The decision of producing pasta, today, is a forward-looking hoice that is becoming more and more the mirror of our times.
Pasta is an extremely healthy food, accessible and appreciated all over the world, as it is easily adaptable to the season different ingredients: it can be the main course or served with meat, vegetables and fish dishes.
It is an essential part of the Mediterranean diet, universally accepted as being beneficial to our health (the latest research confirms it as being ideal for a long and healthy life).
Moreover, pasta is destined to be the food of the future as it is eco-friendly. As a result, the demand of dry pasta has been increasing for the last five years, especially short pasta shapes.
From the analysis of North Africa market, the following, particularly interesting data, come out: Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria are among the most important purchasers of dry pasta made in Italy. These countries are most certainly not short of raw material, consequently what is it better than making pasta in their own countries? They already have a remarkable experience in the main food produced in this area, couscous, thus Storci is the best choice, being an historical partner of the greatest couscous-manufacturing Companies. Our Customers know very well our dry pasta lines (short and long pasta, Omnia, nests and lasagna) and do also know their great flexibility, excellent reliability and long-lasting characteristic. The executive criteria used guarantee a longlasting feature as well as allow high mechanical efficiency and residual value.
What shapes can be manufactured? Well, many, different types ranging from penne to paccheri, conchiglioni, nests, lasagna; as far as long pasta is concerned, spaghetti, long hollowed fusilli, ziti and candele. That is why, today, we want to focus our attention especially on our short dry pasta lines, specifically, a line destined to an illustrious Algerian Customer.
We have provided this line with many of our technological innovations and equipped it, after a real planning review, with a series of sophisticated details making it even more performing, in the name of an utmost final product.
Its capacity ranges from 250 to 600 kg/h, depending on the shape, and its upper part shows the qualified configuration by Storci: total vacuum automatic press, model 135.1-400 TV.
In the lower part, there are the trays feeding machine, easy to load, followed by the pre-dryer and the automatic trays stacking machine.
The trays stacking machine with automatic tray pushing system, placed at the end of the line, is ideal for great productions as it is equipped with the tray pre-stacking system.
Let us have a look at the strong point of this line: ease and speed in changing the various settings. In fact, both nestslasagna and quadrucci machines are wheeled and it is possible to change the configuration in a few minutes, thus, produce the desired shape, saving time and manpower. In addition to the bow-tie machine, placed sideways of the line, the only “fixed” part is the calibration group, essential component of this line producing many laminated products: it consists of 3 calibrating units with independent motorization, with 180mm Ø rollers and totally automated control. The outcome is an excellent quality and a very reduced thickness; i.e. quadrucci thickness is just 0,4mm. The line has also a scrap recovery system coming both from the bow-tie machine and nests-lasagna machine.We are going to analyse now the different configurations:
SHORT PASTA, PENNE AND CANNELLONI
The pasta cutting device on the press allows the production of all short pasta shapes, also penne and cannelloni, adopting the special cutting units. As soon as it is cut, pasta is treated in the pre-dryer and then laid onto the trays conveyed to the stacking machine.
QUADRUCCI
The new-born of Storci lines is the quadrucci making machine, which allows the production of smoothed or saw-toothed edges shape, even on all four sides. The machine is totally made of stainless steel and can be fully open to streamline cleaning operations and shape change. Three independent motorizations and interchangeable knives enable the production of the desired dimensions and shapes. Besides micro-sensors guarantee a completely safe production.
NESTS AND LASAGNA
The nests making machine is equipped with its own calibration group, whereas the cutting group has been re-designed to make the cutting process visible to the operator. The lasagna group is placed directly over the trays feeding machine for a perfect deposit of the strips; the encoder on the dough towing roller makes you obtain a perfect cutting length.
PASTA BOLOGNA (BOW-TIE)
The bow-tie machine is placed alongside the press and 90° oriented in relation to the line axe. The dough die serves the purpose of feeding the bow-tie machine whereas a conveyor belt unloads the pasta - just shaped - in the pre-dryer. The trays, that collect the pasta, are automatically stacked by the designated machine placed at the end of the line.
STATIC DRYERS
Our dryers, recently re-designed and meliorated, both technically and technologically, are the ideal solution to dry all pasta shapes. They have been built with the same fiberglass panels already successfully used in the large automatic lines by Fava/Storci. Our dryers allow a modulating and computerized process: in case of increase of the production capacity, new items are simply added and, choosing from touch screen interface menu, recipes and settings can be changed in a few seconds. Our dryers are also equipped with a new drying software. This new system is different from the previous ones for a main characteristic: it is based on an auto-adaptable principle. When setting an initial and final phase, during the mid-way phases the software allows the recipe to adjust each time to the real ambient conditions. This way, it can correct its own functioning with reference to new events, such as mistakes of the operators or failures, during both the drying phase and production phase.
This line is the result of an idea we have developed along with the Customer, proving once again, that technology can perfectly combine with performance and functionality. The details, here, really make the difference as, because of them, the manufacturer can meet the market needs… a continuously evolving market.