Eaton’s Moeller Business Controlgear Meets The Knead!

Kneading dough is an essential part of the bread making process, as it helps to separate the flour particles in the dough so that they can adsorb water more easily. This shortens the proving time, and has a big influence over the quality of the bread. Because kneading is essentially a rubbing process however, frictional heating raises the temperature of the dough typically by around 1ºC for every minute the kneading continues.

Since the dough should ideally not be heated at this stage, it is desirable for kneading to be carried out in as short a time as possible. This is exactly what the kneading machines produced by Diosna, which have been developed with the aid of decades of experience, are designed to achieve.

The company’s machines vary considerably in size and specification, with some versions having control systems integrated into the main body of the machine, and others having separate control cabinets. In either case, space is at a premium so the use of compact control devices – in particular motor starters – is essential.

Most Diosna machines use a two-speed star-delta starter for the main drive, as this economical solution is capable of providing the high torque needed to start the kneaders moving through the viscous dough. Four contactors are needed to implement this arrangement. The machines also have two further drives for the tub and hydraulic pumps. For these, direct-on-line starting is usually used.

In its latest machines, Diosna is using PKZ motor protective circuit breakers in conjunction with the latest generation of Eaton’s Moeller DILM xStart contactors for all of the motor starting functions. The company finds the new contactors particularly attractive as they are not only small in size but they also have a low sealing power requirement. This means that they dissipate less heat when energised than normal contactors, and so can be packed tightly together without risk of overheating.

In addition, with xStart devices, the bulky wiring that is usually needed between the contactors and the motor protection devices is replaced by convenient plug-in modules that can be fitted without the need to use tools. This tool-less connection system reduces wiring time dramatically as well as virtually eliminating the possibility of wiring errors and saving even more space in the control enclosure.

In addition to the motor starting and protection devices, Diosna has also selected other key components for its machines from Eaton’s Moeller range. These include RMQ Titan pushbuttons and indicators lights, which were chosen because they combine attractive appearance with robust construction, and switch disconnectors from the P5 or T6 ranges, depending on the size of the machine.

“We have chosen Eaton’s Moeller components not only for our kneaders but also for our process lines,” said Dr Theo Koch, head of sales at Diosna, “because we need technology that is not just innovative, but also robust and reliable. Diosna has remained successful for more than a century because the company continuously develops new products to meet changing customer demands. Our machines set new standards and are always state of the art, so we need components that meet the same criteria – and Eaton’s Moeller Business has proved itself time and again to be best at supplying them.”