Optimised cost-effective ingredient dosing system from SPX

Citation

(2005), "Optimised cost-effective ingredient dosing system from SPX", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 34 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.2005.12934fab.003

Optimised cost-effective ingredient dosing system from SPX

Optimised cost-effective ingredient dosing system from SPX

Where a range of products have essentially the same basic ingredients other than colour, flavour and smell, etc. the most cost efficient approach to production is to manufacture a base material and then add the various ingredients that differentiate the finished products as required. This way, raw materials are optimised and the potential for waste is minimised as there is no need to dispose of any remaining base material before switching recipes.

This highly desirable scenario can be realised by employing a “Finishing Unit” developed by SPX process equipment. Designed for easy installation immediately ahead of bottling or packing filling lines, SPX PE Bran + Luebbe finishing units are suitable for dosing specific quantities of additives into the batch produced base at the last minute. Armed with such a system, a manufacturer can vary production quickly and efficiently according to demand and consume all the base material.

When using SPX PE Bran + Luebbe finishing units, manufactures can virtually eliminate the costs associated with disposing excess materials. This in turn contributes to economies in cleaning and the treatment of effluent in order to meet environmental agency discharge level constraints prior to its disposal.

The simplicity or complexity of each finishing unit is wholly dependent on the application, which will indicate the number of pump heads required. For greatest efficiency, SPX PE recommends that the finishing units are located immediately upstream of the bottling or packaging line. Installation is simple, as the pre-assembled unit only needs to be attached to the feed line from the specific ingredient holding tank and the main flow line. Adjustment to the ingredient dosing may be performed locally in order to match the requirements of the bottling or packaging plant. Once the required batch has been completed the only cleaning required is to the individual pump head and the outlet pipe.

SPX PE can supply finishing units with a choice of pumps including its Bran + Luebbe ProCam metering pump and WCB circumferential piston pump, both of which are suitable for hygienic applications and can be used together.

“The Bran + Luebbe finishing unit is a very simple and efficient way of producing consumables that have a common make up”, comments Bran + Luebbe UK Systems Manager Mike Scott. “It means that the ingredients that create the variations can be added at the last possible moment, which contributes significantly to plant flexibility and efficiency”.