Food machinery with a plated layer

Abstract

To provide a food machine having a plating layer that is hard enough to prevent damage due to wear and tear, thereby preventing grain ingredients from adhering to the machine. [Solution] A food machine for steaming, cooling or conveying grain raw materials has a plated layer 13 at the location where it collides with the grain raw materials, and the surface of the plated layer 13 has a water contact angle of 100 degrees or more, a surface roughness of Ra 1.6 μm or less, and a hardness of HV 300 or more, so that the grain raw materials do not adhere to the surface of the plated layer 13. This prevents wear of the plated layer 13 at the location where it collides with the grain raw materials, reduces the risk of foreign matter being mixed in due to wear, and drastically reduces the frequency of reprocessing the plated layer 13 due to wear, thereby reducing maintenance costs.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a food processing machine for steaming, cooling, or conveying grain raw materials, which has a plating layer that prevents the raw materials from adhering to parts that come into contact with the raw materials. The food processing machine for steaming, cooling, or conveying of the present invention is, for example, a cooling device equipped with a steaming drum or a mixer. [Background technology]

[0002] In the production of foods made from grains such as rice, it is common to add water to grain raw materials, heat them, and gelatinize them to improve their digestibility and sterilize them. Because hydrated grain raw materials contain a lot of water and become viscous, they may adhere to machinery during steaming, cooling, or transportation (hereinafter simply referred to as "steaming, etc."). When grain raw materials adhere to machinery, other grain raw materials may adhere to the adhered grain raw materials, forming lumps. If these lumps fall off the machinery and become mixed with the grain raw materials, this can cause a deterioration in the quality of the final product manufactured from the grain raw materials. Furthermore, the adhered grain raw materials may dry out and stick to the machinery. This necessitates cleaning work to remove the adhered grain raw materials from the machinery after steaming, etc., is completed, which requires time and effort.

[0003] To prevent grain materials from adhering to such machinery, the surfaces of the machinery have traditionally been coated with fluororesin. Fluororesin-coated surfaces have a large water contact angle and small surface roughness, making them highly water-repellent and highly effective in preventing grain materials from adhering.

[0004] On the other hand, simply applying a fluororesin coating to the base material results in low surface hardness, making it prone to wear and requiring frequent reprocessing to maintain an appropriate surface condition. Furthermore, due to its low hardness, the fluororesin coating easily peels off from the machine's surface, causing the peeled off material to become a source of foreign matter contamination. In particular, in cooling equipment equipped with a pin crusher as an agitator, the fluororesin coating tends to peel off when the tips of the pins come into contact (collide) with the grain raw material, causing the grain raw material to stick. Because a pin crusher has many pins, it is necessary to remove the grain raw material from each pin one by one, which requires time-consuming cleaning work and places a heavy burden on the worker.

[0005] Instead of using fluororesin coatings, which have these problems, a plating layer is provided on the surface of the machine to prevent the grain raw material from adhering to the machine. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a heating or sterilization treatment device for powder or granular material, in which a plating layer containing fluororesin (contact angle 110 degrees, surface roughness Ra 1.6 μm, HV 200) is provided on the inner surface of the heating section that heats the powder or granular material (paragraph

[0034] ). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7371995 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the heating unit of Patent Document 1, the powder moves along its inner surface, and although friction occurs between the inner surface and the powder, the force generated between the inner surface and the powder is not very large. Therefore, even if the plating layer has the properties described above, damage to the plating layer due to friction with the powder can be prevented. However, machines that have areas where the grain raw materials come into contact (collide) with the machine with great force, such as cooling equipment equipped with a pin crusher, require a surface coating that is harder and can prevent damage from wear and tear.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a food processing machine having a plating layer that is hard enough to prevent damage due to wear and tear, thereby preventing grain ingredients from adhering to the machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The food machine with a plating layer of the present invention is a food machine that steams, cools or conveys grain raw materials, and has a plating layer at the location that comes into contact with the grain raw materials, and the surface of the plating layer has a contact angle with water of 100 degrees or more, a surface roughness of Ra 1.6 μm or less, and a hardness of HV 300 or more, and the grain raw materials do not adhere to the surface of the plating layer.

