Size reduction is a major part of food processing. Most ingredients or products undergo some form of powderisation, deagglomeration or delumping before they become a finished product.
In cone milling, the material is fed through the in-feed chute, using either gravity feed (manually or automatically operated) or by using a vacuum. The material is forced downwards towards the rotating impeller (see picture below), where the centrifugal force pushes the material through the screen, in the required particle size and shape.
- Above: Food Cone Mill Grinding Red Peppercorns
Once the material has passed through the cone mill screen, it falls can either fall into a receptacle ready for storage, or automatically flow to a downstream process, offering excellent processing efficiency.
The cone mill can be used for a wide variety of applications in food processing, such as powder or breadcrumb manufacturing, product reclaim, the deagglomeration of food (such as raisins and other dried fruit), the delumping of powders and the size reduction of herbs, spices, flakes (see picture below).
- Above: Finished Product of Milled Red Peppercorns
A cone mill is an extremely common and effective method of size reduction in food processing, as it is capable of achieving a high throughput and consistent particle size. The Hanningfield Uni-Mill cone mill also generates low levels of noise and dust, offering significant operating advantages. Importantly, the Uni-Mill also offers an ‘easy-clean’ design, making strip-down and cleaning between processes simple. Manufactured from stainless steel, the Uni-Mill cone mill (pictured below) is a high-performance, low maintenance and extremely hygienic system for size reduction in food processing.
- Above: The Hanningfield ‘Uni-Mill’ Food Cone Mill
For more information on the Hanningfield Uni-Mill cone mill click here. Alternatively, to contact a member of our technical sales about using the cone mill for food processing, simply click here.