Flour mill machinery is equipment, after all. They are prone to wear and tear. However, we must maintain them to avoid permanent breakdowns, especially when the client is at our door.
But first, we need to understand how a flour machine works – so that we can push it to its highest efficiency and avoid any damages that might make us replace it.
Learn essential tips for effective flour mill maintenance to optimize performance and ensure consistent flour quality. Don’t miss out!
Maintaining Flour Mill Machinery – Do’s
- Make the foundation of the flour machine strong: When the flour machine is working, it will vibrate and move around on the floor – because of its torque and rotation. In order to secure the foundation in place, we use anchor fasteners.
Anchor fasteners can mess up your floor – which might not be desirable. So, the suitable tool to use is anti-vibration pads. You can set it under the flour machine to absorb the jerk without messing up your floor.
- Avoid mortar overload: Flour mill machinery mortars have designated Ampere limitations. For example, if you operate a 16 amp mortar at 30 amp, the machine will break down and require more frequent maintenance.
- Oiling or greasing the bearing: As per the manufacturer’s instructions, the flour machine bearing requires oiling and greasing for smooth function. Ensure that it is done consistently – once every six months or even a year.
- Keep spare parts in stock well in advance: There are a few machinery parts, like the sieve that separates out the ground flour – which, when damaged, take a lot of time to be changed. This is because the sieve comes from the factory directly, which might take time – rendering the machine useless. So we must keep spare parts in stock well in advance to avoid any delay due to the damaged parts.
Large Scale Flour Mill Machinery – Maintenance Tips
- The spiral stirrer may fail: A flour machine is grating thousands of what grains every day – and it might break down due to overfeeding, improper rotation of the motor, the stirrer blades might be broken or the discharge funnel might be blocked. As a result, you will not get the flour consistency you want. Immediately get that fixed before proceeding with further batches of wheat.
- The airlock may fail: The bag might get sucked up due to bad ventilation. It can also be caused by leakage at the machinery joint, worn-out impeller, or other reasons. In the case of the impeller, you can fix a rubber plate outside the machine to compensate for the impeller’s limitations.
- Motor failure: A flour mill uses ten different types of motors at any time. So, we must report the malfunctioning of even one motor to avoid any hazards. Motor failure may be due to a delay in the oil change of the bearing, motor overload, or machinery damage.
- Wet flour is not a sign of technical failure: To wash, clean, and peel the wheat better, it might have to be moist. So when the flour comes out a little wet, it is expected, not any machinery failure.
Small Scale Flour Mill Machinery – Maintenance Tips
Daily maintenance is important in small-scale flour mill machinery – or domestic flour mill machinery because it saves on costs and improves durability.
- The nut adjusted on the tooth plate of the flour mill machine must be checked for security from time to time. Also, ensure that the nails holding the machine components are secure. With the flour machine vibrating, they might get loose.
- Before operating the flour mill machine, ensure the bearing has been appropriately oiled, with regular refueling timings.
- When the machine completes 300 hours, ensure the spindle is clean and well-oiled. Change the oil in case the last refuel was a long time back.
- An ideal place to set up a domestic flour mill machinery is a smooth, clean, dry, and airy place. Of course, the host cavity must be clean, too, to avoid any damage to the machine.
If the staff has proper operational skills, a small flour machine will produce the best quality flour. Skills to look out for are mechanical principles, maintenance, electrical knowledge, and an in-depth understanding of the processing and operation so that the machine can work on optimal power consumption and produce the best flour yield. The main cause of small flour machinery breaking down is improper usage or assembly by the handler, so this is important.
How To Maintain The Motor Of The Flour Mill Machinery?
Maintaining the motor of the flour machinery will inevitably reduce production costs incurred from wear and tear of machinery, as well as high power consumption by the worn-out machinery. Here is a guide to follow for keeping the flour mill motors up to their best potential.
- Every component of the flour mill motor must be checked regularly so that any malfunction is caught early. One major threat to the motor and the mill is the short circuit – so the overcurrent short circuit device must be checked for proper functioning from time to time.
- While the maintenance is being done, it should comply with the standards that prevent a fall in quality after replaced parts and an enameled wire are brought in. The handler must know all the SOPs related to the machinery to avoid any accidents relating to the ill-usage of the motor.
Particular areas – like disassembly of the motor parts, cleaning, and fueling of the bearing, upgrading the cooling system, monitoring the insulation, etc. must be the handler’s main focus while conducting quality checks on the motor.
Small Or Large – Routine Flour Mill Maintenance Is Necessary
The mill handlers should be conscious of the fact that some unique sections of the equipment used in grain mills when performing normal maintenance. Glass instruments, for example, should be kept dry, clean, and organized in the storage. The correct method is to employ asbestos webs to heat gradually and uniformly, whereas directly heating glass components should be avoided.
Flour Mill Machinery Maintenance Needs Time And Dedication – To Avoid Costs In Future
In conclusion, there are a number of factors that can impact the equipment while it is in use, including dust, humidity, noise, vibration, temperature, and corrosion. Therefore, the handler must exercise tight guidelines to ensure that the work table for flour mills is fixed and flat and complies with usage requirements.
Clean up and reassemble the flour milling equipment promptly after usage. The flour mill power equipment must also include a strong grounding wire, a regulated power supply, and an autonomous power switch fitted in line with the rated power.
The two main factors that affect the efficacy of flour mill equipment are correct use and maintenance. These two factors are also the best ways to lower the cost of repairing or replacing new flour mill machines. The topics mentioned above are fundamental knowledge for you as the owner of a flour mill to minimize costs and maximize profits.
If you’re considering starting a flour business, it would be a good idea to check our website to receive the information you need. Please get in touch with us if there are any questions.