Vacuum processing machine K-DisHo

Vacuum processing machine K-DisHo for the production of suspensions, dispersions and emulsions in the food and cosmetics industry.

Advantages

Proven concept and an optimal homogenising tool type K-DisHo for every product
Reduction of production times by up to 60%
Aseptic design for fast and effective cleaning
CIP
Optimal reproducibility
Good deaeration
Integrated automation concept

Mode of operation

The K-DisHo works according to a precise and controlled process sequence that ensures reliable homogenization of liquids, solids or prepared dispersions.

Liquids, solids or already prepared dispersions are drawn directly into the homogenizer of the K-DisHo. Drawing in the materials under vacuum ensures that as little air as possible gets into the system. Air bubbles could impair the homogenization efficiency and lead to undesirable results. The use of vacuum also reduces the amount of oxygen in the environment, which helps to minimize oxidation processes. Working under vacuum also enables more precise control of the material flow into the K-DisHo. In the homogenizer unit, the materials fed in are intensively mixed, dispersed and homogenized. The homogenized product is conveyed back into the tank interior via an external recirculation line. This recirculation guarantees complete and uniform circulation, mixing and homogenization of the product to ensure a consistent and stable consistency and quality. A scraper agitator inside the container ensures continuous mixing of the product. This ensures that all components remain evenly distributed and no undesirable agglomerates are formed.

The controlled forced flow, given by the conical container shape, the external homogenizer and the external recirculation line, ensures that the raw materials in the container pass through the homogenizer completely and the same number of times. These features guarantee a controlled process, reproducibility and stability of the finished product.

Your products

Food industry

Mayonnaises and dressings
Emulsified sauces
Ketchup
Dips and spreads of all kinds

Cosmetics industry

W/O and O/W emulsions
Creams, lotions, gels, ointments
Toothpaste

Downloads

Presentation Homogeniser

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Advantages of the K-DisHo in detail

Homogenizer as a multi-chamber system: The homogenizer as a multi-chamber system offers an efficient solution for mixing and dispersing raw materials. The raw materials are mixed and dispersed in the mixing chamber by means of a vacuum feed and internal mixing blades. The product then passes via the conveyor blade into the rotor-stator system. The conically narrowed intermediate chamber increases the flow velocity in order to ensure a short and constant dwell time in the rotor-stator area and to reduce the risk of potential punctual overshearing. The downstream pressure paddle changes the flow direction of the product in the housing from horizontal to vertical and guides the already mixed and dispersed product specifically into the shear zone between the rotor and stator. The homogenizer can be individually adapted to the requirements of the products thanks to the different gap widths of the rotor and stator, as well as the flexible speeds. The pump blade, part of the rotor-stator package, conveys the product upwards via the recirculation line and back into the container. The pump blade is also used to discharge the product.
Direct dosing: Direct dosing offers numerous advantages for the production line. It reduces the number of potential sources of contamination as fewer handling steps are required, thus helping to maintain high hygiene standards. At the same time, manual pre-weighing of ingredients is no longer necessary, which increases efficiency and reduces labor costs.
Another decisive advantage is the high degree of automation. The use of dosing counters enables precise dosing, while automatic operation in conjunction with recipe management ensures complete process reproducibility.
In addition, automated parallel steps can be carried out, such as the partial dosing of oil into the premix container for dispersing dry substances. Batch times are significantly reduced thanks to automation and increased efficiency, which increases production capacity and optimizes throughput times.
Dry ingredients: The direct dosing of dry ingredients is a particular advantage of the K-DisHo, which is based on a unique feeding process. This process prevents the dry materials from compacting in the connecting line from the storage container to the homogenizer. It is crucial to differentiate between the different types of drying agents.
Liquids: With the function for direct dosing of liquids, these can be added directly and precisely to the mixing process, ensuring optimum mixing and homogeneity.
Droplet size: The stability of emulsions and suspensions is ensured by generating droplets with very small sizes down to 1 µm in the K-DisHo. This guarantees high product stability.
Narrow droplet size distribution: The narrow droplet size distribution achieves a consistent and homogeneous emulsion quality and stability, which improves the shelf life of the products.
Aseptic seals: The K-DisHo seals are specially designed for use in aseptic environments, which ensures reliable and hygienic production and minimizes contamination.
Short batch times: The K-DisHo is characterized by short batch times, which enables a high production capacity.
Minimized cleaning times: The efficient design minimizes the cleaning times of the K-DisHo, which increases system availability.
CIP / WIP: The K-DisHo is equipped with CIP (Cleaning in Place) and WIP (Washing in Place) functions, which enables the system to be cleaned quickly and thoroughly without having to be dismantled, increasing operating efficiency and ensuring hygiene.
The machine is designed as a self-cleaning machine with a cleaning water rejection system. However, it can also be integrated into an existing CIP concept with water treatment.

