Chemicals
- Fatty acids
- Oleochemicals
- Phtalic anhydride
- PEG
- Maleic anhydride
- Calcium chloride
- Caprolactam
- Resins
- Bisphenol A
- Sulphur,
- Pharmaceutical applications: stearate, soap
ANDRITZ Gouda drum flaker
The ANDRITZ Gouda drum flaker is used primarily for solidification of chemical and pharmaceutical products. However, more applications for these machines are also being found in the food industry.
The closed design is ideally suited for processing of toxic or offensively smelling products. With the drum flaker, a molten product is converted into a solid form. A thin layer of the liquid adheres to the outside of the rotating, internally cooled drum in a continuous process. Heat is extracted from the product by contact with the cooled drum surface and the product solidifies. The drum flaker is primarily used to produce flakes, but there are also ways of converting your product into easily manageable pastilles or flakes.
ANDRITZ Gouda drum flaker – closed design
Resin solidification on an ANDRITZ Gouda drum flaker
Strengths/benefits/features
- Maximum Efficiency
- Coolant circulation provides optimum heat transfer
- Dust or gas tight model
Applications
Food
- Cheese
- Chocolate
- Dough
- Vegetables
General process description
With the drum flaker, a molten product is converted into a solid form. In a continuous process, a thin layer of the liquid product adheres to the outside of the rotating drum. The product solidifies upon contact with the drum's outer surface, that is internally cooled. Heat is transferred from the product and the required final temperature is reached. After the drum has turned through almost a full revolution, the product is removed from its surface by a knife scraper. In the process, the product is comminuted to easily manageable flakes, which are checked for shape and size depending on the product's nature and the process conditions. The drum flaker can be supplied in various versions.
Dip feed
For products with low viscosity and good adhesion properties a drum flaker with dip pan is used. In this type of drum flaker, the rotating drum runs continuously through the heated melt in the dip pan underneath the drum. Owing to the internal cooling of the drum, the melt solidifies on the drum surface. As it rotates, the drum also picks up a quantity of liquid product, which also soon cools and solidifies.
Overhead applicator roll
For product with poor adhesion properties and moderate to high viscosities, the overhead applicator roll is used. In this system, a heated applicator roll is positioned above the cooling drum. The melt can be easily fed via the trough-shaped nip between the applicator roll and the cooling drum. Contact with the hot applicator roll ensures that the product remains liquid. During production the product flows via the trough nip to the cold cooling drum and adheres to the drum surface. This operation allows flake shape and thickness to be precisely controlled. A knife then scrapes the solidified product from the drum.
Other designs
ANDRITZ Gouda has a range of specialty machines. For products with poor adhesion properties, the surface can also be furnished with special (dovetail-sectioned) grooves. Drums are mostly made of stainless steel. Besides the choice of many types of stainless steel, chrome plated, Hastelloy or cast iron drums are also possible.
Scraper assembly in many designs
The scraper assemblies of ANDRITZ Gouda have a robust design, provide uniform pressure distribution of the drum's entire length and thus eliminate vibrations. The knife pressure can by easily adjusted by means of a pneumatic pressing system that is mounted outside the casing. A selection of knife materials is available, ranging from steel to plastics. The material chosen depends on the product to be processed. The flake size can be determined in advance by the choice of the scraper system.
