The future is
continuous...

Sobatech is a worldwide leader in designing, manufacturing & commissioning of Continuous Mixing Systems for the food industry. Sobatech is a passionate family business that helps food producers to simplify the mixing process, reduce labor and improve quality consistency.

[NEW WEBINARS]: 'The best of batch vs. continuous dosing ánd mixing' - WHAT? In this webinar, Sobatech will discuss the very best of our 2 most popular webinar themes in just 1 session. After discussing the latest developments in ingredient feeding & weighing equipment, we will carefully compare the strengths and weaknesses of both batch ánd continuous mixing. In 75 minutes we will set a clear decision roadmap that will help make an informed decision whether to go for batch or continuous mixing. Also, we will define some guidelines what to pay attention to when buying (continuous) weighing equipment. Lastly, we will advise on how to reach extreme high dosing accuracies and how to interpret data associated with measuring weighing accuracy best. WHEN? 📆 Tue, Sep 21, 2021 4:30 PM – 5:45 PM CEST 📆 Wed, Sep 22, 2021 09:00 AM – 10:15 AM CEST WHERE? Link to register: Registration (gotowebinar.com) If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please ask them below. [contact-form-7 id="2619" title="More information? Contact us!"] [caption id="attachment_3123" align="alignnone" width="1200"] [/caption]

Garda Mandiri Teknik partners with Sobatech to offer continuous mixing systems to the Indonesian market - Today we are proud to officially announce that Garda Mandiri Teknik will be Sobatech's new continuous representative helping to meet the increased demand for continuous mixing in the territory of Indonesia. P.T Garda Mandiri Teknik (GMT) was established almost 25 years ago with the idea of bridging the customers and principals interest. Since opening their doors, GMT has been creating a crucial and an ever-expanding network of companies in some of the biggest parts of the confectionary & snacks industry. Sobatech's continuous mixing equipment complements the existing portfolio of GMT allowing food producers to increase throughput and product quality while keeping operational costs down. Sobatech is proud to join forces with P.T Garda Mandiri Teknik (GMT) and looks forward to meet the increased demand for continuous production in the Indonesian market. To learn more, visit GMT online or follow us on LinkedIn. Visit this page to see an overview of Sobatech's international representation or contact us below. [contact-form-7 id="2619" title="More information? Contact us!"]

GENERAL LOSS-IN-WEIGHT FEEDER CHALLENGES - GRAVIMETRIC DOSING SOLIDS Sobatech doses its ingredients into the continuous mixing system by means of gravimetric feeding solutions. A gravimetric feeder doses the actual given weight of material per time unit. In such system, the motor automatically alters its speed when a change is detected in the material flow. This eliminates the need for manual adjustment, which ís required when using a volumetric feeder. Such a change in material flow can for instance be the result of the addition of new material or fluctuations in the material density. In a continuous production process, the dosing of ingredients need to be accurate every split second. Therefore, it is recommended to only work with gavimetric dosing solutions as these are the most accurate and precise feeding solutions available. Sobatech works with so called loss-in-weight feeders which are gravimetric dosing systems and measure the weight reduction per time unit. LOSS-IN-WEIGHT FEEDER CHALLENGES Generally, there are three challenges to take into consideration when it comes to loss-in-weight dosing. The influence of external forces on the weight sensing device (loadcells) The controlling of the motor speed during refilling (gain in weight) Powder bridging and arching in the dosing hopper 1. THE INFLUENCE OF EXTERNAL FORCES ON THE LOADCELLS Generally a loss in weight feeder interacts with the process by receiving and discharging material. Yet, it has to remain isolated from other process equipment in the plant for maximum weigh accuracy. Sophisticated digital filtering algorithms can be applied to recognize and ignore brief disturbances. However, the cumulative effect of ongoing disturbance degrade overall feeder performance. Loss in weight systems must often commit to extreme high dosing accuracies meaning that very small changes in total system weight have to be detected. This requires a very high resolution yet stable weighing system that is unaffected by environmental variations. In-plant shock and vibrations can corrupt the weight measurement, destroying the basis for feed rate control. What helps preventing this are: Flexible connections between the dosing unit and other parts of the system. Ensure that the dosing hopper has a stable mounting frame. Use shock mounts to help isolate the feeding system and filter out the accelerations associated with the plant environment Eliminate strong air currents near the dosing unit 2. THE CONTROLLING OF MOTOR SPEED DURING REFILLING (GAIN-IN-WEIGHT) During hopper refill, system weight increases and clearly cannot be used as a basis for feed rate control. There are two ways how to deal with this so called gain-weight-process. THE CONVENTIONAL METHOD The conventional method is to use a constant metering speed throughout the refill phase. the moment an increase in weight is sensed, the feeder maintains the RPM measured just before the refill process started. As in this method the material feed during refilling is maintained by keeping a constant metering speed, the feeder essentially functions volumetrically. When the refill phase is complete and the material has settled, the feeder senses the declining system weight and returns to gravimetrical operation with the metering speed once again being determined by the actual loss in weight. Depending on the process material compressibility, this traditional approach may or may not generate a sensed weight disturbance as the feeder returns to gravimetric operation. For an easily compressible material for which density changes significantly as a result of so called headload, feeder speed just before refill is somewhat higher that it should be after refill when the material being fed was compressed due to the applied weight of newly added material. As a result, when feeder speed is held constant at this higher speed, overfeeding may occur during refill, and feeder speed is abruptly reduced when gravimetric operation resumes. Such abrupt changes in feeder speed can occur resulting in a (sometimes extended) period of off-spec flow until the feeder settles at the new, proper speed. THE ALTERNATIVE METHOD Some feeders avoid this shortcoming by memorizing the feeder’s recent weighing history and using that information to smoothly reduce feeder speed during the short refill period. This brings us to the alternative and at the same time best method for managing gain in weight. In this alternative method the feeders weight-to-speed ratio during gravimetric feeding is stored and that data is then used to control the feeder speed during volumetric feeding in the refill phase. In practice this means that the information that connects a certain filling level of the hopper to the corresponding screw speed is memorized. This way – the system can, even though it is dosing volumetrically during refilling, eliminate the effects of increased density as a result of compressibility of the refilling process. 3. FLOW THROUGH THE FEEDER PROBLEMS As the feeder tries to empty the powders below the blockage, the feed rate falls to zero; while the hopper net weight remains the same. Thereafter, feeder speed maxes out in its attempt to dose material that is no longer available. Then, weight loss drops to zero. In a trend line pattern typical of material buildup, weight loss per screw revolution declines more than expected over time as material builds up on the dosing screws. In response, feeder speed increases to compensate for the efficiency reduction. Too much build up could eventually trigger an alarm condition related to feeder speed or violation of weight loss per screw rotation limits. This condition could arise from any of several causes including a different ingredient supplier, changes in storage, temperature or transport practices. Generally, there are two types of flow through feeder problems. ARCHING (BRIDGING) Arching (bridging) occurs when an arch-shaped obstruction forms above the hopper outlet and stops flow. It can be an interlocking arch, where large particles mechanically interlock to form an obstruction, or a cohesive arch. A cohesive arch occurs when particles bond together due to effects of moisture, fines concentration, particle shape, temperature, etc. RATHOLING Ratholing occurs when discharge takes place only in a flow channel located above the outlet. If the material being handled is cohesive, the material outside of this channel will not flow into it and may cake or agglomerate. Solutions to prevent arching and ratholing from happening are vibrating units, air pads, and/or stirring devices. MORE INFORMATION? CONTACT US! [contact-form-7 id="2619" title="More information? Contact us!"]