Basic functions of the K-DisHo

The K-DisHo from KA-Process is an outstanding solution for the efficient production of various products in the food and cosmetics industry. It offers a wide range of basic functions that enable efficient production. The core functions of the K-DisHo include

Feeding the components

The K-DisHo enables the automatic and precise feeding of various components such as liquids, powders and solids into the mixing process to create the desired recipes.

Mixing

The forced feed-through concept of the K-DisHo described above achieves intensive and uniform mixing of the components, which is crucial for ensuring homogeneous product quality and even distribution of the ingredients.

Dispersing

The dispersion function of the K-DisHo ensures that solids or liquids are broken down into very fine particles or droplets to achieve optimum distribution and dissolution in the mixture.

Homogenize

This function ensures an even distribution of ingredients in the mix, resulting in uniform product quality and consistency.

Emulsify

The K-DisHo enables the production of stable emulsions thanks to the fine distribution of the ingredients.

Circulate

Circulating the mixture via an external recirculation line ensures even distribution of the components.

Venting

As the entire process is carried out under vacuum, air inclusions are minimized from the outset. Even unavoidable air pockets can be easily evacuated with a venting step. This process ensures high product stability and extends the shelf life of the end product.

Delivery

Finally, the K-DisHo enables efficient discharge of the finished mixture from the system to seamlessly continue the production flow and enable further processing or filling of the products.

Overall, the K-DisHo from KA-Process offers a comprehensive solution for the manufacture of high-quality products by providing a variety of basic functions that meet the requirements of different production processes.

Additional functions
of the K-DisHo

Indirect heating/cooling via double jacket on the work bowl
Direct heating via direct steam injection
Sterilization of the system (SIP)
Automated process sequences
Recipe management
Automatic dosing
Mixing in lumpy components

The K-DisHo from KA-Process offers a wide range of additional equipment that considerably extends the range of possible applications in the food industry. These additional functions include

Indirect heating/cooling via double jacket on the work bowl

This feature enables precise temperature control during the mixing process for the hot production of emulsified sauces by circulating heating or cooling liquid through the double jacket of the work bowl. This allows products to be brought to the desired temperature gently and efficiently.

Direct heating via direct steam injection

The K-DisHo offers the option of direct heating by injecting pure saturated steam into the product. This enables the products to be heated quickly and evenly. By heating the product using direct steam, the heating time is reduced by 25 % compared to indirect heating. A specially designed temperature control system prevents the product from overheating at certain points and thus reduces the risk of destroying ingredients such as egg whites. In addition, the amount of condensate is determined via a special counter, which is subtracted from the recipe water, resulting in precise control of the process parameters.

Sterilization of the system (SIP)

The K-Disho can be supplied in a sterilizable version. The sterilization-in-place (SIP) function of the K-DisHo enables reliable sterilization of the system without dismantling. This ensures the highest standards of hygiene and minimizes the risk of contamination during the production process.

Automated process sequences

The K-DisHo is equipped with automated process sequences that enable efficient and reliable control of the production processes. This enables a reduction in human error and consistently high product quality.

