Development, production and finishing for large-scale industry

A+S BioTec is part of the globally active Abel+Schäfer Group, which was founded as a milling company in 1892. The company looks back on a long tradition, is characterised by innovations and is still family-owned today. In the meantime, the fifth generation has been steering the fortunes of the traditional company. Abel+Schäfer was one of the first manufacturers worldwide to launch baking premixes on the market in the middle of the 20th century and has been successfully serving the growing demand ever since. Today, the group of companies produces at 14 locations around the globe. In Völklingen, the focus is still on mill technology. The core areas here are on comminution as well as mixing and drying. The spectrum ranges from powdered raw materials to fermented or thermally treated to protein-enriched products. Of course also in organic, kosher and halal as well as GMO- and allergen-free. In addition to its own products, A+S BioTec makes its modern, flexible technology as well as its know-how and manpower available to contract customers as part of contract manufacturing services.

Oil-free conveying air for transport from A to B

From the delivery of the raw material to the finished end product, the materials go through several process steps and sometimes have to travel long distances for this. For example, the piping from the feed hopper on the ground floor extends over five floors until it reaches the pre-silo for grinding under the roof. Even the transport after grinding to the bagging plant, where the filling into 25 kg bags or big bags takes place, is not exactly a stone’s throw. This is where the positive displacement blowers from AERZEN come into play. The approximately 40 Delta Blowers provide air which is absolutely free of oil and absorption material.

With volume flows between 3 and 20 m³/min, a conveying speed of 25 to 30 m/s and a conveying pressure of 300 to 500 mbar, they ensure efficient, gentle and reliable transport of the sensitive bulk materials. “We produce 24 hours a day, five days a week. This is why we need 100 per cent machine availability,” emphasises Horst Schweitzer, Technical Manager at the Völklingen site. Reliability has top priority, and so has low downtime. “For this reason, we have been using AERZEN blowers exclusively for more than 50 years. These machines are powerful, robust, need only little maintenance and are durable. It just fits nicely,” says Horst Schweitzer and adds: “What I particularly appreciate about AERZEN is the availability of the employees. When the going gets tough, we have a contact person available at all times. A great product and a great team."

Further information

More information about AERZEN pneumatic conveying applications:
https://www.aerzen.com/applications/pneumatic-transport-for-bulk-material-handling

Delta Blower: first choice for generating pneumatic conveying air

Positive displacement blowers made by AERZEN are characterised by high efficiency, low maintenance costs, reduced life-cycle costs, compactness as well as easy handling. They are considered the first choice for generating pneumatic conveying air due to their high quality and reliability. These blowers achieve intake volume flows between 30 and 15,000 m³/h with a control range of 25% to 100% and conveying pressures with a differential pressure of up to 1,000 mbar(g). The drive concept with belt drive enables optimum volume flow design, and subsequent power adjustments can also be implemented quickly and easily. A+S BioTec GmbH and its production facility use this flexibility in order to react in a fast and easy way to customers’ needs. AERZEN is certified according to ISO 22000 for food, guarantees oil-free operation according to ISO 8573-1, class 0 and trusts in silencers without absorption material. This means that AERZEN machines meet the highest food safety requirements and guarantee 100% product purity. The process air is guaranteed free of impurities such as oil, abrasion or insulation material.
In addition to the 40 positive displacement blowers, the Saarland company also uses two screw compressors of the Delta Screw series with start unloading device.
The single stage packages can overcome a differential pressure of 3,500 mbar and are thus the perfect choice for unloading the delivering silo vehicles high up into the silos.

Annual maintenance guarantees optimum availability

Thanks to bespoke offers for every phase of the machines’ lives, AERZEN supports its customers in the maintenance and servicing of their packages. Abel+Schäfer at the Völklingen site also likes to rely on the know-how of AERZEN service technicians and has all blowers and compressors inspected thoroughly once a year. The maintenance work includes, among other things, changing the oil, changing the suction filter and replacing the components for the power transmission (V-belts, clamping bushes). The condition of the packages is also examined and possible need for repair is determined.

“The maintenance contract is a great advantage for us. This allows us to concentrate on our core tasks and at the same time benefit from optimal availability,” Horst Schweitzer makes clear and is pleased: “Since we have had the maintenance contract - that is, for about ten years - there has not been a single machine failure.”

AERZEN once, AERZEN always!

A+S BioTec GmbH is at home in the food world, but also produces for the cosmetics and technology industries. And the tendency is increasing, because natural,
plant-based materials - as they are exclusively processed in Völklingen - are in vogue. For example, specially processed flour is needed for glue production, crushed grain husks for plastic profiles or ground apricot kernels for face and body scrubs. New fields of application, new methods, new processes: A+S BioTec GmbH grows with the requirements of its customers. One thing, however, will not change in the near future: the blower technology for pneumatic conveying comes from AERZEN. Horst Schweitzer gets to the point: “When it comes to blowers, AERZEN is our partner. This is where we are well looked after!”