Plate freezer - material removal from trays

[smpsmp45]

I have seen that removing the frozen items out of the trays in plate freezer is a very tough task.

I have seen variety of tray materials, but still to find a better ways.

Our forum members must have an idea on this issue.

This is applicable for all the stuff like Chicken, fish items & almost all the places I have seen.

so in short to avoid this problem,

what is the tray system being used, any special mechanism to remove the frozen blocks, ( it is all manual operations)
We have seen infrared heating system , mechnical pistons systems etc, but not a single one one working satisfactory

[NH3LVR]

In my little experience with these using Hot Gas to defrost the plates works well.
We used to do this and then use a rubber squeegee to remove the water droplets.

[smpsmp45]

This seems to be the simple solution. I shall check if this can work.

[Tycho]

I have seen that removing the frozen items out of the trays in plate freezer is a very tough task.

I have seen variety of tray materials, but still to find a better ways.

Our forum members must have an idea on this issue.

This is applicable for all the stuff like Chicken, fish items & almost all the places I have seen.

so in short to avoid this problem,

what is the tray system being used, any special mechanism to remove the frozen blocks, ( it is all manual operations)
We have seen infrared heating system , mechnical pistons systems etc, but not a single one one working satisfactory

Are you talking about removing the trays from the platefreezer, or removing the product from the trays?

I know Optimar Giske here in Norway has automatic equipment for loading/unloading trays in the freezer, and for stamping the frozen product out of the trays.

from what I've seen and heard, this equipment is 99%

http://www.optimar.no

[smpsmp45]

I am talking about removing the material from the trays.

I shall check up on optimar equipments as well.

[DVaider]

Hi,smpsmp45. Is it possible to create the tray moving upside-down? Materials could move out from the trays because of their gravity force :) :)

[smpsmp45]

Dear DVaider,

Yes that is what is done. But still the frozen block gets stuck to the trays & that makes the things very very difficult. There is always some water / moisture with the material when it is put on the trays.

[DVaider]

Dear DVaider,

Yes that is what is done. But still the frozen block gets stuck to the trays & that makes the things very very difficult. There is always some water / moisture with the material when it is put on the trays.


How about trays with good vibration drive?

[lloydjosang]

In my little experience with these using Hot Gas to defrost the plates works well.
We used to do this and then use a rubber squeegee to remove the water droplets.

I agree with NH3LVR, hot gassing your plates to break the product free from the plate is the best and most common method I have seen.
What type of plate freezers are you using? Fill us in on some more details of how they are set up. What refrigerant are you using? Are they set up for hot gas defrost? What is the refrigerant valve arrangement?

[Tycho]

I agree with NH3LVR, hot gassing your plates to break the product free from the plate is the best and most common method I have seen.
What type of plate freezers are you using? Fill us in on some more details of how they are set up. What refrigerant are you using? Are they set up for hot gas defrost? What is the refrigerant valve arrangement?

Defrosting wont do any good other than releasing the frames from the platefreezer, you still have to deal with getting the product out of the frame itself.

Horisontal freezers are rarely deprosted, maybe only one-two times in a day, but they are emptied and refilled every 2-3 hours.

The system Optimar delivers has the frames sliding down a groove at 45 degree angle, product side up, the frame has a four holes in the bottom and four hydraulic pistons (about 2" diameter) push the product out and onto a slide where it slides down to a conveyor where it is transported to packing.

We deliver single block trays and dual block trays, and optimar has designed their block ejector system to fit those frames.

I have a picture I took on a job, it doesnt show the machine very good, but you can see the frame and a little bit of the machine, so here goes:
http://www.pbase.com/kimmo98/image/85195593.jpg
You see the frame to the left, and it enters the ejector where the welding helmet is, and the product is stamped out and up onto the blue conveyor... the frame is released and slides down to another conveyor taking it through a washing machine as the next frame enters the ejector.

and no, the ejector does not break the frozen blocks of product :)

[lloydjosang]

Tycho,
I agree with your post. I mis read the original thinking he was having trays stick to the freezer not the product sticking to the pan...

[smpsmp45]

Dear Tycho,

Excellent information. Yes this is waht happnes. We have tried to build a similar system but it is causing lots of problems.

But we are trying to improve on this & shall get back to you with actual issues.

[Tycho]

Dear Tycho,

Excellent information. Yes this is waht happnes. We have tried to build a similar system but it is causing lots of problems.

But we are trying to improve on this & shall get back to you with actual issues.

The company I work for now used to be part of Optimar before, I should be a bitter man for how they treated us back then, but fact is they deliver top of the line equipment, and I don't have a single bad word to say about the equipment they deliver.

since we work on the same ships, I know this equippment works.

They have machines that fill the freezers and empty the freezers and I believe they have one that replace the frozen blocks with unfroozen blocks in one operation.

I think you would benefit from contacting them :)

They also make an ejector for fitting on flattop vertical plate freezers, adapted to be snap on to the MMC PFV (shameless plug) :D