Hiperbaric works in the search of innovative industrial solutions, which immerse food businesses in the riveting world of HPP technology.
The company launches the new Hiperbaric 55 model with improvements in design, accessibility and reliability; reducing maintenance times and increasing the productivity and useful life of the equipment.
Innovation, continuous process improvement and the search for excellence have a common denominator for Hiperbaric’s team: to manufacture the best high-pressure processing (HPP) machines in the world to generate value for our food and beverage customers. This strong innovative spirit is present in Hiperbaric’s DNA to fulfil its vital mission. “We work on a solid reliability strategy, which leads us to constant innovation; that is, to face everyday challenges for which we develop original and effective ideas. In short, to be the best,” says Santiago Tárrago, Hiperbaric’s director of R&D engineering. The strong focus on innovation and continuous evolution translates into a constant improvement in the design and productivity of the industrial equipment that Hiperbaric manufactures.
In this sense, the technical areas of Engineering and Manufacturing present the new redesign and development of the Hiperbaric 55 equipment. The brand has two ranges of equipment: the in-pack technology for processing packaged products (up to 5 different sizes of process chamber: between 55 L and 525 L); and the in-bulk technology, which processes large volumes of bulk liquids before packaging.
One of the company’s latest innovations is the Hiperbaric 55 in pack, the smallest unit on offer, with a capacity of 55 litres (14.5 gallons) and 270kg/h (590ibs/h). It is intended for companies interested in product development, market testing and small productions. A common example is SMEs and food companies with niche markets and seasonal products; or technology and research centres that wish to link the development of innovative concepts with their final commercialisation.
With the main objective of providing the equipment with better features, this model has had a change in aesthetics to make it similar to the rest of the larger machines in its range. The main challenge faced by Hiperbaric’s engineers was to transfer and integrate all the advances, developments and improvements acquired in this new version without compromising its competitiveness, and “at the same time we had the focus on the reliability and maintainability of the equipment as the main strategic lines” according to Ricardo Villalba, Manufacturing and Quality Engineering Director.
The improvements to the Hiperbaric 55 equipment have been made in many ways. “We have focused on the redesign of several mechanical elements, such as the caps, wedge, yoke and bedplates that have allowed a clear improvement in reliability. With the change in piping, fairing and high-pressure fittings, we have managed to multiply their useful life to increase the machine’s operating time. All the elements have gained in safety and accessibility“, details Enrique Delgado, Hiperbaric’s mechanical engineer.
The new model brings an improvement in the cooling capacity of the process water to better adapt to the recipes and solutions needed by the customer as well as in the hydraulic management, with smoother movements of the elements and a decrease in noise. Other technical aspects have been focused on optimising the input and output belts, which have become configurable to adapt the peripherals. In addition, the drainage pipes have been connected to all the elements for better cleaning of the work area.
Mechanical improvements have also brought about progress in productivity levels and cycle times. Working at 6,000 bar and 3 minutes of pressure maintenance, Hiperbaric 55 can perform 10 cycles every hour at 50 Hz and 10.5 cycles every hour at 60 Hz. “We have developed a more efficient and reliable machine in which we provide an integral solution, where the customer only has to connect the necessary connections. Hiperbaric’s technical and human team is in charge of putting it into operation”, stresses Delgado.
Regarding the handling and use, the improvement of the software and the communication between elements facilitates the diagnosis of problems in situ or via telematics. And not only in the Hiperbaric 55 model. All the models of the in the pack and in bulk range integrate efficient communications (such as Ethernet and 3G) connected to Hiperbaric’s servers, which allow remote control and data monitoring in Big Data platforms in real-time, obtaining beneficial information for the customers. In addition, Hiperbaric’s equipment can be easily integrated with other systems to get the maximum performance from them.
These improvements have also resulted in more efficient maintenance of the machine elements, reducing the time dedicated to this type of operations. Moreover, Hiperbaric’s after-sales service, with free and real-time attention 24/7 from anywhere in the world, offers a complete range of predictive, preventive and corrective maintenance solutions. In this article, we explain the key maintenance operations of the HPP units. The own spare parts and components are another of Hiperbaric’s strengths since we take care of the production of 95% of the machine’s elements. Among them, we highlight the specific tubes to support high pressures with proven durability of 50,000 cycles at 6,000bars.
Regarding the installation, assembly and start-up of the Hiperbaric 55 unit, its compact design, which includes an integrated high-pressure intensifier, allows an easy and quick installation in practically any industrial environment. Hiperbaric also offers customised automation solutions (such as product loading and unloading from equipment or integration with packaging lines), which improve competitiveness and increase the production efficiency of the customer’s process lines.
For all this, the mechanical, connectivity and quality characteristics of the new equipment have been translated in better accessibility, an improvement of reliability, the increase of the useful life of the machine and the decrease of the maintenance times. A complete and ideal solution for the first steps of a food and beverage company with HPP technology.
If you want more information about this model or any other of the Hiperbaric industrial equipment, do not hesitate to contact us by filling out the enquiry form attached to this page.
