Plant shutdowns during Thanksgiving week or between Christmas and New Year’s Day is common in the food manufacturing industry. Employees benefit from vacation (except the maintenance team of course) while contractors with various expertise and tasks come in to refurbish or re-engineer equipment and systems.
While shut-down goals are planned well in advance, Mepaco’s field service team recommends that time be set aside for a thorough replacement parts inventory and a shut-down audit to keep your Mepaco equipment running in top condition. Replacement Parts Inventory Below are (7) seven common parts for most Mepaco machines. During your shut-down, check parts usage and update inventory quantities. If you have budget money left for the year, contact Mepaco to get these items back on your shelves. Motors / Gear Boxes Due to the high cost of production downtime, we are seeing companies replace motors and gear boxes rather than repair them. Motor and gear motor availability ranges from 3 to 4 weeks lead times currently. Gaskets Gaskets are replaced when there is leaking in the process or the equipment is not pulling vacuum. Gaskets are sold by the foot; check your inventory to make sure you have an ample supply. Add the special gasket cutter scissors (image above) to your parts order for ease of installation. Seals The split seal is common in many applications and requires frequent replacement depending on usage. Air-purge seals and mechanical seals are engineered to reduce maintenance and sanitation costs, but still may need a place in the inventory albeit fewer quantities than split seals. Safety Switches Safety switches can get bumped and battered in a busy processing environment and can be weakened by harsh sanitation chemicals. Verify inventory needs for safety and other electronic components. Agitators Agitators require custom fabrication to your machine specifications. Depending on damage, agitators may be repaired on sight. In some cases, however, it is a catastrophic failure, and a new agitator is required. Sometimes it is not feasible to keep an extra agitator in inventory, however proactive agitator inspections can be performed during shutdown to determine wear. Cylinders / Cylinder Kits Cylinders are another item that has a long lead time for replacement. It is recommended to have backups. Another option is to also include cylinder repair kits in inventory. Pneumatic and hydraulic cylinder repair kits will extend the life of your cylinders. Bearings One to two back-ups are recommended depending on usage. Plant shutdown is a good time to review compare bearing maintenance practices to the frequency replacement bearing usage.
Shut-down Audit Mepaco techs can be available during shut-down schedules for proactive performance equipment audits. Equipment and system audit activities include:
Contact Mepaco Field Services (920-356-7314) if you are interested in a plant shutdown audit. Contact parts@apachestainless.com if you need help with parts replacements for your equipment.
Our service techs, engineers and application experts have pinpointed five most-often congested production areas and processes observed in food manufacturing plants:
1. Underperforming grinders
Grinders underperform due to dull plates and knives and other worn parts. Adjustment of the HP/RPM/Pitch can be made to increase capacity. If not properly maintained, the pin and bushing will wear on the head of the grinder and over time, will become a throughput issue.
The root cause of dull plates and blades is often because the grinder is running dry. The grinder must always be lubricated with product: If the operator looks away for only a few seconds, the blades and plates will be ruined. Some processors use level sensors that shut-off the grinder before it runs dry and is automatically controlled to turn on when the product is running.
2. Over-blending
Over-blending product is a waste of production time and efficiencies. Sometimes the blender is overfilled to increase production. The consequences are extended load/discharge and blend cycle times. A slight increase in the batch size leads to losses in the overall production rate with a sacrifice in quality and accuracy.
While the equipment may be the wrong style for the application, a different agitator may produce a quick, effective blend. It may also be a process issue where the recipes and timing require tuning to control the blender more efficiently.
3. Manual unloading
When the blender or mixer needs to be manually unloaded, several minutes of production are lost. The equipment must be shut off, the operator must manually remove product around the doors, then close the doors before taking the tote by fork truck to the dumper.
Screw conveyors, metering screws or pump feeders may be able to be planned into the system to automate the process, even as a retrofit, if the floor layout allows.
4. Overtaxed mixers
Mixers are the workhorse of the grinding and/or blending lines. It is vital to keep them feeding downstream operations. Automation of the unloading operations through metering screw conveyors and pump feeders can help to keep the mixer running continuously.
Another issue is the horsepower specifications. If CO2 is used in the process, it causes the product to harden and it can tax the agitator and motor and may even cause damage to the mixer if not specified correctly for the application.
5. Ineffective loaders
Some processors struggle with effective loading using off-the-rack equipment. Screw conveyor systems can be designed for the application to provide the best flighting and spacing with tighter tolerance for positive conveyance and the fastest feeding possible. Self-clean-out solutions can further increase loading performance.
If you have any questions or have an application to discuss to remove your production bottlenecks, call Mepaco at 920-356-9900 and we will put you in touch with a specialist.
This 8000 lb. Mixer Blender is equipped with vacuum and CO2 injection, required for downstream forming and packaging operations.
Mepaco's Mixer Blenders are engineered to specific application parameters. These industrial mixing solutions are code-stamped and ASME rated, with high-pressure dimple or stay-bolt jackets. Cooling jackets or injection systems, like in this Mixer Blender, are also available with applicable solenoid controls, manifold, injectors and exhaust covers. Designed to produce homogeneous blends quickly and efficiently, Mepaco's Mixer Blenders provide results in increased productivity and yields.
This unit has a hatch in the cover for access to sanitation and to manually add ingredients. It also features dual paddle agitation and discharge. The interior was polished to a 32RA and the exterior is passivated.
For more information, visit Mepaco's page on Mixer-Blenders.
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