[Mass production and space saving] What is the secret of the spiral freezer structure?

Advances in freezing technology have led to the development of safe and delicious frozen foods, and the demand for frozen foods is increasing.

Do you want to increase your production capacity or expand your production scale to meet demand, but do you find it difficult due to limited space?

Spiral freezers allow for mass production even if you don't have a lot of space. You can work hygienically and efficiently, and you can also make your work space more compact.

Structure of spiral freezer

There are two main types of conveyor-type rapid freezer used in food processing plants: tunnel freezers and spiral freezers. Tunnel freezers have a structure in which the conveyor runs horizontally, while spiral freezers have a structure in which the conveyor runs vertically.

In the spiral type, a belt conveyor is spirally wrapped around the outer circumference of a vertically installed drum, and the food is placed on top of it and cooled and frozen by blowing cold air onto it. Since the conveyor area can be large compared to the installation area, mass production can be done even if you do not have a large space.

Can be rapid freezing to -40℃ or below depending on the application. Basically, cold air is applied horizontally to the belt surface to evenly cool the food. Some machines direct cold air perpendicular to the belt surface, which prevents the food from being disorganized by the air.

You can choose the direction in which the line flows from top to bottom, bottom to top, or bottom to bottom, allowing you to design it freely depending on how you use it. In addition, since you can choose the type of belt conveyor, you can handle all types of food, including tray food and bare food, regardless of the shape of the food.

By combining conditions such as set temperature and belt length, some factories have been able to shorten freezing time, reducing the process that previously took 3 to 4 hours to about 10 minutes. Because it allows for efficient work, it is possible to produce 1 ton per hour, depending on the machine and application.

Advantages of spiral structure

Machinery automation is progressing rapidly in food processing plants. Automating machines not only enables mass production but also reduces labor costs and labor. Additionally, by eliminating as much manual labor as possible, risks such as food poisoning and foreign substance contamination can be prevented. Enables efficient work and thorough hygiene management.

When automating refrigeration lines, it is common to install tunnel-type rapid freezer. Spiral freezers are more expensive to install than tunnel freezers. However, spiral freezers have the production capacity of tunnel freezers and save space.

The tunnel type has a conveyor structure with horizontal lines, but the spiral type has a conveyor structure with vertical lines, so the space can be used three-dimensionally. If you try to expand your production space using the tunnel type, you will need a large area, but if you use the spiral type, you can expand your production space with a small area. The spiral type is the most effective when you want to secure a production line with a limited footprint or increase the number of production lines.

Spiral freezers can be designed freely, so you can maximize the space according to your needs.
For example, you can secure a long line by combining two drums or by creating a structure that flows from bottom to bottom. It is also possible to incorporate two belts into one drum and operate two lines at the same time. By extending the line, you can handle foods that take longer to freeze.

In addition to increasing production space, the equipment becomes more compact, reducing cleaning time and reducing running costs such as detergent, hot water, and electricity.

Even if you want to add a new production line, it may be difficult to add another one to your existing tunnel freezer due to space constraints. Even in such cases, by introducing a spiral freezer and combining it with a tunnel freezer, you can solve both production capacity and space issues.

What is the effective use of spiral freezer?

Source: https://yoneda-kohki-group.co.jp/products_sp1/

How are spiral freezers used?

It is used not only for fresh products, but also for freezing fried foods, side dishes such as hamburgers, and bread. Since it takes time to freeze hot food, a spiral freezer is suitable because it can freeze food over a long period of time.

For example, at a seafood processing plant that handles eel, the temperature of the grilled eel is lowered to approximately 50℃, and then frozen in a spiral freezer for approximately 45 minutes at a temperature below -30℃. Eel can be completely frozen down to its core, allowing for mass production while preserving its deliciousness to the fullest.

Processing plants that handle a wide variety of food products install spiral freezers when expanding their facilities to create a mass production system. On the Imagawa-yaki/Taiyaki production line, products baked in the automatic baking machine are sent directly to the spiral freezer. After being quickly frozen, it is weighed and packed using an automatic packaging machine. By incorporating it into the factory line flow, we are making work more efficient.

In addition, at a factory that manufactures frozen fried oysters, the oysters are processed and delivered from a breading machine and then frozen in a spiral freezer for about 45 minutes. Using five freezers on one line, we produce 3,000 tons of fried oysters annually. In the future, if demand increases and we need to increase the number of production lines, we can double the production by using two drum belts to create a two-line system.

In this way, by effectively using a spiral freezer, you can produce products tailored to your needs. There are differences in the quality of food after freezing and running costs depending on the machine, so you need to be careful when choosing a machine to make the best use of it.

Conclusion

Food processing plants, which require not only mass production but also hygienic and efficient work, will increasingly be automated by machines.

Why not consider installing a spiral freezer to make the most of limited space and produce higher quality food?