Baking & Snack - June 2008 - 86

PIE PRODUCTION

"Depositing excess product is profit not being captured,"
Mr. Kent said. "This philosophy applies to our depositors,
and an accurate deposit does not waste ingredients. However, it may not be obvious that our pie dough handling
systems also use minimal amounts of dusting flour."
Rademaker introduced a servo-driven blocking unit
for its pie lines. The benefit of this unit compared with a
hydraulically driven machine is that it is quieter in operation, easier to maintain, requires less floor space, reduces
power consumption by up to 50% and is 20% faster,
according to Eric Riggle, vice-president, Rademaker
USA, Hudson, OH. "There have been many comments
made about the general lack of quality in a sheeted pie
crust such as a tough crust with little flake," he said. "That
is why we produce a blocked or pressed pie shell. There
is no scrap, which means there is no rework to have to
be remixed. When pie dough is overworked, it becomes
tougher to the bite and is generally of less quality. For
that reason many pie producers, particularly in Europe
where a quality pie is demanded, they use the pressed
style of equipment. It is also more efficient and accurate
on the scaling weight of the dough."
While Raque Food System's custom-designed machines have used servo motors and robotic technology
for decades, Mr. Kent noted that recent declines in costs
ᮢ This no-bake pie line can be set up to make pies ranging from 4 to
12 in. The inset photo shows the color-coded (red) tooling associated
with a 10-in. pie configuration, and the tooling requires no manual adjustments for changeovers.
EVEREDY AUTOMATION

BAKING & SNACK / June 2008

have made electronically controlled equipment comparable with mechanical systems. "Although servo motors
and feedback control systems are still more expensive
than their analog counterparts, savings in maintenance
time may now justify the higher initial costs," he said.
"With the new technologies, bakeries can efficiently
track product variation and adjust production in a more
timely fashion," Mr. Kent continued. "Machine adjustments can be made 'on the fly' and during production,
maximizing production rates and repeatability."
Three major trends have driven the development of
new equipment for pie makeup systems, according to Mr.
Kent. First, some processors have purchased modifications to produce products required by warehouse stores.
Processors also required systems to make smaller portions to address health and wellness issues. Lastly, bakers
are trying to establish green facilities, thus they require
systems that reduce energy and water usage, he said.
ADDING FLEXIBILITY. The pie industry consists of a
few large players, a large group of mid-level producers
and an even larger group of smaller regional producers, according to Rick Hoskins, vice-president, sales and
marketing for Colborne Corp, Lake Forest, IL. Colborne
has addressed all segments of the market.
For the larger manufacturers, Colborne introduced a
high-speed pie line capable of producing 1,200 5-in. pies
or more than 200 large pies per minute. "This system
delivers the ultimate in economics when you compare
tthe capital investment against the
ccost per pie because of the throughput capability," Mr. Hoskins said.
p
Cost per pie is an important issue
for
f manufacturers. "By building on
proven designs from the past, we were
p
aable to develop a line with enough
rrobustness to sustain 24/7 operation
iin a washdown environment and
operate at efficiencies in excess of
o
999%," Mr. Hoskins said.
Additionally, Colborne upgraded
its
i Series 90 straight line pie system to
where it meets today's safety and saniw
tary needs, Mr. Hoskins added. "We have made the system
tool-free for changeovers," he noted.
The Series 90/95 is versatile and offers the pie maker
a great deal of flexibility. In addition to creating twocrust filled pies, the Series 90/95 also produces pie shells
for pumpkin, custard or cream pies. These shells can be
made using a traditional trimmer, or to create an appealing high rim deep dish pie, the shell rims can be crimped
with an optional rimmer section.
Flexibility is the major need for the small to mid-size
bakers, according to Colborne. "In response to that, we
introduced the 11-Plate Rotary Pie System, which is replac-

Baking & Snack - June 2008

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