Stone/Steel Belt Tunnel Oven

All our tunnel ovens are built on demand in order to get the highest output with the highest repeatability within the available space.

• Size on demand based on the customer needs.
• Modular structure with variable length baking zones with independent heat and humidity regulation.
• One Burner heating circuit every 15-20 meters, this minimizes maintenance.
• The complete stone/steel belt tunnel oven is lined with stainless steel panels. Steaming section and steam extraction are in stainless steel.

All our tunnel ovens are designed to guarantee production flexibility on an industrial scale, they come with different options according to the different requirements. They allow a consistent and repeatable recipe driven bread output.

• The baking belt is made of granite stone that, for its physical specs, allows a smooth and consistent heat transfer, improving the quality and the development of the final product and facilitates the building of the crust resulting in a product with more humidity in the core.
• Stone belt preheating to regulate the required temperature at infeed.
• Baking process by means of heat radiation and heat conduction.
• The baking chamber can have up to 3 levels of radiating heaters: top heat, bottom heat and belt return heat.
• Each radiator is controlled by a sliding damper to set the heat inside the radiator. As an option the dampers can be motorized.
• Through side graduated handles connected to adjusting flaps it is possible to correct the amount of heat on the side of the radiators (independently on both sides) in order to acquire an even bake across the width.
• The distribution of the steam is made at the oven entrance through a 5 pipes system fed from both sides allowing a better distribution of the steam across the width.
• The steam infeed can be automated with a motorized valve and scaling control system.
• Steam exhaust is controlled through specific outlet valves (one for each zone) connected to a horizontal ducting connected to the steam outfeed chimneys.

All our tunnel ovens are designed and built inhouse to guarantee a sturdy and reliable construction.

• Roller chain with interchangeable graphite bushings and safety side rollers moves on side guides installed in the baking chambers.
• An automatic lubrication system oils the chain according to a preset program, granting an excellent reliability and durability of the system.
• The tunnel oven stone conveyor is driven by a planetary gear motor coupled directly to the driving wheels shafts. This system has an excellent reliability and no maintenance. The baking time is continuously adjusted through the variable frequency drive.
• The stone belt tensioning system is hydraulically activated by means of a hydraulic pump and hydraulic pistons adequately sized to avoid slipping during operation of the oven. The tensioning and releasing procedure (heat up/cool down) is programmable.
• The loading device conveyor belt, interfaced with the oven infeed, places the product directly onto the stone plates, a small size nose avoids deformations of the dough.
• At the exit of the oven in order to compensate for the polygonal profile of the stone plates, the outfeed belt moves horizontally thus allowing a constant distance between the belt nose and the stone surface.

All our tunnel ovens respect the highest safety standards and are easy to clean and maintain.

• A motorized rotating steel brush is installed at the oven infeed to clean the baking surface. Below the brush, extractable drawers collect the dirt.
• The inspection door design allows a better access inside the oven for cleaning and maintenance purposes.
• On the side of the oven extractable drawers collect the dirt from the bottom of the baking chambers.
• Bolted Hatches on the sides allow access to the oven floor below the mesh return.
• All the drives and actuating devices (motors, hydraulic devices, shafts etc.) are positioned on the 2 fronts outside the baking area with easy access from the side.
• The top of the tunnel oven is walkable.

All our tunnel ovens have a high degree of automation, scalable in order to optimize process, the energy consumption and the safety.

• In-house operating software.
• High level of automation: from the operator panel the supervisor can manage the whole baking process (setting specific recipes, overseeing heat graphs, historical trends, alarms management, preventive maintenance management, energy consumption, …).
• It is possible to supervise the power efficiency of the system together with other productivity data (gas consumption, temperature in the baking chambers, temperatures in the exhaust chimneys, etc.).
• The dampers for the control of the heat and steam distribution can be fully automatized. The oven will set automatically the position of each damper according to the recipe that has been saved and chosen by the operator, there is no need for operators to manually adjust the dampers at any product change.
• In case of a product gap before the oven, the system automatically modifies the baking conditions, lowering the temperature of the oven until the new product arrives.

Energy cost control has become a priority for the industry. Our tunnel ovens are being consistently improved in order to reach the maximum efficiency in fuel and energy consumption.

• Product gap management thru software and automation.
• High modulation burners.
• Wasted heat recycling to improve the burner performance.
• Complete and careful insulation of the tunnel oven to minimize heat dispersion.
• Full overview of the main parameters can help the operator choose the best settings and have an immediate feedback on the results.