Sept. 25, 2017
The United States Patent Office awards the company AMF Bakery Systems(AMF) a new patent for its Guardian Oven Chain Management System. The system, assigned patent 9,730,456 to chain management system that monitors several important conditions of the oven chain. The system extends the life of the chain which is great for reducing the lubrication costs for travelling tray, tunnel and continuous ovens.
The oven chain is recognized as the most critical part in a high speed bread or bun bakery operation. The chain failure can result in an astronomical loss in both production downtime and repair costs. The Guardian System of AMF will all the operators to determine the power required to drive chain, thermal expansion of the chain, hydraulic chain tensioning, and variations in chain tracking,
The awarded system can be applied to continuous final proofers, product coolers, conveyors or other bakery equipment with long lengths of chain.
The world leader in bakery automation solutions AMF also caters to its consumers as a proud member of Markel Food Group, a subsidiary of Markel Ventures. Along with the latest bakery innovation, AMF provides expert design and applications engineering, production expertise, full-system integration, project management, installation, training and lifetime parts and service support.
The thermal product manager for AMF Philip Domenicucci said, “Predictable lubrication can save tens of thousands of dollars per year in lubricant. With proper maintenance, regular lubrication, and cleaning, it is possible to have oven chains running for upwards of 30 years or more. Conversely, if a chain is poorly maintained the life span can be reduced to 1 to 2 years.”
The patent will further solidify the position of AMF in innovative and high performance approach to thermal solutions.