NEW WEBINAR: 'batch vs. continuous mixing 2.0' - WHY? Interest in continuous (food) processing is growing rapidly as manufacturers seek new ways to increase throughput and product quality while keeping costs down. As a result more food producers are wondering whether a batch or continuous dough production fits their process best. In this webinar, Sobatech will objectively discuss the principles of both mixing technologies and offer a careful comparison between the two mixing techniques. In the beginning of 2021, Sobatech organised the first edition of 'batch vs. continuous'. The new edition '2.0' is a revised version that includes the most notable and recent trends of continuous food production techniques. Register now for 'batch vs. continuous 2.0'. WHEN? Wed, Jul 28, 2021 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM CET Thu, Jul 29, 2021 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM CET WHERE? Link to register: Registration (gotowebinar.com) If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please ask them below. [caption id="attachment_2927" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Webinar: batch vs. continuous mixing[/caption] [contact-form-7 id="2619" title="More information? Contact us!"]

Naegele Inc. Bakery Systems Partners with Sobatech to Offer Continuous Mixing Equipment to North American Market - To meet the increased demand for continuous, Sobatech decided to expand its international network of local representatives. Today we are proud to officially announce that Naegele Inc. Bakery Systems will be our new continuous representative for the North American Market. As a result of the increased food and quality demand, continuous mixing is becoming more popular every day. “Interest in continuous processing is growing rapidly as food manufacturers seek new ways to increase throughput and product quality while keeping costs down,” said Mike Philip of Naegele Inc. Bakery Systems. Since 1994, Naegele Inc. Bakery Systems has provided the highest quality professional services and support to their clients from new product development to plant automation. Naegele is a family business and the exclusive provider of top-tier bakery equipment and technology with complete technical support throughout all phases of a project from conception to equipment selection through implementation. Sobatech’s continuous mixing equipment complements the existing portfolio of Naegele allowing customers to one-stop-shop providing additional convenience and efficiency. Naegele proofs to be a partner with thorough knowledge of both market and technology. We are proud to join forces with Naegele Inc. Bakery Systems and look forward to serve the increased demand for continuous production of freshly baked goods, cereals, long-life bakery products, convenience foods, meat substitutes, confectionary and snacks. To learn more, visit Neagele online or follow the company on social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn More information? Contact us! [contact-form-7 id="2619" title="More information?"]