Improved Drum Dryer Productivity: A Case Study

Often, the goal of roll cleaning is to prevent contaminants from getting into the finished product. However, the roll cleaning blades used in the drum dryer flaking process provide a different function. In everything from potato starch flaking to pharmaceutical uses, the goal is to efficiently remove the product from the roll and generate maximum yield. So, what benefit do roll cleaning and scraping technologies offer the flaking industry? The following case study illustrates how the AccuFlake™ PRO blade holder and ProFlake™ roll cleaning blade significantly increased productivity and decreased downtime.

Challenge

A US-based specialty chemical producer used OEM clamp-style holders on its drum dryer flaker. These holders were difficult to work with and required up to three hours of downtime per blade change. Because the blades were clamped into place, there was no allowance for thermal expansion, resulting in ripples across the roll. To avoid rippling, thicker blades (2.4 mm) were used, which further limited the flexibility and conformance of the blade to the drum. This led to uneven wear and grooving of the drum surface. Additionally, the holders and blades did not oscillate, and the blades were not adjustable, leading to blade misalignment and degraded drum dryer flaker performance over time.

Solution

The OEM-supplied scraper assembly was replaced with a new system, which included the AccuFlake PRO blade holder, ProFlake roll cleaning blade, and Varimatic™ oscillator.

Results

The time required to change the roll cleaning blade was reduced by 98 percent,  from three hours to three minutes, and the easy end-removal design made the blade change much safer.

Flaking consistency and product yield increased due to the high conformability of the thin but strong ProFlake roll cleaning blade. The thinner blades required less load, which meant less wear on the drum. The new system provides oscillation, improving flaking efficiency, and micro adjustability of the roll cleaning blade to ease set-up and optimize blade angle for maximum yield.

Market Insights

AccuFlake PRO blade holders are specifically designed to provide safe, fast, and easy blade changes for the drum dryer flaking process. ProFlake blades offer longer operating life and improved control to increase productivity and decrease downtime. Both are also HACCP International food safe certified.