New APV dough divider to cut costs, improve product quality

According to the company, the main improvement of the Accurist2 compared to its predecessor is the replacement of the mechanically driven ram with a servo motor that provides "infinite control over the speed profile." "The primary advantage of controlling the speed of the dough divider according to the dough type or size is that the pressure on the dough is reduced. The more gentle dough handling minimizes the amount of damage done to the dough cell structure and ultimately results in improved product quality," said Keith Graham of APV. The effect, the company says, is a loaf with a finer crumb structure and an improved colour. The company claims the Accurist2 is the only servo-control dough dividing machine on the market that also has a sustained scaling accuracy. "The machine reduces pressure on the dough whilst maintaining the levels of accuracy that the Accurist is known for- there is a Standard Deviation (SD) of just 2.5g to 3.5g on an 800g loaf, over 10,000 hours of operation. This is crucial in high output plant bakeries," Graham told BakeryAndSnacks.com Through service contract work in plant bakeries, APV also identified opportunities of improvements to the Accurist machine that would result in lower production costs, said Graham. These have now been incorporated into the Accurist2 machine and involve a reduction in oil consumption from 1.5 to 1 litre per hour as well as the virtual elimination of dough leakage. "Dough leakage is reduced by about 90 per cent, and it is now quick, cheap and simple to sustain this low dough leakage level," said Graham.A further improvement on the Accurist is the introduction of a human machine interface (HMI), which provides automated access to recipe control and weight adjustment. The Accurist2 machine will replace its predecessor, though the machine's price is to remain "about the same," the company said. APV has been manufacturing the Accurist dough divider for 25 years, and has sold 600 machines around the world. External links to companies or organisations mentioned in thisstory: APV Baker