Watson-Marlow Masosine MR and SPS series positive displacement pumps have been installed at the Fakenham, Norfolk plant of chocolate and confectionery specialist, Kinnerton. The first Masosine pump was introduced to replace a gear pump that was damaging product on an Easter egg production line, with a second model acquired recently to support a newly installed caramel production line. The company has now decided to standardise on Masosine pumps moving forward.
Established in 1978, Kinnerton today is part of Zetar Plc, and can boast a turnover of £60 million.
“We had an inclusion mixer on one particular line that was supported by an ageing gear pump,” says the company’s engineering supervisor, Phil Barwick. “The line was set up to produce a new white chocolate Easter egg with dried raspberry mixed in. However, when the fruit first went through the mixer, it was squashed by the gear pump – in effect producing ‘pink’ chocolate Easter eggs.”
With Easter one of the company’s peak production periods, a quick fire solution was needed. The company requested the trial of an MR125 model.
“It was immediately apparent that it ticked all of our boxes,” says Mr Barwick. “Not only did it not damage the product – even subsequently introduced biscuit pieces were damage-free – it was also exceptionally easy to maintain and clean.”
The MR series is a range of medium duty sanitary pumps offering flow rates up to 91,000 litres per hour and pressures up to 10.3 bar.
With the MR125 operating trouble-free for the past four years, a more recent project was always likely to see a second Masosine pump introduced at the Fakenham site.
“We wanted to establish an in-house caramel production line. The one problem with caramel is that it’s very viscous when cool and can cause problems for certain pumps. However, we were confident that a Masosine pump would be up to the task,” says Mr Barwick.
Watson-Marlow recommended a Masosine SPS 2 sanitary/industrial pump. With a capacity up to 4,000 litres per hour and pressures up to 15 bar, the SPS is ideal for viscous applications such as caramel, gelatine and glucose, as well as industrial products such silicones, adhesives and polymers.
“We have three SPS 2 pumps on site, and not only do these handle the pumping requirements without a problem, they are incredibly easy to clean,” says Mr Barwick. “Even after pumping glucose, a simple flush-through with water is all that is required.”