Lone Star Bakery automates its dessert production line

From its humble roots as a neighbourhood bake shop in the late 19th century, Lone Star Bakery has grown into a commercial operation with two facilities in China Grove, Texas. The company produces millions of baked goods each week — including fruit and savoury fried pies, buttermilk biscuits, kolaches, cup desserts, cinnamon buns, pecan rolls and chocolate chip cookies.

Due to its reputation for excellence, Lone Star was awarded a contract by a multinational fast-food chain to produce a new line of cheesecake in a cup. Each cup featured a base layer of either graham cracker crumbs or an Oreo mix, which was compressed into individual cups, and then topped with a cheesecake and fruit filling swirled into the cup.

“It was a brand-new product for them, and no one was sure how it would perform in the market,” said Mike Brehm, Chief Engineer at Lone Star. “Initially, everything was done manually. We mixed the crumb bases in tubs, and our team hand-scooped the mix into each cup. It was extremely labour-intensive.”

When the client confirmed the product’s success, Lone Star knew it was time to automate.

“The cup filler line was designed by ATS with an All-Fill crumb depositor attached,” Brehm said. “We needed an efficient way to feed the crumb depositor, and they recommended Flexicon — so we reached out.”

Flexicon provided a solution with the Portable Flexible Screw Conveyor. Today, the crumb base is blended in a mixer and discharged into a portable tote. Operators wheel the filled tote over to a mechanical tipper, which unloads the contents into the conveyor’s hopper.

The screw conveyor features a stainless-steel spiral enclosed within a polymer tube. Designed for dust-free operation, it uses an electric motor positioned beyond the discharge point to rotate the spiral, which moves material upward at an angle from the receiving hopper into the depositor. The spiral is the only moving part that contacts the material and self-centres as it rotates, minimising wear and simplifying maintenance.

Both crumb bases consist of fine particles with a mix of oil and fats included for cohesiveness. As a result, both require additional activation to keep them flowing. Based on material samples Lone Star supplied Flexicon, the company specified a vibrator for the hopper wall and a mechanical agitator above the charging adaptor of the conveyor. These additions, along with the specialised geometry of both the hopper and the spiral, all help to keep the semi-free-flowing material moving.

Mounted on casters for mobility, the conveyor can be moved between processing lines as needed, reducing the requirement for multiple fixed systems. It also rolls easily to washdown stations for quick cleaning between product changeovers. A NEMA 4X stainless steel control enclosure protects the electrical components during washdowns and in humid environments.

“Our operators are very happy with the conveyor,” Brehm said. “When they see that the hopper is running low on mix, they press the button to activate the mechanical tipper, which dumps the tote’s contents into the hopper. Flexicon also provided the integration between the crumb distributor and the conveyor, so that if the distributor is running low on mix, it signals the conveyor to turn on and fill it back up. We’ve seen both a reduction in labour and an increase in throughput.”

The Flexicon conveyor is designed to deliver a reliable flow of material to the cup filler system, keeping production on schedule.

Lone Star was able to have the conveyor up and running quickly. “It was very simple,” Brehm said. “Flexicon included an installation manual which was easy to follow. They (Flexicon) are great to work with. Having a dedicated Project Manager was key, as we had a few change orders after we signed off. Everything went smoothly; they did a great job communicating with us.”

“We’re looking at the possibility of adding another production line in another year or so, and we’ll definitely be giving Flexicon a call,” he said.

Images: Supplied