Ensuring equipment settings are optimized minimizes waste on sheeting and laminating lines.

“When assembling a production line, it must be developed and thought out in such a way that the machines between the reduction stations and cutting are balanced. and the desired end thicknesses and end widths can be realized on the line, with up to 25 millimeters of rework dough on each side,” said Maarten van der Coer, sales director, Verhoeven Bakery Equipment Family.

Saving process settings so they can be loaded later to achieve the proper crackdowns, or reductions, and desired final sheet thickness rapidly smooths out the process, said Ken Zvoncheck, director of process technology, Reading Bakery Systems. 

“Operators must get the dough sheet cut and into the oven as quickly as possible in order to avoid the full dough sheet constantly being returned to the beginning of the sheeting system,” he said. “I find this simple point is sometimes being overlooked in plants, and operators will just start adjusting the sheeting line from the point of where the last process settings were left off. This is too time-consuming and should be avoided.”

Underweight or overweight products are two of the most common causes of waste on sheeting lines, said Paolo Betto, application manager, GEA Bakery.

“Precise manufacturing of the roll, perfect assembly of the machinery at the supplier workshop and accurate installation at customer’s site are key points to solve these problems,” he said. “A unique feature we can offer is the presence of a pressure sensor in the compression chamber of the four rolls sheeter. This device ensures that dough sheets are formed out of the first machine with a precise thickness and consistent density.”

Sheeting is a delicate process and reducing the thickness of the dough sheet in steps, especially with short dough, can be challenging, Betto added.

“Precise speed control between rolls and conveyor or between all the machineries of the line are of paramount importance,” he said. “GEA Bakery offers as standard the automatic dough sheet loop control system. It consists of a sensor positioned just before the entrance of each gauge roll which automatically controls the speed of the entire upstream line just avoiding any overfeeding or underfeeding of the dough sheet between the gap of the gauge roll.”

This ensures the weights of the finished products are on target.

Because the yeast in doughs are alive, optimal conditions of machinery must be checked regularly to achieve consistency, said Werner Koetz, commissioning master bakery, Koenig. 

“If bakers change the flour or resources or the climate conditions change, such as high humidity outside, the dough will react to these changes,” he said.  “Therefore, it is important to check the functions of the line regularly.”

Nick Magistrelli, vice president of sales, Rademaker USA, emphasized the importance of routine maintenance checks on all machinery to ensure components are functioning properly.

“This includes lubrication of moving parts, cleaning of rollers and inspection of belts and gears,” he said. “Sheeting and laminating lines are equipped with automatic adjustment features that can help maintain optimal conditions. These features may include automatic speed adjustments.”

Equipment that ensures dough sheets travel down the center of the line can avoid an excess amount of scrap.

“This sounds like a simple thing to do, but if you have a dough sheet that is just 1 inch off center, this can mean hundreds of pounds of excess scrap dough in under an hour,” said John Giacoio, Rheon USA. “Rheon uses automatic centering devices that move the initial dough sheet left or right, and this is checked and adjusted automatically through the use of sensors. We also use what we call a slack sensor that ensures the dough sheet is not being pulled as it is being formed. The slack sensor automatically changes the amount of dough that is being fed down the line to ensure a consistent flow.” 

Zvoncheck stressed the value of gentle, consistent dough reduction that improves sheeting stability and decreases product breakage by not damaging the gluten, helping to maintain better dough integrity.

“It is important to start with the basics such as targeting a 2.5:1 crackdown dough ratio,” he said. 

Good operator training and supervision, proper sanitation and maintenance and good raw material input are all part of an optimized line, said Joost Looijmans, sales manager, Verhoeven Bakery Equipment Family.

“Adjustments or fine tuning to the dough line, for example, due to the dough nature, which involves quality and behavior of the raw materials, combined with the process, can be accommodated with automatic line correction using loop controls, for instance,” Looijmans said.

A new system at Fritsch, a Multivac Group company, controls the line according to target input.

“Say a customer wants to produce 50,000 croissants, for example,” said Tim Beyer, master baker and technologist, Fritsch. “They simply enter this amount into the display, and the line will calculate all parameters necessary to achieve that quantity. All the while the software checks whether the desired performance change is even feasible. The drives coordinate with each other according to output and, if necessary, automatically regulate themselves to the capacity of the smallest drive. This ensures high and consistent product quality.”

Successful sheeting and laminating lines must be fed by the most consistent inputs.

“If bakeries want to achieve a consistent high quality, they need to have one thing: a perfect process organization and every part must be analyzed in combination with the other processes,” Koetz said. “For example, we perceive that some customers tend to mix their doughs too short in fear of over-kneading them.”

But overmixing also causes problems, pointed out David Kollar, senior regional sales manager, Rondo.

“Be wary of overmixing as this will break down the dough’s gluten structure,” he said. “Using the right equipment and program is important, too. For example, you will need a mixer and attachments that complement your dough, such as planetary, horizontal, spiral or high-speed mixers and mixing heads like hooks or paddles. The best way to have a positive sheeting process is to understand your formulation and dough behavior and use that to properly prepare it for sheeting.”

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