[0010] The plating layer can be formed by immersing the product in a metal plating solution to form a metal plating layer, and then coating the surface of the metal plating layer with a fluororesin or a silicon compound, or by immersing the product in a metal plating solution containing fluororesin particles or silicon compound particles. The surface of the former resin-coated metal plating layer can have a hardness of HV400 or more.

[0011] Furthermore, if the food machine having a plating layer of the present invention is a cooling device equipped with a pin crusher, the plating layer is formed at least on the tip of the pin of the pin crusher. It is effective to adopt the plating layer when the rotation speed of the pin crusher is 150 rpm or more but less than 400 rpm.

[0012] Furthermore, the food processing machine having the plating layer of the present invention may be used as a device for steaming, cooling, or conveying sticky grain raw materials that have a moisture content of 20% or more and less than 60%, a degree of gelatinization of 40% or more and less than 100% as measured by the diastase method, and are sticky. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, a plating layer with a large water contact angle and small surface roughness is formed, which effectively prevents the sticking of highly viscous and sticky grain raw materials. Furthermore, the high hardness of the plating layer prevents the plating layer from wearing away at the location where it collides with the grain raw materials. This reduces the risk of foreign matter being mixed in due to wear, drastically reduces the frequency of reworking the plating layer due to wear, and reduces maintenance costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a cooling device 1, which is a food product machine having a plating layer, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 3A to 3C are schematic explanatory views of a process for forming a plating layer 13 having a first structure. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory view of a step of forming a plating layer 13 having a second structure. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a steaming drum 20, which is a food processing machine having a plating layer according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The food machine with a plated layer of the present invention is a food machine that steams, cools, or conveys grain raw materials, and has a plated layer provided on the raw material contact area.This plated layer can prevent the highly viscous and sticky grain raw materials from sticking, and is also highly wear-resistant.

[0016] Examples of grain raw materials that can be processed by the food processing machine of the present invention include rice, barley, wheat, buckwheat, millet, corn, etc. The state of the grain raw material is not particularly limited, but examples include grain raw materials in a highly viscous and sticky state. For example, grain raw materials in a state steamed without pressure or under pressure can be used.

[0017] Examples of food machinery having a plating layer according to the present invention include steam drums (see FIG. 4) and cooling devices equipped with a stirrer (see FIG. 1), but it also includes other machinery having a part that collides with highly viscous and sticky grain raw materials. In particular, the food machinery according to the present invention is preferably used in machinery that processes sticky grain raw materials with a moisture content of 20% or more but less than 60% and a degree of gelatinization measured by the diastase method of 40% or more but less than 100%.

[0018] Hereinafter, a cooling device 1 for cooling grain raw material in a steamed state will be described as one embodiment of a food machine of the present invention in which a plating layer is provided on the raw material contact portion.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cooling device 1, which is a food processing machine having a plating layer according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the cooling device 1 includes a conveyor 3 and a pin crusher 10 provided in a hollow main body 2.

[0020] The main body 2 is provided with a supply section 2a at one end (the left end in FIG. 1) for supplying grain raw material, and a discharge section 2b at the other end (the right end in FIG. 1) for discharging the grain raw material.

[0021] The conveyor 3 is equipped with a metal mesh belt 3a, and transports the grain material supplied from the supply section 2a to the discharge section 2b while it is placed on the metal mesh belt 3a.

[0022] A pin crusher 10 is provided above this metal mesh belt 3a. The pin crusher 10 has a shaft member 11 with multiple pins 12 erected on the side surface thereof, and is configured to rotate around the central axis 11a of the shaft member 11. The rotation speed of the pin crusher 10 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 150 rpm or more and less than 400 rpm. The pin crusher 10 is installed so that when its tip is closest to the metal mesh belt 3a, the distance between its tip and the upper surface of the metal mesh belt 3a is 10 mm or less.

[0023] Therefore, by supplying grain material from supply section 2a of cooling device 1 onto the upper surface of metal mesh belt 3a and operating conveyor 3, the grain material can be cooled while being transported to discharge section 2b, and the cooled grain material can be discharged to the outside from discharge section 2b. Furthermore, by rotating pin crusher 10, the multiple pins 12 of pin crusher 10 agitate the grain material on metal mesh belt 3a of conveyor 3, thereby enabling the grain material to be cooled effectively.

