Design and Manufacture of an Automated Bricelet Baking Machine
The Countdown Company designed and delivered a custom rotary baking machine to automate bricelet production. The project covered machine development through manufacturing, testing and commissioning.
Project duration: 6 months
Project overview
The client wanted to increase productivity while maintaining the consistent quality of bricelets: thin, crispy biscuits traditionally baked between patterned irons. The application called for a special-purpose machine suited to the client’s food production process.
Engineering challenge
- Coordinate the movement of six baking irons on a rotating table with automatic opening and closing at the operator station.
- Integrate automatic biscuit unloading into the baking cycle.
- Provide adjustable cooking time and temperature to control the baking process.
TCDC scope
- Requirements definition and mechanical design.
- Detailed engineering and design analysis.
- Machine manufacturing and assembly.
- Testing and commissioning.
Engineering approach
- Define the specifications for the production process and machine operation.
- Develop the preliminary rotary-table concept.
- Complete the detailed design and engineering analysis.
- Manufacture the components and assemble the machine.
- Test machine operation and the baking process.
- Commission the machine for the client’s production.
Result
The commissioned machine produces thin, crispy bricelets with consistent quality and increased productivity. Automatic iron opening, closing and biscuit unloading reduce manual handling, while the operator can adjust cooking time and temperature.
