The Admix Fastfeed® has helped hundreds of processors improve their operations. One such success story came from a beverage manufacturer that wanted to improve their batching processes.
The challenge
The processor’s protocol required carrying and dumping hundreds of pounds of powders from 50-pound (22 kilogram) bags. These ingredients were dumped into a conventional “premix” in a tank batch mixer on an elevated batch deck.
The client needed to produce product faster, use less energy, and improve operator ergonomics while maintaining the same quality of products. They also wanted to reduce product loss from producing diverse products in batch sizes varying from 100 (or 378 liters) to 30,000 gallons (or 113,562 liters). Ingredients included gums, stabilizers, plant proteins, vitamins, minerals, sweeteners, energy drink components, nutraceuticals, preservatives, acids, whey and milk protein isolates, whey and milk protein concentrates, milk powders, and assorted flavorings. The gamut!
The solution
Our representatives performed a thorough batching audit and offered the Fastfeed inline powder induction and dispersion system as a solution to their batching concerns. The Fastfeed is a fully integrated system featuring a two-stage rotor/stator high-speed disperser and a powerful powder suction pump. This combination of high liquid flow and controlled vacuum induction instantly and completely wets and disperses powders inline at the particulate level. This results in no unmixed ingredients ever reaching the downstream blend tank, with emulsions in the 3-5 micron range routinely produced.
After the Fastfeed was installed, operators could induct, wet, disperse and hydrate all powdered ingredients in a single pass at induction rates over 450 pounds per minute (or 204 kilograms). Highly used powders could be inducted from bulk sacks while the balance of powders added from 50 pound bags, both from the safety of floor level. The operators also recognized the benefit of inducting liquid flavor concentrates and purees from pails, drums, and totes without the need for an additional pump.
How are they doing now?
Today, downstream strainers and filters are no longer required as smooth, lump-free product is delivered with every batch run. Batch-to-batch inconsistencies from different operators dumping powders into mix tanks at varying rates have also been eliminated.
Now the client produces any batch size required, plus batch times have been reduced by 50%, 70% less energy is used, and dusting from dumping powders into open top mix tanks has been eliminated. Since all mixing is now accomplished inline without the need for time-consuming recirculation loops, product air entrainment is also drastically reduced.
Importantly, the Fastfeed met the client’s goal of achieving a return on investment in less than one year.
Is the Fastfeed right for your process? Get a quote or learn more about our trial program today!