Specialist manufacturer Archimedes Engineering has embraced custom designs to solve complex processing problems for food manufacturers.
When baking a cake, it’s important to use the right ingredients for the recipe. Using too much flour can cause the finished product to be dry, not enough sugar could spell blandness and without bicarb, the cake may be denser than expected.
In a food manufacturing setting, handling these ingredients requires a certain amount of care, as each have different properties.
Jay Baker, Manager at Archimedes Engineering, says the diverse sector requires custom solutions to achieve the best outcomes.
“Food processing requires a broad array of equipment, including screw conveyors, bucket elevators, flat top conveyors, carton conveyors, overhead rail systems and more,” he says.
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“You also need to take into account if its raw or a finished product, the material consistencies, if it’s sticky, temperature or any other inconsistency that may cause it to hang up in a system.”
Archimedes Engineering was formed in 1975 as a manufacturer of screw conveyors and bucket elevators. In 2010, it was acquired by steel fabrication company the Wulguru Group, where the scope of its services significantly broadened.
The company now provides custom designed solutions for bulk handlers across a number of industries, including food processing, cement, mineral sands and mining. This includes from initial design through to manufacture, installation and ongoing maintenance.
To find the right solution for the project, Archimedes Engineering obtains as many details as possible from its clients to understand what
they are looking for and why they want it. The company’s engineering team then reviews the information and provides a solution.
“We’ll start by looking at the application and the product – what they’re moving, the characteristics of the material such as densities, flowability and hygiene requirements before looking at what would work best,” Baker says.
“From there, we look at the plant as a whole. We see what is happening upstream to see how the product is formed, where it comes form, and what it travels through. Then we’ll look at the discharge point, whether it moves through a screen, onto load cells or something else.”
Baker says a common issue that food processors run into is capacity throughput – it’s not uncommon for customers looking to increase their current output.
However, a conveyor is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to plant design. A conveyor that can move 20 tonnes but relies on a feeding mechanism that can only handle 10 tonnes might not be the best use of resources.
Hygienic and easy-to-clean machinery are also important aspects of food processing equipment. Many components need to be fully sealed to avoid the risk of contamination, with quick release and easy access maintenance hatches proving to be popular within the sector.
Archimedes uses computer-aided design programs, 3D scanning and in-house modelling to ensure the systems it designs will achieve what the customer is looking for.
Baker says this approach has led to well-engineered equipment that are heavy duty and long lasting. These are 100 per cent designed and manufactured within the Archimedes Redbank facility.
“Archimedes has been in the industry for a long time, and our team has the industry experience to know what works and what doesn’t,” he says.
“We’ve found a lot of food processing plants are made up of flatpack systems imported from overseas. These may initially seem like a good deal, but after about five years of wear and tear they break down and can be extremely costly with plant downtime.
“In comparison, we’ve still got some screw conveyors in operation that are more than 20 years old. Our customers tell us that our products are low maintenance and easy to work with.”
Supporting its products in the field are a team of experienced tradespeople located in Queensland. All of the company’s machinery is fabricated in Australia and undergoes rigorous factory testing before being dispatched by road, rail, air or sea.
All equipment comes with manufacturer’s warranty, with contracts often including monthly servicing on equipment, spare parts supply and record keeping for future use. In the event where something goes wrong, Archimedes also offers on-site maintenance and breakdown support.
Baker says the company’s most recent growth has been powered by its turnkey offering.
“Food producers don’t want to spend their time focusing on the equipment, they usually want to focus on providing a higher quality product more efficiently, which is why they leave the upgrades to us,” he says.
“We’ve developed a lot over the past 45 years – we’re no longer just a manufacturer. Archimedes can provide a whole suite of solutions, from design, process review, assessment, and project management.”