We would like to make sandwiches using biscuit shells which are very soft, thin (3mm) and flat.
(a) what kind of forming methods are possible? (rotary moulding, rotary template, depositing, etc.)
(b) is a Peter's type sandwiching machine feasible? If not, is a capper the only solution?
What are the limitations of the above suggestions?
I recommend the use of the rotary moulder. For me it is the best option. It is necessary to have a very good design of the mold, taking care of the angles of demoulding.
For the deposit of the filling, I consider that the best option is the cookie capper. Because the thickness can be managed in the best way. For Peters, although it can occur, the linear speeds are substantially higher and tend to punish the product more. On the other hand, it is highly dependent on thickness and its adjustment to small variations is complex.
Therefore, the cookie capper is the most convenient.
In general, it must be taken into account that all the transfers must be adjusted very well and the cookie capper itself must have special adjustments to align and form the sandwich given the very low thicknesses.
Best regards.
Omar
Hi Daniel, it is possible to make it in a existing common sandwiching line, but it would need to undergo several modifications, mainly in belt transferences, and sandwiching machine (that may be RSM type). Not an easy task, since, it would demand investment, lots of trials, and a learning curve. Possibly keep a dedicated line only for for it too. For that thickness, you would not want to make the base too soft too, because losses could be high.
Limitations would be the transferences, base cake detaching system in RSM prior to filling, stacking, breakage index, to mention some.
Jose
Dear Daniel
Producing such thin shell is a big challenge. Please go with rotary moulder but here I have suggestion go with errebee moulders. You capital investment will be more but release from the mould will be good so that subsequent transfers is easy. Your extraction conveyor should be better to have 1mm thickness. Extraction web to panner web you need better knife at the end which can manage if the mix sometimes slightly soft. On release from oven end the oven end knife should be damage from and band also damage free. If end knife in oven delivery is jumbing it is very very difficult to transfer such thin biscuits. Keep ammonia level less to have flat biscuits. Also better to have atleast 6feet runout chamber.(if you are designing now please incorporate or if it is not there you can switch off last zone and bake with available zone which makes biscuit get harden to have smooth transfer. If you give the oven length and zones I will give recommended baking time.
It is better to go for another type of creaming machine rather peters machine where you will have lot of defective sure. if the company manufacturers give assurance that they can prove the defective percentage by 3% you can accept.(creaming defective, if they give less fine) But recommended cookie caper machine which will have investment but it will be good.
Pl try to incorporate my suggestion if you are satisfied with my recommendation as I have gone through this kind of problems.
Do you have a reference of a market product? Is it a "thin" like "Oreo Thin", or rather a fine biscuit like "Créa d'Or Noisette"?
I ask because they require different technology for forming, baking and sandwiching.
Dear SM
One cookie shell benchmark is the white lovers (in Japan) and the other is Oreo thin.
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
For Oreo thin you need a regular rotary moulder, preferably with the belt motorisation on an independant roller, rather than on the rubber roller, to ensure maximum tension at the delivery edge. A small radius at the edge with a finer belt will also help. For baking, I would go for Steinhaus-type band. For sandwiching I would choose a capper, since it runs at a lower linear speed than a stencil creamer, which will guarantee a gentle treatment of the product. This doesn't mean a stencil won't work, of course.
White Lovers are made with a template depositor on a plain steel belt. The sandwiching requires a special technology because the filling is a thin solid chocolate tablet!
There is however a Swiss company that can make a similar product with a capper placed above the baking belt at the delivery end of the oven.