Sugden developed a triple-layered insulation system for all its Hotplate Systems, following an R&D process that evaluated the best suitable materials for its applications. The revised insulation brings an upgrade to the previous, single-layer insulation and uses new types of materials for better performance.

“With our previous insulation system, when the inner baking surface would reach temperatures as high as 240°C, the outer surface temperature would still be around 110°C. These figures were transformed on the new triple-layered system: with the same inner face temperature, we can now realize an outer face temperature of 35-40°C. This represents real-world savings in running costs for our customers and ensures our Hotplate Systems are amongst the most cost-effective to run,” Sugden told us.

A new concept and new materials

When designing the insulating system, Sudgen aimed to preserve the heat where it is needed to bake the product, while also updating the mechanical design. To start the redesign of the three-layer insulation, Sugden’s design team first revised how their English Muffin Lines were insulated and determined that further mechanical design changes to the equipment were needed.

“With the two rigid boards on the outside and a special new product in-between, the outer face only reaches 35°C, while all our components of the burner system are protected to ensure they operate well within their upper-temperature limits,” Sugden explains.

To identify the materials that best fitted their requirements, Sugden’s specialists consulted with insulation experts, as they aimed at future-proofing the design as much as possible during this redesign process. “We pushed our system to this performance level with only 60mm thickness of insulation materials,” Sugden adds.

The company is looking into incorporating the new insulation system into all of its lines. It can also be fitted on existing lines. A customer in the U.S. has already received the upgrade on their Sugden line: the old, single-layered system was removed to install the new one within two days. A reduction in the running costs of the line is observed since the upgrade.

Photos: Sugden UKits