[0024] 1, pin crushers 10 are provided in four locations, but the locations and number of pin crushers 10 are not particularly limited. Pin crushers 10 may be provided in one, two, three, or five or more locations. Furthermore, pin crushers 10 may all have the same structure, or pins 12 with different numbers, shaft diameters, lengths, etc. may be used depending on the installation location.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 1, a plating layer 13 is formed on the surface of the pins 12 of the pin crusher 10. In other words, the plating layer 13 is formed on the portion (raw material contact portion) that collides with the grain raw material on the metal mesh belt 3a of the conveyor 3 when the pin crusher 10 rotates. This plating layer 13 is formed to prevent the grain raw material from adhering to that portion when the pin 12 collides with the grain raw material.

[0026] The plating layer 13 is made of a metal such as nickel or chromium, and contains a fluororesin or a silicon compound. The plating layer 13 is formed so that its surface has a contact angle with water of 100 degrees or more, a surface roughness of Ra 1.6 μm or less, and a hardness of HV 300 or more. Hereinafter, the fluororesin or silicon compound may be referred to as a mixed material.

[0027] As described above, if a plating layer 13 with a large contact angle with water and a small surface roughness is formed on the pins 12 of the pin crusher 10, it is effective in preventing the sticking of highly viscous and sticky grain raw materials. Furthermore, the high hardness of the plating layer 13 prevents wear of the plating layer 13 at the portion where it collides with the grain raw material. This prevents the plating layer 13 from peeling off from the pins 12 due to wear and being mixed into the grain raw material, thereby reducing the risk of foreign matter being mixed into the grain raw material. Furthermore, the frequency of reprocessing the plating layer 13 due to wear is drastically reduced, thereby reducing maintenance costs.

[0028] Furthermore, the position where the plating layer 13 is provided on the pin 12 is not particularly limited. It may be provided at a position where it will be subjected to an impact force when it collides with the grain raw material when the pin crusher 10 rotates. For example, the plating layer 13 may be provided within a certain range on the tip surface or side surface of the pin 12 (for example, within 1 / 3 of the total length of the pin 12 from the tip surface).

[0029] The plating layer 13 having the above-described properties has one of the following structures.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view of the process of forming the plating layer 13 having the first structure. As shown in FIG. 2(C), the plating layer 13 having the first structure includes a metal layer 13a formed solely from metal on the surface of the base material SB of the pin 12, and a composite layer 13b formed on the surface of the metal layer 13a and including a layer of metal particles m and a mixed material p. When the plating layer 13 has this structure, the surface of the composite layer 13b, in which the metal particles m are mixed in the layer of the mixed material p, forms the surface of the plating layer 13. As a result, the surface of the plating layer 13 can have a water contact angle of 100 degrees or more, a surface roughness of Ra 1.6 μm or less, and a hardness of HV 300 or more. Therefore, the plating layer 13 can prevent adhesion of the grain raw material and damage due to wear.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view of the process of forming the plating layer 13 having the second structure. As shown in FIG. 3(C), the plating layer 13 having the second structure has a structure in which mixed material particles mp are mixed in the metal portion n on the surface of the base material SB of the pin 12. When the plating layer 13 has this structure, the surface of the plating layer 13 forms a surface in which mixed material particles mp are mixed in the metal portion n. As a result, the surface of the plating layer 13 can have a water contact angle of 100 degrees or more, a surface roughness of Ra 1.6 μm or less, and a hardness of HV 300 or more. Therefore, the plating layer 13 can prevent adhesion of the grain raw material and damage due to wear.

[0032] Note that the higher the surface hardness of the plating layer 13, the higher the resistance to wear, so a high hardness is preferable. The plating layer 13 having the first structure described above can have a higher hardness than the plating layer 13 having the second structure described above. For example, the plating layer 13 having the first structure can have a hardness of HV 400 or more, so in terms of improving the wear resistance and maintainability of the plating layer 13, it is desirable that the plating layer 13 have the first structure.

[0033] When the mixed material p or mixed material particles mp is a fluororesin, PTFE or the like can be used, but it is sufficient to select an appropriate material that can maintain the above-mentioned performance of the plating layer 13 depending on the grain raw material to be processed. Also, when the mixed material p or mixed material particles mp is a silicon compound, it is sufficient to select an appropriate material that can maintain the above-mentioned performance of the plating layer 13 depending on the grain raw material to be processed.

