ASTec lines: easy to clean, easy to maintain, easy to inspect.

Hygiene is becoming increasingly important
The US Centers for Disease Control estimate that every year in the USA alone 3000 people die and 128,000 people need hospital treatment as a result of eating contaminated food. Food safety and hygiene are therefore crucial for every individual manufacturer of pastries, but also for the entire bakery industry.

In the meantime, everyone has realised that the classical principle "all dangerous bacteria are killed off during the baking process" cannot hold true. There are a large number of potential sources of danger in freshly baked goods, but also, above all, in partially baked and deep-frozen pastries. Manufacturers of bakery products are therefore subject to increasingly strict legal standards and the demands of large-scale customers are also growing steadily. Inspections in bakeries will continue to become more frequent, and the requirements for documentation of the cleaning processes will become more strict. With the new ASTec line, you can minimise the sources of danger involved in the production line and even document the cleaning processes using a computer-based system.

ASTec takes its orientation from real needs
The ASTec lines are meticulously designed to ensure easy cleaning and accessibility. During development, RONDO took its orientation from various specifications from practical application, e.g. hygiene guidelines, the GMA checklist and customer requirements. The GMA checklist in particular is also used to examine the hygiene of production systems; it was developed in collaboration with numerous large-scale food manufacturers. In addition, ASTec lines also feature the familiar advantages of all RONDO lines: Gentle processing of dough, simple and reliable operation.

ASTec lines offer specific advantages
Alongside the smooth surfaces, an ASTec line has numerous other special features:

• Good accessibility: An ASTec line is designed and constructed in such a way that all cleaning points are easily accessible. You can only clean what you can reach. This accessibility is possible due to the machine guards that have been designed to open completely, by the band management system and by the free space between the individual components of the line.
• Appropriate material selection: All materials have been selected in such a way that they can be cleaned easily. Only materials that have been approved for deployment in the food sector are used, for example stainless steel and plastics suitable for use with foodstuffs.
• No recesses and cavities: All parts of the ASTec line have been constructed in such a way that no debris can accumulate.
• Blue transport belts with sealed edges: The belt on the ASTec lines is protected in such a way that no bacteria or germs can attach themselves.
• Individual cleaning program: On all ASTec lines, you can define individual cleaning programs and store them in the control system. The operators confirm execution of each cleaning step and you are automatically provided with documentation of the cleaning process for your next audit.

ASTec lines for dry and wet cleaning
RONDO produces two different versions of ASTec lines: for wet cleaning and for dry cleaning. Whereas ASTec lines for dry cleaning can be integrated without difficulty into existing operations, wet cleaning usually requires an environment that corresponds to its specific needs. Water and steam, for example, must not have any negative effects on production and the other machines in the bakery. The ASTec lines for wet cleaning feature special mounts and drives, as well as a special electrical system.

With their pioneering hygienic design, the modern ASTec production lines make a significant contribution to ensuring food safety. The lines are optimised for wet and dry cleaning and make maintenance and inspection easy. The computer-based and documented cleaning processes simplify auditing of the hygiene standards.