Sophisticated separation technology:Reliable drives for the food industry

How to best puree fruit containing stones, or to separate fish mince from fishbone? And how to remove sinew and gristle from meat without wasting material? Every amateur chef who has already spent hours pressing fruit through a sieve with a spoon or preparing chicken soup knows these questions. In the food industry, these methods have an automated equivalent that makes time-consuming manual labor unnecessary: so-called soft separa-tors are used to gently separate the solid and soft components of a wide range of basic products. Robust, reliable drive technology components that are suit-able for the requirements of the food industry are a key prerequisite for a con-sistently high product quality.

A clean separation

The BAADER group, a leading manufacturer of machinery and processing plant for the food industry, developed suitable technology for the clean separation of meat and sinews or cartilage more than 40 years ago. Over time, the product range was extended, and now includes soft separators with varying performances that can be used to remove sinew from meat and poultry, to recover meat from fish, to extract pulp from fruit and vegetables, and to unpack food products. In BAADER soft separators, a toothed chain powered by a geared motor is used to move a squeezing belt. The squeezing belt transports the product to a perforated drum and squeezes the soft components through the perforation, while the solid particles remain outside of the drum. An adjustable cylinder allows users to adjust the yield/quality ratio.

This method ensures maximum product quality and minimal temperature increase. Thus, the cell structure of the source product is not destroyed, since the squeezing belt system offers sufficient flexibility. At the same time, unwanted solid components are kept out of the end product during meat processing. Last but not least, the method results in considerable time savings and a standardized final product compared to manual product separation.

Versatile machines

BAADER's soft separators were developed in the 1960s and have been constantly optimized since then, for example with regard to the cleaning options. They comply with internationally recognized hygiene standards. In several models, helical bevel geared motors from NORD Drivesystems serve as drive units. One example is the BAADER 605 type, which reaches a maximum performance of approximately 3,000 kg per hour depending on the hole size in the perforated drum, the feeding type, the product, the feeding temperature and the selected pressure – thereby qualifying for continuous large volume processing. Users can choose a hole diameter of 1.3, 2, 3, 5 or 8 mm in the perforated drum, with other diameters available on request.

: Custom-tailored drive technology

Drive technology expert NORD provides robust helical bevel gear motors for the soft separators – BAADER uses the SK 9016.1, SK 9022.1 and SK 9042.1 gear unit types. These drives owe their long life endurance partly to the UNICASE design of NORD's geared motors: the housing, which is made from a single-piece casting with integrated bearing seats, eliminates all sealing surfaces that could deflect under the effect of torque or radial forces. The high-efficiency gear units with durable, wear-free gear teeth also contribute to high reliability during operation. NORD's comprehensive consultation services for customers and users was another factor in the choice of a supplier. NORD has, for instance, also advised BAADER during the preparation of switching over to IE2 motors, helped by extensive experience in the development of efficient drive technology and application-specific energy savings concepts. “In NORD, we have found a reliable, competent partner who supplies us with customized drive solutions”, explains Martin Schaarschmidt, Sales Manager Separator Technology at BAADER. “Consultation through NORD experts in particular is a great relief, and allows us to focus completely on our own products.”