Pneumatic Solution Eliminates Manual Scooping Method
By Brian Wilson, PIAB Vacuum Conveyors
Founded in 1986, California Custom Fruits & Flavors provides fillings and fruit preparations to a number of industries, primarily in the bakery and dairy markets. Among CCFF's more sought-after products are its fruit preps - regular and organic – that are inserted into yogurt, as well as fruit filling for nutritional bars, both low-carb and regular. The company's rapid success was evidenced by its move to a state-of-the-art, 33,000-square-foot building in Irwindale, California in 1993, just seven short years after opening its doors, and yet again in 2003 to an 85,000 square foot building.
Challenge: Manual Scooping Causes Lumps and Back Strain
In order to accommodate this impressive growth, CCFF has had to address and solve some difficult manufacturing challenges. Among the most pressing was how to ensure that the ingredients making up their myriad formulations – a variety of pre-blended assortments, starches, gums, pectins and flavors – were blended evenly and efficiently. The company uses both its own formulas and customer's formulas. Common fruit flavors and flavor combinations for frozen dairy products include apple, apricot-mango, banana, blackberry, caramel, cheesecake, raspberry and strawberry. Often times, CCFF is asked to develop specific formulas based on customer's needs (i.e., a dairy company that wants a new yogurt flavor).
Although the goal in every case is to produce the highest-quality blends possible while eliminating waste, the manual blending system that the company relied on exhibited definite shortcomings, according to Ralph Roseli, CCFF's maintenance manager.
"When we blended the ingredients by hand, it was sometimes difficult to control the flow," said Roseli. "If you introduced ingredients too quickly or in slightly inaccurate proportions, the mixture would clump. Most products also contain water and sugar, which is heated. To make the product thicker the water and sugar 'blooms ' are heated. If it is dispersed unevenly, it will bloom up incorrectly."
The consequences of incorrect mixing or clumping can be dramatic. In fact, the addition of a product at the wrong time or in the wrong quantity could cause anywhere from 8% to 20% of the batch to be wasted.
"At that point, we would have to either rework the mixture or simply dump it," he added. "Either way, there could be a significant loss of both time and product. The extreme thickness of some our products also contributes to the challenges in proper mixing. But the thickness is often crucial to the product's quality. For instance, if the filling used in some of our clients' pastries isn't thick enough, it will melt in the toaster."
There were worker safety issues as well.
"Our people had to manually scoop out raw ingredients with buckets from large containers and carry them over to a filler machine," said Jack Miller, CCFF's director of operations. "This was not only a time-consuming and labor-intensive process, it also created a situation where workers could hurt their backs lugging around these heavy loads."
The Solution: Vacuum Technology Automates the Process
To eliminate waste and augment the overall quality of its mixtures, CCFF turned to PIAB Vacuum Conveyors, a global leader in innovative vacuum technology used in automated material handling and factory automation processes. PIAB provides vacuum solutions designed to help improve productivity and efficiency in various manufacturing processes.
PIAB provided CCFF with three vacuum conveyors to improve its blending process. Powered by pneumatically driven vacuum pumps, PIAB's conveyors safely and quietly transport up to 15 tons/hour of powders and granules in virtually any manufacturing or processing environment. Constructed of stainless steel AISI 316L, they are designed to handle the harsh conditions of virtually any industrial environment. The filter design traps particles down to 0.3 microns and can be equipped with a High Efficiency Particle Arrestment (HEPA) filter.
PIAB's conveyors also feature fluidization, a capability which allows for compressed air to pass through a porous material, creating a cushion or film that considerably reduces the friction between material and base. The air is then mixed with the material in such a way that friction is also reduced between the particles in the material, which means that the material "flows like water." This feature is particularly relevant for CCFF, since many of the powders they convey are non-free flowing.
While other vendors were considered, Miller contends that PIAB met all the necessary criteria CCFF used to evaluate other systems.
"In terms of pricing and product availability, PIAB was clearly superior," he said. "More importantly, though, we needed systems that could handle the high volume of product that we manufacture in excess of 30 million pounds per year. We were convinced that PIAB's conveyors could handle this volume better than any of the competitive equipment."
The operation of the vacuum conveyor is as simple as it is effective. The vacuum in the conveyor is generated by a compressed air-driven PIAB vacuum pump, which can be controlled automatically. The bottom valve is closed, and vacuum is raised in the container and the conveying pipeline. From the feed station, each ingredient is drawn into the conveying pipeline and then into the kettle. A filter prevents dust and fine particles from being drawn into the pump and escaping into the surroundings. When the material container is full, the vacuum pump is stopped. The bottom valve opens and the material in the container is discharged.
All of the ingredients are then mixed in the kettle, cooked, cooled and packed in drums, stainless steel totes, or buckets, depending on the customer's specifications.
The Results: Fewer Lumps and Less Risk to Employees
The difference between the hand dumping process and the PIAB conveyors is dramatic and has produced quantifiable results.
"When we were hand dumping, the ingredients were not distributing properly," said Roseli. "Now, with the PIAB conveyors, we are able to ensure that the powder is properly mixed because we can control the amount of powder, which translates to fewer lumps. Plus, the physical demands on our workers are greatly reduced. They are much happier – and safer."
According to Roseli, maintenance of the PIAB equipment is a simple process.
"We schedule a preventive maintenance check once every three months, and that heads off any possible problems and keeps the conveyors running smoothly."
With the conveyors helping to improve CCFF's material handling process – and subsequently, the overall quality of their product – the sweet smell of success will continue to permeate the air.
