Reliable, delicate and consistent sheeting is the meeting place of accurate technology and dough rheology. Now, smart algorithms and automations add a level of sophistication to the process that completely takes the stress out of the equation and the dough sheet.
Control is the name of the game in automating processes in bakeries to guarantee that the products will always be instantly recognizable, with no taste or texture variations. Semi-industrial operations have the opportunity to be agile in setting up workflows to their unique advantage. A suite of smart tools and solutions is available to help automate the desired process steps and integrate interfaces between process steps and various systems used in production.
Process controls are increasingly adopted. Among them, systems that evaluate the dough flow on the line are in demand. Any departure from the preset characteristics of the dough is identified in real-time. Bakeries may choose to set up the process to automatically change parameters to return the sheet of dough to the desired properties (and keep it there by constantly course-correcting when needed), or have alerts inform the operators that they need to step in for adjustments. Product consistency targets taste, texture and weight – for each item. Here, too, weight monitoring can help eliminate variations automatically. For efficiency, it is a solution increasingly adopted.
In addition, information exchange from line to operation control is among the features gaining in popularity. Information is power in baking, too, and having each team member, from top management to line manager or shift operator, receive the exact data they need is that power.
Smart sheeting
RONDO is working with semi-industrial bakeries on better – and smarter setups. For sheeting, smart technology means easier utilization, increased efficiency and operator comfort. This is what RONDO intended with its Smart Bread Line, which was designed to support simple product changes, thanks to its modular and ergonomic construction. Flexibility was also a part of its design, which is why it can be used for a wide variety of breads. No matter the specialty, though, gentle dough handling is ensured for the entire sheeting process, upholding its ‘stress-free technology’ promise for doughs, so that even highly hydrated and pre-fermented specialties can be produced.
The RONDO Smart Bread Line can be flexibly used for any capacities between 200 kg/h up to 1,000 kg/h, and can reduce manual operations in the bakery, while maintaining the handcrafted quality of the products, RONDO underlines.
Capacities vary according to the product category – and this sheeting line from RONDO can run a vast list of specialties, from cut breads (ciabatta, square-, rectangle- or triangle-shaped products) and stamped breads (pizza, pinsa, naan), to long molded breads (baguettes) and round molded products (Rosenbrötchen, bread loaves). It can be set up in various unique layouts, according the the best assessment of the space and modules needed for the products to be made. “The basic sheeting line is identical for all product categories. Steps include forming the dough band out of the mixing bowl, reducing the dough band’s thickness, adjusting it in width, and finally, calibrating it for product weight consistency,” RONDO lists. Accurate scaling units can be integrated into the system, to precisely monitor and control product weight consistency. Dough band formers pre-form the dough from the bowl into a band, starting the no-stress journey of the dough through the sheeting process. “The MIDOS dough band former, for example, has a specially designed roller system that does not require any process flour or oil. This is essential for a homogenous dough structure and a high-quality artisanal crust,” RONDO explains.
”If the line is already designed for round products, the entire category of cut products can be produced as well, without any further modifications, by just adding new tools corresponding to the desired shapes.”
Angela Bieli, Head of Marketing and Communication, RONDO
The thickness of the dough band is then gently reduced. Its cross roller has a double role: it expands the width of the dough band while relacing the dough. Moreover, tension is avoided by minimizing drop heights along the line.
Where rounding is needed to form the products, the RONDObot is used, to reduce the tension in the dough during the rounding process. It can be precisely adjusted to the product and product quality and it can be individually adjusted for each product. “The RONDObot mimics the manual rounding process. Rounding is perfected through multiple steps, with bigger circular movements and smaller circular movements; by applying more pressure, or less pressure. Sometimes, even elliptical movements are necessary to achieve a perfect product. Depending on the product quality, the different molding phases are combined or repeated in different sequences,” highlights Angela Bieli, Head of Marketing and Communication, RONDO.
Today and tomorrow
Different layouts can be executed for the make-up/forming steps, including the selected modules from the available options. They can always be adjusted, as they are built to be interchangeable and extendable, so that the line can be extended over time in capacity and product diversity.
For instance, if the line is already designed for round products, the entire category of cut products can be produced as well, without any further modifications, by just adding new tools corresponding to the desired shapes. If baguettes are added on this line, the long molding module needs to be added at the end, but the rest of the line remains unchanged. Single modules with a bypass function ensure changeovers are made with no downtime.
The RONDObot, which comes with the Smart Bread Line, can be used for any number of production lanes, and for any product size and weight. Interchangeable tools are available to further diversify production (through automated changeovers to the selected recipes and corresponding tools).
All the operators need to do is load the desired program and the majority of the settings will automatically adjust to it, from the belt speed, to the roller gaps, cutting lengths, to molding and panning parameters. Tools such as cutting rollers, guillotine blades, or stamping dies are manually swapped, as well as the spreading conveyor, to match the number of production lanes.
The Smart Bread Line is designed to work with artisan-style breads, meaning it is suitable for popular specialties: doughs with long resting times, doughs with a high water content (hydration levels of 180 and even higher), sponge doughs, doughs with pre-dough, as well as organic doughs without dough conditioners.
All grounds are covered for any combination of exciting, unique products bakeries want to plan, with ample opportunity for it to evolve together with trends.
