|
|
|
The title above is a line
from an old movie called the "Little Shop of Horrors". In
the movie, the creature (a talking plant) demands to be fed with a steady
stream of "nourishment" and is not easily ignored. There
were serious consequences if it was. Like
the movie creature, peelers in the process line also need to be fed a
steady stream of product. Unfortunately, the outward equivalents of
cries of "Feed Me!" are often ignored, and the consequences are
serious in many ways.
An inconsistent feed rate
is, without a doubt, the most common cause of inconsistent peeler
performance. Take a look at the following diagram continued
...
|
|
|
Preventing Premature Brush Wear
|
 |
Maintenance
Tip!
Roller drive shafts
in peelers will wear over long periods of time.
The square drive end will become slightly tapered causing a
loose fit in the drive coupler. This will ultimately lead
to premature brush wear due to contact between adjacent brushes
as well as deterioration of drive couplings. A coupler
with more that a 1/4 inch (6 mm) of rotational "play"
indicates a worn coupler, worn shaft, or both.
It is much more cost effective to replace a shaft than to continue
replacing brush rolls and couplings. A shaft should have
no more than 0.040" (1.016 mm) taper. It is measured
as the difference between shaft width at a
point near the end of the shaft (A) and a point near the
washer (B).
(click image for larger view.)
Your Vanmark representative can help
you with this and many other problems related to proper
operation of your peeler or other equipment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Although
not meant to get the response it did, this was a question once asked
about product movement inside a Vanmark peeler / washer.
If you
could track the product movement in the bed of a properly
operating Vanmark peeler, you would see an elliptical path similar
to the
one in the diagram at right
(click for a larger
view). Process
flow is from
left to right (inlet to discharge), but the product is constantly
being returned upstream before it is advanced toward the discharge
again. Although product tumbling is caused by contact of the
product with rotating rollers, the elliptical motion is motion is
caused by continued
...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Some
in the media are calling it "Spud-U-Lite" In an effort to
counteract the "low carb" (i.e. low carbohydrate) diet
craze, farmers in Florida and elsewhere are working with scientists
to test and market a low carb potato. Several articles have
appeared recently, mostly in local news sources, describing the
effort and reasons behind it.
Farmer Danny Johns, who farms in northeastern Florida, is quoted in
the St. Augustine Record as having to cut his potato crop
acreage in half in just three years due to reduced demand. The
"new" potato was actually selectively bred a number of
years ago as a gourmet potato due to its taste. Then it was
discovered that it is also about 30% lower in carbs than more common
potatoes. Some in the media are calling the new potato
"Spud-U-Lite".
Another potato called the "Eco-Spud", (actually two
varieties) being developed by Canadian farmer, Pirmin Kummer, is
also said to be 30% lower in carbs, according to tests run by the
Prince Edward Island Food Technology Centre.
If all goes as expected, low carb spuds could be in stores by next
year. For more reading you might visit the following sites:
|
|
|
™ 
Iwai Pak
Corp. 
EPTECH