Neuhaus Neotec discusses the launch of its next generation of roller grinders, the SPECTRUM grinder series, and the importance of reliable machinery.
Roasting plant manufacturer Neuhaus Neotec has sold roller grinders for coffee and chemical products for more than 50 years.
Though its grinders have been continuously developed, Neuhaus Neotec Head of Marketing Lars Henkel says it was time to give its grinders a general overhaul and bring core elements of the machine up to date.
“The former grinder series WMK was successfully introduced to the coffee industry in the early 1990s and has been further developed as the ‘working horse’ for continuous operation and large capacities. The new SPECTRUM grinder series will continue this successful story,” says Henkel.
The first machine of the new series will have a roll length of 1000 millimetres and two grinding sections. Henkel says this size is one of the most sold models thanks to its capacity.
“Most of the filter fine grinders work with this specification, followed by a compactor for the densification of the coffee. This feature is also available with the new grinder,” Henkel says.
The grinder is able to produce approximately 2500 kilograms per hour and filter fine ground coffee, though the maximum capacity strongly depends on the required fineness of the ground product.
Henkel says this is the first size of a wide range of grinders to follow.
“Further versions will include one to three sections and different roll lengths. The largest version is expected to be able to produce up to six tonnes per hour of ground coffee,” he says.
Neuhaus Neotec has designed the SPECTRUM grinder for clients worldwide with a required capacity of at least 1000 kilograms per hour.
“For smaller capacities we provide the grinding series WMS, which is the next grinder series to be updated. Neuhaus Neotec is happy to provide sophisticated roller grinders for all capacities from 300 kilograms per hour up to 6000 kilograms per hour, and a wide range of applications,” he says.
Aside from the coffee industry, the machines are also used in the chemical industry due to its “high technical standard and continuous quality in the grinding result”.
Henkel says the new model counteracts the current trend towards price increases.
“The higher amount of standard components and reduction and harmonisation of parts within the grinding machine has led to reduced costs without compromising on quality,” Henkel says. In a competitive market where roasters must meet demand fast and efficiently, Henkel says reliable machinery that provides continuous flow is a key consideration for large-scale operators. “Every stop for maintenance or unexpected trouble leads to an interruption of a complete production chain. For that reason, our design team focused on a robust design and safe functionality, which has been developed for more than 50 years,” he says.
“On the other side, customers want to avoid larger stock of spare parts, which waste funds and require storage space. It was our aim to maintain and develop our high-quality standard known from the previous series, integrate the latest control and software solutions and to optimise the maintenance requirements.”
Under the SPECTRUM
The SPECTRUM grinder series has many new key features, including a product feeder with a newly designed pull-out bar magnet unit.
“The magnet unit avoids the transit of ferromagnetic metal parts through the grinder. In order to provide an easy cleaning solution, the complete magnetic unit is removable for easy separation to catch metal impurities during maintenance,” says Henkel.
“All cover segments are easily removable for full access to all interior parts. The first grinder in the series has an integrated terminal box to cover the control units of the sensors to keep the cable ways short.”
The new cardan shaft, a component for transmitting mechanical power, torque and rotation, has been designed to reduce procurement costs.
“In the past, we have used more customised elements, which led to increasing costs. One important target for the new series was the reduction and standardisation of parts, as well as the use of mechanical elements which are well established for high stress application,” Henkel says.
“This led to a design change of a universal cardan shift, which is a typical element in several heavy-duty applications and is known for its high reliability in this design.”
The SPECTRUM 102 features a single drive for each section instead of belts and belt wheels, meaning less parts to be installed and to maintain.
“The gear which connects the rolls at each section is also absolutely wear-free and easy to assemble. Each section contains a single maintenance door, meaning less weight than having only one door for two or three sections, which would make it difficult to handle manually. There is also an easy and prepared plug for cooling water and central lubrication,” he says.
The grinder has pneumatic cylinders that press the rollers together and the electric spindle drive pulls the rollers apart to the desired gap against the contact pressure. Henkel says the great advantage of pneumatics are the adjustable contact forces of the grinding rollers and the possibility to open and close the gap during machine start-up and shutdown.
“With an intuitive operation and process visualisation, all machine parameters are displayed on the Human-Machine Interface,” Henkel says.
The grinder’s exterior is painted blue and grey, the same colour combination as the roaster series, and an identifying feature for Neuhaus Neotec machinery.
“We are also increasingly implementing the new Siemens control system based on the TIA platform (an integrated digital platform) in our machines, or an alternative automation control by factory automation equipment manufacturer Allen Bradley, which we will mainly offer in the United States market,” Henkel says.
“It’s a great step forward in terms of system control technology. The new interface in the corporate design of all Neuhaus Neotec software interfaces enables intuitive operation and quick orientation in the operating menus.”
According to Henkel, in the past, Neuhaus Neotec grinders were named by shortcuts, without any emotional connection. But with its new model Spectrum, that mould has changed.
“As we invest a lot of passion in the development of our grinders, we wanted to emphasise this care in the name of the product. The name SPECTRUM gives an idea that this series is developed for a wide range of applications, from fine espresso grinding up to coarse grinding for soluble coffee processing,” he says.
Henkel looks forward to the opportunity to expand the configuration of the modular machine design.
“The SPECTRUM grinder series will have a wide range of options to meet all demands for an efficient coffee grinding. It is our target to provide the complete range of this grinder series by 2024,” he says.
The first model of the new commercial grinder series, the SPECTRUM 102, will be introduced at the Interpack trade fair from 4 to 10 May in Düsseldorf, Germany. Henkel says it will be available worldwide where large coffee producers look for a reliable machine made in Germany.
“We are excited to get the first customer feedback for the initial grinder size when we present it at INTERPACK,” Henkel says.
For more information visit www.neuhaus-neotec.com
This article was first published in the March/April 2023 edition of Global Coffee Report. Read more HERE.
