AirSweep Slices Through Sticky Material Just Like an Air Knife
Vibrators and fluidizers just won’t cut it
A cheese company found themselves in a very sticky situation. The whey protein concentrate (WPC), which has a very high moisture and fat content, was prone to bridging over the discharge. Unfortunately, this wasn’t just delaying production. The caked material had sparked a fire in one of their baghouses. Bridging had become an urgent safety concern.
Problem
Sticky ingredient, strict USDA regulations, stalled production—and no whey out
Many factories use vibrators to dislodge whey protein and other sticky substances. However, vibrators can actually worsen the bridging problem. By settling material and shaking out the air, they pack the substance – much like banging a cup of flour on the table. That works if you’re baking brownies, but not if you’re trying to improve material flow in a factory. FSMA, USDA and FDA standards and guidelines mean that food manufacturers must rely on equipment designed to meet those strict standards. The cheese company needed a safe, effective, USDA-accepted solution.
Solution
USDA-accepted air system slices through blockages and cuts production time
The solution was AirSweep USDA 135. Unlike vibrators—which condense moist powders and eventually damage the vessel—the AirSweep uses high-pressure, high-volume bursts of compressed air. These pulses are like an “air knife” that slice through thick, dense substance and dislodge any blockages.
Result
The best whey: company replaces vibrators with AirSweep
Since the AirSweep USDA 135 was installed, the cheese company has not experienced any bridging issues. They are now implementing the AirSweep system in their other factories in the United States.
