“Clean” cleaning revolutionizes international milling

There was a time when horses pulled the wheels of industry, and the best way for a miller to clean his mill was to hit and damage his precious equipment with a hammer. Despite advances in the field, this rudimentary, outdated and ultimately ineffective method of pipe cleaning has survived the obsoleteness of the horse-drawn world to maintain its role in twenty-first century milling, along with the use of chemical fumigants that can leave residues in the final product leaving the mill.

Tube Tech International, an internationally renowned industrial cleaning specialist, has developed an alternative “clean” solution that is used by factories in over 60 countries around the world. The Rotaflex™ pipe cleaning system was designed and developed by mill maintenance experts within parent company Tube Tech to meet the technical specifications required by the industry. By removing all scale in mills of all types, without damaging assets, and without the need for fumigants, the system has allowed Rotaflex™ to innovate in an industry that had previously relied heavily on chemicals and extraction brushes.

CLEANING PIPES IN MILLINGS IS A UNIQUE CHALLENGE

Andrew Thain is head miller at UK-based WH Marriage & Sons, producing commercial feed for farm, game and equine animals. As a Rotaflex™ customer, Andrew describes the demands on maintenance in the milling industry, and why he believes “old-fashioned” practices are simply not the solution. “The traditional method of cleaning pipes previously used consisted of a weight on a rope, attached to a brush. "With the traditional practice of using a mallet, if the miller hits the pipe, it gets dented, and one of the disadvantages of that, besides looking unsightly, is that it gives a physical dead space where flour can accumulate."

As rudimentary as it may seem, due to being the only proposal to thoroughly clean a 12 meter long pipe, the practice remains surprisingly common in mills around the world, even to this day. However, the traditional method of planing and hammering creates basic problems that have led millers to look for more modern methods to ensure hygiene and efficiency of cleaning and maintenance. These problems feed each other.

The first, and most obvious, is the potential for duct damage. Even a rubber hammer will cause dents to form in it when used regularly. As gradual damage is caused, dents in pipes create dead spaces where build-ups of organic matter can and do occur. Common extraction brushes do not provide a comparable concentration of cleaning: the Rotaflex™ system offers up to 1500 RPM at variable speeds depending on specific cleaning requirements, and the method is a recipe for debris removal.

The accumulation of waste opens the door to the harshest problem of the use of chemical fumigants. Due to the inefficient cleaning provided by the brush and hammer method, and the subsequent buildup of residue, many millers are stuck in the situation of fumigating and potentially damaging the final product, or not fumigating and leaving the mill open to infestation. Therefore, chemical fumigants are considered necessary to prevent pest infestations in the uncleanable dead spaces left within the pipe network.

While fumigants are effective in counteracting infestations, in some cases persistent residues affect the final product. Rotaflex™ completely eliminates the need to use chemical fumigants as part of the cleaning process, therefore allowing users to deliver high quality products. Now a Rotaflex™ user, Andrew is happy to add that, at least at WH Marriage & Sons, “the use of rubber mallets and extraction is now considered unnecessary.”

HOW DOES ROTAFLEX™ PROVIDE THE BEST AND “CLEANEST” CLEANING?

The system is used in 63 countries worldwide and has been labeled by United Malayan Flour Mills, Berhad's leading miller, as the 'Best Pipe Cleaning Machine', but why and how does the Rotaflex™ Pipe Cleaning System clean much more effectively than other solutions?

The system consists of the Rotaflex™ main unit, a flexible crush-resistant steel tube, equipped with food grade liner and a wide range of brushes and accessories to combat the variety of challenges presented in mill maintenance. Simple in design for one-man operation, the Rotaflex™ unit assembles easily with bolts for both the inner cable and outer sheath that lock by hand.

Starting from the upper floor, the operator simply feeds the flexible tube down through the pipe to the lower floor. Once the brush has completely passed through the pipe, the operator uses the foot switch to rotate the brush and slowly withdraws the flexible tube upward from the spout. Due to the experience of the engineering team behind Rotaflex™, this simple method achieves effective cleaning of up to 12 meters of pipe in just 30 seconds. All pipes in a mill can be thoroughly cleaned by a single operator in one day, regardless of configuration diameter, length or reservoir consistency.

The system's ability to operate at variable speeds and the wide range of tool heads included with the Rotaflex™ system ensure that all ductwork remains damage-free, completely avoiding the need for any fumigation. Due to the portable nature of the Rotaflex™ system, it can be used on site at any time; It is easy to transport and use by a single operator and easy to store when not in use.

As Rotaflex™ was designed by millers, for millers, a wide range of requirements were taken into account in the development and production of the system. Built to be robust, while remaining portable, the crush-resistant steel flexible tube system, or flexible unit, is capable of withstanding considerable stress; For example, it can even withstand being hit by a large vehicle.

SOLVING INTERNATIONAL GRINDING CHALLENGES WITH ROTAFLEX™

Pride in being an international cleaning specialist, and the desire to provide an effective yet economical solution to the world's major grinding challenges, led the specialist grinding technicians at Tube Tech to develop the Rotaflex™ pipe cleaning system. Two international milling customers testify to the potential of Rotaflex™ in production and, consequently, profits, without large investments.

FMU MALAYSIA

UMF is one of the pioneer flour mills in Malaysia, which had been battling an infestation problem that was affecting production capacity. The use of brushes and hammers to clean pipes created the need to regularly replace dented pipes. The mill requested shipment of the Rotaflex™ system to Malaysia.

By quickly and safely removing flour buildup and blockages, the Rotaflex™ left the mill pipes clean and undamaged, and because there was no longer any product buildup, it dramatically reduced infestations.

THE MAIN FLOUR FACTORY IN KENYA

High humidity resulted in caked-on flour encrustations within the mill pipes, which in turn caused chokes throughout the mill, increasing infestation, resulting in losses in productivity and revenue. The mill had been using traditional brushes and extractors that could not penetrate the blockages. The factory ordered the Rotaflex™, having seen the system in action at the International Association of Mill Operators (IAOM) exhibition. Using their new Rotaflex™ system, the flour mill's team of employees was able to unblock and descale the pipes within a few hours.

CONCLUSION

Rotaflex™ is an effective, “clean” cleaning system that can be operated on-site, at any time, by existing on-site human resources, making it an efficient and economical solution when evaluating grinding maintenance costs.

THE BENEFITS OF THE ROTAFLEX™ CLEANING SYSTEM

• It is a robust, lightweight and highly mobile unit: it can be used on site at any time and is easily transported by a single operator.
• Using the Rotaflex™, just one operator can clean 8 to 12 meter pipes in 30 seconds, which means cleaning a mill of 8 sieves in a single day.
• Variable speed and clamping options provide the control and versatility required for different applications, allowing tubes to be clean and free of damage.
• It is developed specifically for the unique maintenance challenges of mills – it is the first unit of its kind designed and manufactured by an industry contractor.
• The biggest benefit is that mill employees can use it, so it is not necessary for specialized equipment to go to the site to do a cleaning job, generating significant savings in maintenance costs.

MORE INFORMATION

Mike Watson, CEO of Tube Tech International, explains why Rotaflex™ has achieved such success around the world, saying: “Fast, easy to use and affordable are the most frequent comments received about the Rotaflex™ mill pour cleaning system. It is an essential tool for every factory in the world to help run a hygienic and profitable flour mill. “In addition to increasing mill productivity, Rotaflex™ also means much less time and money spent on maintenance activities.”

If you are interested in learning more about Rotaflex™’s efficient and “clean” grind maintenance method, visit www.rotaflex.com or call the sales team at +44 1268 786999.