Tummers redesigns potato roller dryer for high capacity

The potato and potato processing industry is changing and Tummers is taking the lead in offering solutions in response.

Up to now at most french fry factories the potatoes have been unloaded at high capacity from the lorry, then sorted by size and stored in bunkers unwashed. This supply is then washed and further processed to produce the end product at production line capacity.

The latest working practice is to immediately wash the potatoes at high capacity on receipt and store them washed in bunkers. Here Tummers is far and away the market leader in the supply of washers with capacities of up to 140 tons per hour. In order to successfully store potatoes well in bunkers they must first be dried, and this must also take place at high capacity.

There were already roller dryers on the market, but these had been developed for much lower capacities and were used in the potato packing industry with washing usually lasting 8 – 12 hours a day.
 

So far no roller dryer was up to the serious demands of the 24-hour potato/french fry production lines. Tummers rose to the challenge and further developed the potato dryer, or roller dryer.

Tummers had the objective of building a machine with a high capacity, that was easier to clean, required less maintenance and was more sustainable. Tummers put the whole design back on the drawing board and looked at how each and every aspect could be improved.

Many innovative techniques were conceived and put into practice to now give us the ‘Tummers’ roller dryer. The drive gear, the assembly of the shafts and pressure rollers, the spraying in the drip tray and adjustable moisture absorption are several improvements applied in the Tummers roller dryer. The system can optionally be provided with an automatic discharging system, particularly for establishments where the product type is often switched.
 

An additional advantage is that this machine also removes any remaining foliage and shoots from the product.

The machine in its current form, specially developed for the potato and french fry industry, is built to run 24/7, is suitable for high capacities and meets all specifications and desires made by this demanding industry.