Pump for Pukka Pies’ meat fillings

MasoSine pump technology from the Watson-Marlow Pumps Group has solved a number of pump-related problems for UK pie manufacturer Pukka Pies. Aiming to lower decibel levels, reduce cycle times and cut energy consumption, Pukka Pies replaced pneumatically operated air pumps with MasoSine SPS 2.5 pumps to transfer meat fillings at its headquarters in Syston, Leicestershire, from where it produces over 60 million pies every year.

“We were using a pneumatic air pump to transfer pre-cooked meat from a 200 L capacity low-level hopper to a top hopper ready for the depositor to fill the pies,” explains the company’s maintenance manager, Simon Kemp. “In the first instance, the pump was very noisy and we wanted to improve the working conditions for our bakery operatives. We also found that the meat mixture - which is rich, thick and full of meat chunks and therefore must not be damaged - was problematic for the pumps we had on site. We needed to find a pump which could suction lift the mixture from the mixing bowl up to the depositor feed hopper whilst maintaining product integrity.”

An enquiry for a MasoSine positive displacement pump from Watson-Marlow saw Pukka Pies introduced to the SPS 2.5 model - a reliable, economic pump suited to high-pressure, hygienic operations in sectors such as food manufacture. The pump’s sinusoidal rotor overcomes the limitations of conventional rotary lobe pumps to produce powerful suction with low shear, low pulsation and gentle handling, all of which contributes significantly to lower noise output.

“With the installation of the first MasoSine SPS 2.5 we managed to lower noise from 94 decibels peak, to 74 decibels peak,” states Kemp.

The process of transferring meat to the top-level depositor feed hopper is controlled by Pukka Pies’ own variable speed drive (VSD) system. In combination with the easily integrated SPS series pump, which features good suction lift for the dense pie fillings, the new system is delivering a further benefit of 20% faster pumping times.

“Furthermore, since the installation of our first MasoSine pump around two years ago, we now use far less compressed air - to the tune of 660 L/min. This obviously equates to significant savings in our energy consumption,” adds Kemp.

The MasoSine pumps at Pukka Pies consist of stainless steel powerframes and bearing houses with elevated baseplates and wheels to assist with mobility and reduce friction. They also feature a right-angle gearbox to reduce footprint.

With hygiene and product quality two factors of paramount importance at Pukka Pies, changing from one product/recipe to another requires stripping down the pumps for cleaning.

“We strip the pumps between product changes and at the end of each working day in accordance with a strict cleaning schedule, so it’s great that the MasoSine pumps are so easy to dismantle and clean,” says Kemp. “It only takes around 20 minutes before we are ready to go again, which is quicker than using our previous air pumps. Crucially, the sine pumps are stripped and cleaned by machine operatives rather than trained engineers.”

The company now has a number of SPS pumps on site, including several pumps operating with a flooded suction and three which use the suction lift capacity of the sine pump.

“The different fillings must not be broken up by the pumping operation,” explains Kemp. “We need to retain sizeable pieces of meat to maintain the necessary quality levels our customers expect. Fortunately for us, the large pumping chambers within the MasoSine SPS pumps preserve and maintain product integrity, even for fragile product such as pre-cooked meat or chicken.”

Since installation, Pukka Pies reports no reliability or maintenance issues, with the pumps operating every day between 08:00 and 17:00, transferring around 200 L of pre-cooked meat every 20 minutes. “There’s no doubt that the MasoSine pumps have become a key part of our process,” concludes Kemp.