Recipe management

With the integrated recipe management, users can save, manage and call up various recipes and their processes. This enables quick and easy changeover between different production batches and recipes. Recipes and process steps can be added or changed at any time using a recipe editor.

Automatic dosing

The K-DisHo offers the option of automatic dosing of liquid raw materials, which ensures precise and consistent dosing and reduces the workload.

Mixing in lumpy components

The K-DisHo allows the mixing in of lumpy components, which increases the versatility of the system and enables the production of a wide range of products.

Extended periphery

The K-DisHo from KA-Process offers a versatile solution for the food and cosmetics industry to efficiently design and optimize production processes. Processes can be further improved and made more flexible by integrating various peripheral devices. Here are some options for expanding the peripheral devices:

Drum emptying pumps

The integration of drum emptying pumps enables fast and efficient emptying of drums and containers with raw materials or products, minimizing waste and improving the production flow.

Scales

By integrating scales, companies can ensure precise dosing for production and monitor and control the exact consumption of raw materials.

Lifting/tipping devices for standard trolleys

This additional equipment makes it easier to add larger quantities of chunky raw materials such as vegetables by allowing them to be conveniently filled into the container via an opening in the lid.

Buffer tank

The integration of buffer containers enables the temporary storage of finished products to compensate for fluctuations in the filling process and ensure production continuity.

Discharge and mixing pumps

External additional mixing pumps are used in the production of products with chunky raw materials, such as sauces with vegetable, fruit or meat content. These pumps ensure a gentle mixing process in the machine without destroying the chunky products. Even when these products are discharged, the pieces remain intact, which ensures the quality and consistency of the end product.

Heat exchanger

The use of a heat exchanger in conjunction with a buffer tank can significantly reduce process times and improve the efficiency of the entire process system. For example, a heat exchanger can be used in the manufacture of products that require hot production with direct steam at 95°C and subsequent cooling to 80°C before filling. A heat exchanger is also useful in the cold production of products such as mayonnaise to bring the temperature to a cooler storage temperature before filling.

CIP booster pumps

The integration of pumps to increase pressure as part of the CIP (Cleaning in Place) process ensures thorough cleaning of the production systems.

The flexibility of the K-DisHo also enables the seamless integration of customer equipment into the overall system to meet individual requirements and specific production needs. Contact us to discuss individual solutions for your K-DisHo.

Interesting facts about the vacuum process

What is a suspension?

A suspension is a heterogeneous mixture of solid particles that are distributed in a liquid but are not dissolved in it. In contrast to a solution, where the particles are completely dispersed in the liquid and are not visible, the particles in a suspension remain visible and can settle over time. Suspensions must be shaken frequently before use in order to distribute the solid particles evenly in the liquid. After shaking, however, the suspension only remains stable for a limited time before the particles settle again. Suspensions are used in various areas, including pharmaceuticals, the food industry, cosmetics, paints and coatings and environmental technology.

What is a dispersion?

In colloid chemistry and process engineering, a dispersion is a heterogeneous mixture consisting of at least two substances that are either barely soluble or not soluble at all in each other. In a dispersion, the substances are divided into two main components: the disperse phase and the dispersion medium.

The disperse phase, also known as the dispersed phase or inner phase, consists of one or more substances that are dispersed as finely as possible in another substance. The disperse phase can take various forms, such as droplets, particles or bubbles.

The dispersion medium, also known as dispersant, continuous phase or outer phase, forms the continuous matrix in which the disperse phase is finely distributed. This is the substance that surrounds the disperse phase and in which it is suspended. This medium can be a liquid, a solid or a gas, depending on the specific properties of the dispersion and its application. Dispersions can occur in many different forms, the following examples represent only a few variants.

Liquid-in-liquid dispersion: If both the dispersion medium and the disperse phase are liquids, the product is an emulsion. An example of this would be milk, an O/W emulsion.

Solid-in-solid dispersion: Solid particles are dispersed in another solid. An example of this would be concrete in which aggregates are distributed in a cement matrix.