[0034] In the above example, a cooling device having a pin crusher was described as an embodiment of the food product machine of the present invention, but other food product machines that have a plating layer provided on the portion that comes into contact with the grain raw material can also be used as food product machines of the present invention. For example, a steaming drum 20 as shown in Figure 4 can be used as a food product machine of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a steam drum 20, which is a food machine having a plated layer, according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 4, the steam drum 20 has a drum main body 21 in which grain raw material 25 to be steamed is stored. This drum main body 21 is cylindrical and is installed so that its central axis is horizontal. Moreover, the drum main body 21 is installed so that it can rotate around the central axis.

[0036] A strainer board 24 is installed in the drum body 21, dividing the interior of the drum body 21 into an upper space and an lower space. Grain raw material 25 supplied into the drum body 21 is placed on this strainer board 24, which divides the interior of the drum body 21 into an upper space that holds the grain raw material 25 and a lower space to which steam is supplied from a steam pipe 22, which will be described later. The strainer board 24 is breathable but has through holes that do not allow the grain raw material 25 to pass through. A plating layer having the first structure or second structure described above is formed on the surface of a base material that constitutes the strainer board 24.

[0037] The drum body 21 is also provided with a steam pipe 22 for supplying high-temperature steam into the drum body 21 for steaming the grain raw material 25 stored in the drum body 21, and a sprinkler pipe 23 for sprinkling water on the grain raw material 25 in the drum body 21.

[0038] In the steam drum 20 having the above-described structure, the grain raw material 25 is loaded through the loading / discharging port 26. Next, water is sprayed from the water spray pipe 23 to soak the grain raw material 25 for the soaking process, after which the water used for soaking is drained. Steam is then supplied from the steam pipe 22, and the grain raw material 25 placed on the strainer board 24 is steamed. During this process, the drum body 21 can be rotated as needed to agitate the grain raw material 25 while steaming. After steaming, the grain raw material 25 is cooled while the drum body 21 is rotated as needed, and is then discharged through the loading / discharging port 26.

[0039] In this type of steam drum 20, the grain raw material 25 placed on the strain plate 24 becomes more viscous and sticky during the steaming process. However, since a plating layer having the first structure or second structure described above is formed on the surface of the base material constituting the strain plate 24, it is possible to prevent the grain raw material 25 from sticking. Furthermore, even when the drum body 21 rotates and the grain raw material 25 collides with the strain plate 24, it is possible to prevent wear of the plating layer on the surface of the strain plate 24.

[0040] In the food processing machine of the present invention, a plating layer having a first structure or a second structure is formed in the area that collides with the grain raw material. For example, this can be formed by the following method. In the following, we will explain the case where the base material on which the plating layer is formed is stainless steel, the mixed material used for the plating layer is fluororesin, and the metal is a nickel-phosphorus alloy.

[0041] 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of forming a plating layer 13 having a first structure. When forming a plating layer of the first structure, first, the surface of the substrate SB on which the plating layer 13 is to be formed is pre-treated. For example, the pre-treatment may involve degreasing the substrate surface and subjecting it to a cleaning treatment such as acid washing, followed by undercoating and etching to improve the adhesion of the plating layer.

[0042] After the pretreatment is completed, the portion of the substrate SB to be plated is immersed in an electroless nickel-phosphorus alloy plating solution to form a nickel-phosphorus alloy plating layer NP (metal layer 13a in Figure 2(C)) on the surface of the substrate SB, with metal particles m of the nickel-phosphorus alloy precipitating on the surface (see Figure 2(A)).

[0043] Once the nickel-phosphorus alloy plating layer NP is formed, a fluororesin coating is applied to its surface. This causes the fluororesin f to penetrate between the nickel-phosphorus alloy metal particles m deposited on the surface of the nickel-phosphorus alloy plating layer NP, forming a layer in which the nickel-phosphorus alloy and the fluororesin f are mixed. If the substrate SB is then heat-treated in this state, the nickel-phosphorus alloy and the fluororesin f are combined to form a composite coating layer MF of the nickel-phosphorus alloy and the fluororesin f (composite layer 13b in Figure 2(C)) (see Figure 2(B)).

