Precision cutting technology helps bakers run more efficient lines with less waste.

“From a cutter standpoint, material selection, such as the type of coated metal or plastic, blade angles, docker placement, docker size/angle have all been improved to facilitate proper cutting over the years,” said Ken Zvoncheck, director of process technology, Reading Bakery Systems. “Also key is the type of conveyor belting selected to enhance adhesion. The dough sheet must adhere to the cutting conveyor to prevent sticking to the die roll.”

Fritsch, a Multivac Group company, uses special shapes that lie close together or symmetrical shapes that lie directly together, to either reduce or eliminate waste when cutting out individual products. 

“With our guillotines, we ensure a precise and even cut or punching stroke,” said Tim Beyer, master baker and technologist, Fritsch. “In the high-performance range, we normally use traveling guillotines. The knife swivels in running direction for perfect separation of the dough pieces and minimizes dough accumulation. Punching tools are positioned above a cutting plate to obtain a perfect cut over the whole tool surface.”

The Moline logo features a hexagon shape, which is a company invention to eliminate scrap, said David Moline, president, Moline Machinery.

“That was my great-grandfather’s patent, the scrapless donut cutter,” he explained. “In the case of donuts, formulation has evolved where trim dough has become a good thing. It wasn’t always the case so minimizing trim dough was always one of the goals, and it still is the goal for some types of products. So absolutely cutting products into hexagonal shapes or other shapes that geometrically produce the least amount of trim is absolutely something that we do.”

Changing from circular to hexagonal shapes can reduce waste by 30%, said John Giacoio, Rheon USA.

“If you’ve ever seen a croissant line run, the croissants are cut in triangles in alternating directions, so the only trim is coming from the sides of the sheet,” he explained. “Reducing trim is critical, especially in laminated dough that has significantly more ingredient cost then something like pizza dough.”

Cutting the waste on sheeting and laminating lines poses challenges for bakers, but tight process controls and a solid game plan about how much scrap to produce and how it works into each formulation will spell success for bakers who plan ahead.

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