Baker Perkins attended the B&CMA’s 90th Annual Technical Conference at The Hilton Tampa Downtown in Tampa, Florida, May 3rd -6th, 2015. Sam Pallottini, our Dies Business Manager, made a presentation titled ‘Increasing Wirecut Productivity: The Importance of Correct Machine Set-Up and Die Design’.

Baker Perkins’ wirecuts are market leaders in the production of soft dough cookies and bars. All feature unique die and filler block technology that guarantees precise weight control. Labor, downtime and waste are minimized by quick changeover, rapid cleaning, simple maintenance and clear, intuitive controls.

Sam Pallottini will explain that the apparent simplicity of a wirecut machine belies a series of complex process and engineering interactions, each of which has to be correctly configured if good weight control, product quality and line efficiency are to be achieved. While it is true that the design of the filler block and die have a significant impact on weight control, other factors such as wire straightness, tension and location are also important. Filler blocks and dies are product-specific, but so too are product formulation and wire settings such as up-shoot, stroke length and drop. The importance of these increases with the speed of the machine. His paper examines the fundamentals of the wire-cutting process, from the feed rolls to the oven band, with particular emphasis on the importance of good die design.

During his 23 years at Baker Perkins, Sam Pallottini has worked in design, manufacturing, project management and field service. For the last 11 years this broad appreciation of cookie equipment engineering has been put to good use in the dies business, firstly as product manager, then operations manager and now sales manager. During his time working with dies, Sam has introduced a number of innovations to the product range, including polymer filler blocks, ceramic coatings and plastic inserts. He was also instrumental in the expansion of Baker Perkins’ manufacturing capability, installing an additional three multi-spindle engraving machines and a new coating facility.

In his present role, Sam works with customers on a range of projects from simple die replacements and upgrades to new product developments and process trouble-shooting. He also uses his wide experience of cookie equipment to provide advice on machine set-up and other process improvements. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and physics and an MBA from Grand Valley State University and is an associate member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.