Consumers are not just hungry for any cakes, but are seeking diversity and sensory experiences in their choices. The technology behind baking such options needs more flexibility than ever.
Bakeries are demanding a higher degree of flexibility from their cake production lines. Unifiller took this need to the drawing board and incorporated a comprehensive set of answers in its newly launched Flexline. This line specializes in the production of small batches of many different types of products, with minimum changeover timings. It can produce 500-900 cakes/h for round, two-three layer cakes and 300-400 cakes/h for rectangular, two-three layer cakes of 400x600mm. It processes cakes in one step, from using the freshly baked sponges and cream right up to placing the decorated cakes into packaging before they go into the cooler or freezer. The 2021 edition of the Flexline needs less space and is more compact, as the heavy syrup spraying unit, which is typically approximately 1.5m long, has been replaced. Instead, “We are now using a small ELF400 depositor to spray the syrup on the conveyor of the Multi Station. To be able to do this, we added a conveyor extension, only 40cm long, to the Multi Station, and equipped the ELF400 depositor with a syrup shower head,” Unifiller details.
For increased production volumes, cakes with diameters ranging from 10cm to 22cm can be produced on two lanes. Bigger cakes (up to 30cm in diameter) are processed through the Multi Station on one row. Within the space of under 4m, as many as 700 cakes with a 16cm diameter can be produced per hour, and it only takes a staff of three to process everything from soaking syrup to applying the filling, assembling and icing the cakes. The line comprises the small ELF400 depositor, a Multi Station, a Hopper Topper pump and a Cake-O-Matic. The conveyor belt of the Multi Station is another novelty brought by the new revision of the equipment. Unifiller added ‘fingers’ to the belt to gently position the sponges correctly and center them for a clean spreading result of the fillings. A catch pan is now also included underneath the Multi Station to prevent the syrup from dripping onto the floor.
The first operator puts the sponger through a slicer to obtain the two-three layers, and then handles the placement of the sponges on two rows, onto the conveyor extension of the Multi Station. One or two ELF400 depositors automatically detect the sponges and spray syrup onto them. The filling is applied on the layers with the Multi Station via a Hopper Topper pump, then the sponges move onto the 4m-long conveyor, where the second team member assembles the layers into a custom-made cake ring. The third staff member is assigned to do the top and side icing on the Cake-O-Matic, with a Hopper Topper Pump. From there, the cakes continue on the conveyor(s) where they are further decorated, finished and packaged. Packaging would require a fourth team member on the line. This process can be modified to add decoration along the conveyor, for example. Possible variations in the equipment line-up can include:
+ Shorter or longer conveyors (3-5 meters), depending on specific needs – e.g., more steps in between to add decoration, fruits, etc.
+ One or two depositors to spray syrup, depending on the type of cake
+ If the same type of cream is used for the filling and the icing, the Hopper Topper pump can feed both depositors (Multi Station and the Cake-O-Matic)
+ 11m-long layout: within a space smaller than 4m in length, the cakes are completely processed, from the addition of syrup to the filling in between the sponge layers, and top and side icing. The rest of the line is used for decorating with frozen fruits, spraying jelly and packaging.
Round layer cakes and rectangular cakes can be produced on the Unifiller Flexline primarily. In addition, a long list of fine bakery products can also be prepared, including muffins and decorated cupcakes, brownies, pies, eclairs, macarons, and single-serve desserts. To add a new range of cakes into production, sets of new nozzles are required and can be easily added. The machine is already prepared to handle everything else, with features included in the line’s hardware and software.
Optionally, drip-free nozzles can be added for liquid fillings and for the addition of chunks in sizes up to 19x19x19mm. Additional depositors can also be installed along the conveyor to automate the decoration on top of the cakes. The standard machines are flexibly built to allow customizations to be made with little effort. “We just need to add some custom-made nozzles, conveyors or other accessories that are produced locally. Alternatively, our customers can easily modify their products on their own: different cake sizes are easily implemented in the servo control of the Multi Station,” Unifiller explains. Cakes with a different number of layers can be made in this way, with various fruit or inclusions, and diverse decorations.
Moreover, “The newest addition we are working on is to implement Baker-Bots made by Apex Motion Control for further automation of the process,” Unifiller anticipates. More details will be available soon.
The latest cake line installations were completed this year for customers in Norway, Romania and Switzerland.
