Equipment manufacturers are producing machinery that is easier to clean, take apart and reassemble in order to make sanitation easier.

“There’s a lot more stainless steel in bakery equipment than there used to be so there’s less painted equipment,” said Mike Scouten, vice president, sales and customer service, Stewart Systems and Baker Thermal Solutions, both part of Middleby Bakery. “Bakery equipment used to always be painted.”

Royal Kaak has a full-scale 3D metal printer to facilitate more hygienic designs, said Johan Laros, managing director, Royal Kaak North America Inc.

“The 3D metal printer not only allows the company to print single-piece complex-shaped spare parts but also allows it to use the increased shape versatility in 3D metal printing technology for printing line components such as conveyor legs with a shape that avoids buildup of contaminates,” he said.

AMF Flex equipment features open sanitary frame designs that provide easy access to most parts of the machine as well as self-cleaning features on dividers, said Dan Alper, product marketing manager, AMF Bakery Systems.

“In the quest for maintaining impeccable hygiene standards and operational efficiency, innovative sanitary equipment designs are revolutionizing the ease of cleaning machinery on a pan bread line, setting new benchmarks in the industry,” he added.

Washable transportation belts and enclosed processing areas have helped reduce cleaning times on bread lines, said Nicola Menardo, president, TP Food Group, North America.

“From this point of view, spiral proofers, coolers and freezers are perfect examples of machines designed for regular and sustained washing cycles,” he said. “In addition, given these spirals can be enclosed within cabinets, the collection of process residues, such as excess of seeding, is highly simplified.”

Complete washdown capability is in high demand, said Jim Fontaine, bakery field sales manager, Reiser.

“Bakers want to be able to reduce sanitation time for allergens and everyday cleaning needs,” he said. “We strive to reduce the time and effort to break down and clean and maintain our Vemags.”

This article is an excerpt from the July 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Pan Bread Processing, click here.