[0044] When the plating layer 13 was formed on the surface of the substrate SB by this method, the plating layer 13 had a contact angle with water of 110 degrees, a surface roughness of Ra 1.5 μm, and a hardness of HV 500.

[0045] 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of forming a plating layer 13 having a second structure. When forming a plating layer of the second structure, first, the surface of the substrate SB on which the plating layer 13 is to be formed is pre-treated. The pre-treatment may involve, for example, degreasing the substrate surface and performing a cleaning treatment such as acid cleaning. Note that after degreasing and acid cleaning, a base plating may be performed.

[0046] After the preparatory treatment is completed, the portion of the substrate SB to be plated is immersed in an electroless nickel-phosphorus alloy plating solution ML. When forming a plating layer 13 having the second structure, fluororesin particles fp are mixed into the electroless nickel-phosphorus alloy plating solution ML, and plating is performed with the fluororesin particles fp dispersed in the electroless nickel-phosphorus alloy plating solution ML. As a result, a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer NPF is formed on the surface of the substrate SB, in which the fluororesin particles fp are mixed within the nickel-phosphorus alloy NP (see FIG. 3(A)).

[0047] After the nickel-phosphorus alloy layer NPF is formed, the substrate SB is heat-treated to composite the nickel-phosphorus alloy NP and the fluororesin particles fp, forming a composite plating layer NF (plating layer 13 in Figure 3(C)) of the nickel-phosphorus alloy NP and the fluororesin particles fp (see Figure 3(B)).

[0048] When the plating layer 13 was formed on the surface of the substrate SB by this method, the plating layer 13 had a contact angle with water of 118 degrees, a surface roughness of Ra 1.6 μm, and a hardness of HV 380. [Example]

[0049] An example in which a plating layer 13 (see FIG. 2(C)) having a first structure is formed on the surface of the pin 12 of the pin crusher 10 of the cooling device 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described below.

[0050] In this example, steamed rice with a moisture content of 37% and a degree of gelatinization of 95% as measured by the diastase method was used as the grain raw material, and the pink crusher 10 was rotated at 180 rpm. The grain raw material was fed into the supply section 2a, cooled while being stirred in the pink crusher 10, and discharged from the discharge section 2b. The operation was carried out for a total of 200 hours. After operation, adhesion of the grain raw material to the pins 12 of the pink crusher 10 was checked, and the anti-adhesion effect of the plating layer 13 was confirmed.

[0051] Furthermore, the surface condition of the pin 12 of the pin crusher 10 was checked to confirm the wear resistance of the plating layer 13, but no peeling of the plating layer 13 was observed. From this result, the wear resistance of the plating layer 13 was confirmed.

[0052] Although the embodiments and examples of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and examples, and may be modified as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1 Cooling device 2 Main body 3 Conveyor 10 Pink Crusher 12-pin 13 Plating layer 13a metal layer 13b Composite layer 20 Steaming drum 21 Drum body 24 Sana board

Claims

1. A food machine that steams, cools, or conveys grain raw materials that have been gelatinized by adding water, heating, and gelatinizing them to a moisture content of 20% or more but less than 60% and a degree of gelatinization measured by the diastase method of 40% or more but less than 100%, and that exhibit viscosity and stickiness, the food processing machine is a cooling device provided with a pin crusher, The rotation speed of the pin crusher is 150 rpm or more and less than 400 rpm, A plating layer is provided at a portion where the grain raw material collides with the grain raw material to prevent the grain raw material from adhering to the surface, the plating layer is formed at least on the tip portion of the pin of the pin crusher, A food product machine having a plating layer, wherein the surface of the plating layer has a contact angle with water of 100 degrees or more, a surface roughness of Ra 1.6 μm or less, and a hardness of HV 300 or more.

2. 2. The food machine having a plating layer according to claim 1, wherein the plating layer is formed by immersing the food machine in a metal plating solution to form a metal plating layer, and then coating the surface of the metal plating layer with a fluororesin or a silicon compound.

3. 3. The food product machine having a plated layer according to claim 2, wherein the surface of the plated layer has a hardness of HV400 or more.

4. 2. The food machine having a plated layer according to claim 1, wherein the plated layer is formed by immersing the food machine in a metal plating solution containing fluororesin particles or silicon compound particles.

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