Clarke Fussells Removes And Sells Surplus Gear

Food-machinery auctioneer Clarke Fussells can dispose of surplus food-processing equipment and obtain maximum realisation for machinery, from single items to complete plants.

Clarke Fussells can sell equipment either by private treaty or auction - the company has an extensive bespoke database of clients looking for equipment, ensuring maximum exposure. It is so confident in its auction valuations that, in many cases, it will provide a guaranteed underwritten figure that it expects to achieve and can release funds against this.

Its fees are performance related and, acting in the strictest confidence, it can provide a firm valuation of a plant within 24 hours of viewing.

Control-Gear Products Supplied For Dough Kneaders

Diosna Dierks and Sohne of Osnabruck, a supplier of dough kneading machines, is benefiting from the latest control-gear products from Eaton's Moeller Business. 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 an influence over the quality of the bread.

Since kneading is essentially a rubbing process, however, frictional heating raises the temperature of the dough typically by around 1C for every minute that the kneading continues. Since the dough should not ideally 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 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 new contactors 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. With Xstart devices, the bulky wiring that is usually needed between the contactors and the motor protection devices is replaced by plug-in modules that can be fitted, without the need to use tools.

This tool-less connection system reduces wiring time 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 indicator lights and switch disconnectors from the P5 or T6 ranges, depending on the size of the machine.