As a manufacturer of vacuum pumps, blowers, and air knife systems, Republic Manufacturing supplies the bakery industry with top-of-the-line equipment to aid our client’s production and quality control. How can an industrial air knife system improve your baking operation?
In the bakery industry, quality control systems are an essential step in the production of baked goods. As the bakery’s warm and delicious treats roll out onto the moving conveyer belt, the fresh treats travel through a silky waterfall that coats them with a layer of glazed icing, leaving a glossy yet uneven finish. That is where a high-velocity air knife system steps in to save the day!
An air knife blasts a consistent, high-speed blade of air across the conveyor belt to level the icing and smooth it evenly over each freshly baked good. Some baking operations use compressed air to deliver picture-perfect goods, but a compressed air system can be an inefficient way to install a conveyor belt drying or blow off system. Centrifugal blowers operate more efficiently and effectively than a compressed air system, resulting in cleaner baked goods without raising production costs. Compressed air nozzles are proven to be highly inefficient and awfully expensive for drying applications. Research shows that air compressor systems used to dry products on a 36-inch length span of conveyer will cost over $1,434 per week of operation; while a Republic Air Knife System will only cost a little over $104 per week to operate.[1] Republic’s blowers are energy-efficient and inexpensive to operate, requiring much less horsepower than compressed air to create the necessary flow.
Aside from the benefits of increased efficiency, air knife systems are safe for food applications and available with food-grade construction. The pressurized air flowing through the air knives makes direct contact with the treats, while harboring no bacteria. We give you the peace of mind that our air knives are specifically designed to comply with all USDA, 3-A, and ANSI/NSF/3-A standards for use in meat, poultry, dairy, and general food processing.
Our state-of-the-art air knife systems can be used for more than just leveling icing and glaze. The Republic Air Knife System is engineered, manufactured, and tested to provide 99.9% liquid, dust, and debris removal from products before packaging, labeling, or other secondary operations using a high-velocity, high-impact air stream. This is accomplished by pressuring the air plenum with a uniform continuous gap that allows pressurized air to exist in a laminar flow pattern. This current air velocity creates an impact air velocity directly onto the product’s surface to shear away moisture or particulates without mechanical contact. The air knife system has a teardrop design to minimize the internal turbulence of air entering the knife while projecting it in a highly controlled manner through the discharge.
We offer custom systems created for food processing solutions, and the possibilities of what you can do with the Republic Air Knife System are seemingly endless. From start to finish, we are dedicated to providing you with the best air knife systems to cover all of your bakery needs. To learn more about Republic Manufacturing’s Air Knife Systems, visit us at https://www.republic-mfg.com/air-knives/systems.asp.
[1] Republic Manufacturing. (2022). Air Knife Systems – air knife blower & dryer: Republic manufacturing. Air Knife Systems – Air Knife Blower & Dryer | Republic Manufacturing. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://www.republic-mfg.com/air-knives/systems.asp