Gas-in-liquid dispersion: This type of dispersion involves the dispersion of gas bubbles in a liquid. An example of this would be carbonated water, where carbon dioxide gas bubbles are distributed in the water.

Dispersions are used in various applications, e.g. in pharmaceuticals, in the food industry, in cosmetics, in paints and coatings and in many technical applications.

What is an emulsion?

An emulsion is a dispersion of two immiscible liquids. In an emulsion, small droplets of one liquid are dispersed in the other liquid. Emulsions can be either oil-in-water (O/W) or water-in-oil (W/O), depending on which liquid is the continuous phase.

Oil-in-water emulsions (O/W emulsion)

An oil-in-water emulsion (O/W emulsion) is a special type of emulsion in which finely dispersed oil droplets are suspended in an aqueous solution. In an O/W emulsion, the water forms the continuous phase, while the oil is the disperse phase. This means that the oil droplets are distributed in the aqueous solution.

Emulsification, i.e. the mixing of oil and water to form an emulsion, normally requires the use of an emulsifier or surfactant to enable and stabilize the formation of oil droplets in the aqueous phase. The emulsifier helps to reduce the interfacial tension between the two phases, which facilitates droplet formation and stability.

Classic examples of an oil-in-water emulsion are mayonnaise or milk. In Mayonnaise tiny fat droplets are suspended in the aqueous solution. This emulsion is widely used in many food products. Oil-in-water emulsions are also used in cosmetic products such as lotions and creams as they tend to spread more easily on the skin and rinse off more easily than water-in-oil emulsions.

Water-in-oil emulsions (W/O emulsion)

A water-in-oil emulsion (W/O emulsion) is a special type of emulsion in which finely dispersed water droplets are suspended in an oily solution. In a W/O emulsion, the oil forms the continuous phase, while the water is the disperse phase. This means that the water droplets are distributed in the oily solution.

In order to produce a W/O emulsion, the interfacial tension between water and oil must be overcome, as these two liquids are normally immiscible. This usually requires the use of an emulsifier or surfactant that facilitates the formation and stabilization of the water droplets in the oily phase.

A well-known example of a water-in-oil emulsion is butter. In butter, tiny drops of water are suspended in an oily matrix of fat. This emulsion is an essential component of many foods and is used in various food products such as margarine.

Water-in-oil emulsions are also used in cosmetic products such as moisturizers and sunscreens as they tend to form a stronger protective film on the skin and lock in moisture better than oil-in-water emulsions.

What are emulsifiers?

An emulsifier, also known as a surfactant, is a substance that makes it possible to mix two normally immiscible liquids together to form an emulsion. These substances have a hydrophilic (water-loving) and a lipophilic (fat-loving) component, which enables them to interact with both water and oil or fat. Emulsifiers can thus facilitate the formation and stabilization of emulsions.

In an emulsion such as an oil-in-water or water-in-oil emulsion, the emulsifier molecules are located at the interface between the two phases. The hydrophilic parts of the emulsifier molecules tend to be oriented towards the aqueous areas of the emulsion, while the lipophilic parts are oriented towards the oily areas. This helps to facilitate droplet formation and keep the emulsion stable by preventing the droplets from sticking together and separating. Some examples of emulsifiers are lecithin, sorbitan ester, sodium lauryl sulfate and polysorbate.

What are stabilizers?

Stabilizers are substances that serve to keep the emulsion stable over a longer period of time by preventing the tendency of the dispersed phase to coalesce or settle. These substances can act in various ways, including surface activity, viscosity increase, electrostatic stabilization and steric stabilization. Stabilizers help to keep the emulsion structurally intact and ensure an even distribution of the dispersed phase. Examples of stabilizers are gelling agents such as gelatine or pectin, starch, proteins, cellulose derivatives, gum arabic and synthetic polymers.

How do suspensions, dispersions and emulsions differ from each other?

These terms all refer to different types of mixtures in which particles are distributed in a medium. To summarize, suspensions are special types of dispersions, while emulsions are a subset of dispersions consisting specifically of liquids.