Main Oven Band Types for Biscuits

In biscuit manufacturing, to suit the characteristics of different products, the baking oven bands are divided into 3 main types to convey raw biscuits through the oven. Each type has particular baking characteristics in terms of heat transfer and performance which means different application ranges.

Open wire mesh band

As the most versatile and widely used oven bands, open wire mesh bands are suitable for all kinds of biscuits except soft cookies with high-fat contents. The pourable cookie doughs will flow into the holes in the mesh which will cause cleaning problems.

The wire mesh bands are usually supported by a series of cast iron skid bars. These skid bars are cast from iron with a graphite content reducing friction. They are placed inside the baking chamber with a pitch of 0.8-1.2m. They are set on the frames and are removable for cleaning(though infrequently). There is no need for any other maintenance for skid bars.

Sheet steel band

This kind of band is made from thin carbon steel(1.2 mm usually) and is suitable for soft cookie or cake doughs, which flow when heated. These bands could be riveted or welded. Welding is much better to present a completely smooth surface. The support of these steel bands is skid bars as described above. These skid bars could be a combination of cast iron and graphite.

Heavy woven wire band

This kind of heavy flattened wire band is woven with chevrons patterns providing a continuous flat surface and extremes in band weight. They are widely used to produce various biscuits except for cookies. These bands have a relatively high heat mass and are favoured by producers in the USA particularly.

The heavy woven wire bands are supported by a series of rollers. The design and specification of the supports have certain requirements due to the operation in high-temperature environment.

It’s important to choose an oven band that suits your product. Contact us if you need any help with the oven or oven band. If you find this article interesting, please follow our Facebook▶https://www.facebook.com/biscuitequipment    We will share more fun things about biscuits both on our website and Facebook.