Fox’s Biscuits sees improved product quality using an ABB standard drive

Fox’s Biscuits of Batley has improved the quality of its products and potentially reduced the amount of wastage that the old slip-ring motors gave and has also improved its ability to develop new products following the installation of an ABB standard drive on one of its dough mixers.

Initially, the company was interested in investigating the potential for saving energy on its ten Baker Perkins dough mixers, each of which is driven by an 18.5 kW slip-ring motor. ABB Drives Alliance member Halcyon Drives was asked to investigate the benefits to the application and any energy savings through using an ABB induction motor driven by an ABB standard drive and comparing this against one of the slip-ring motor driven mixers.

Although the initial reason for the project was energy saving, it soon became clear that the drive gives a lot of other advantages. One of the major ones is the flexibility to run at different speeds than previously.

The greater torque of the ABB motor also leads to higher reliability of the mixer. Previously, if the company was trying a dough that was harder than that used in their usual products, the old slip-ring motors would not have the torque to turn the mixing paddles and the motor would trip out. Using the new motor means that the maintenance engineers need to spend less time on them and the production department has a lot more confidence that the mixer will perform correctly and less production time will be lost.

Telephone: 01925 741 111

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