

Spray nozzle used for this process:
Low Air Consumption | Fine Fog Nozzles | Flat Spray | CBIMV Series

5. Summary | Spray Nozzles for Food & Beverage Processing | 10 Case Studies (Part 2)

Spray nozzles used in food & beverage manufacturing have a wide variety of applications, such as cleaning, spraying, humidity control, disinfection, and air blowing. This diversity of applications can make it difficult to choose the right nozzle. In order to give an insight into some of the possible solutions available, the 10 sample cases were carefully selected from our many satisfied customers and compiled as “10 Case Studies on Spray Nozzle Applications”.

The first article covered three cases at baking factories. This second article reviewed three cases in confectionery manufacturing factories.

The next article will deal with four cases: moisture conditioning of dumpling dough, humidifying a cheese aging room, spraying lubricant on a bottle conveyor belt, and preventing static electricity in a plastic bottle manufacturing factory. Stay tuned.