Transforming Drying Process for Sugar Sanding Drum in Food Production

Overview

A global food and confectionary company specializing in high-quality snacks and candies required an efficient drying solution for their sugar sanding drum. After each sand sugar coating batch, the stainless steel helical sanding drum must be quickly dried before the next production run. The existing manual drying process using compressed air nozzles was time-consuming and posed safety concerns.

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Solution

Sonic Air Systems engineered a custom solution to meet the customer's needs. They designed a patented Portable Hot Air (heater-less) Blower Cart with fixed Sonic Sanitary Air Knife mounting, an in-line HEPA filter, and an onboard control panel. All exposed components were rated for wash down duty. The portable dryer was equipped with a 25 ft (7 m) power cord and a quick connect plug for easy maneuverability. The Sonic Dryer was specifically designed to automatically dry the sanding drum using clean air blasted from the air knife at a temperature of 140˚F (60˚C). The operator could set the drying time to 15 minutes or less with a simple start button.

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Result

Implementing Sonic's Portable Sanitary Air Knife System yielded remarkable results for the customer. They significantly increased production time by washing and drying up to four sanding drums per hour. The Sonic purchase resulted in a rapid return on investment (ROI) within a few months due to improved production efficiency, reduced labor for drying, and energy savings from compressed air usage. Notably, the automatic drying process improved worker safety by reducing manual interface and minimizing noise compared to compressed air nozzles.

Sonic Air Systems' innovative solution provided the customer with enhanced productivity, cost savings, and a safer working environment. The custom-designed Portable Hot Air Blower with Sanitary Air Knife technology proved to be a game-changer in the drying process for the sugar sanding drum.