An industrial oven control upgrade replaces the temperature controllers, timers and sequence controls on a tunnel, deck or rack oven while keeping the oven body, heating system and conveyor. The same applies to industrial mixers, where the bowl and mixing tools often outlast their drives and controls by many years. For bakeries and food processors, these machines set the consistency of the product, and their controls are often the oldest electronics on site.
How ageing controls show up in the product
Ageing oven and mixer controls affect both product and production:
- Inconsistent bake. Zone temperatures overshoot after a door opens or a load enters, so colour and moisture vary across the batch and between batches.
- Recipes held on paper. Temperatures, times and mixer speeds are set by hand at each product change, with room for error.
- Unrepairable controllers. Single-loop temperature controllers, timers and early operator panels fail and cannot be replaced like for like.
- Little information. When a batch is rejected, there is no record of what the oven or mixer actually did.
Why the controls fall behind
Many ovens and mixers were controlled by individual temperature controllers, relays and timers, sometimes supplemented by an early PLC. Each was adequate when new. Over time, thermocouples drift, controllers are replaced with different models and settings, and the original tuning is lost. Mixer drives become obsolete, and the electronics in operator panels reach the end of their life long before the machine itself.
What an industrial oven control upgrade includes
The upgrade brings all zones and functions into one controller, with tuned temperature control and stored recipes.
How it works
- 1
Select the product
The operator selects a recipe, which loads zone temperatures, conveyor speed or bake time, and mixer stages.
- 2
Control each zone
Each zone has its own tuned control loop, adjusting firing rate or element power to hold temperature as loads enter and leave.
- 3
Run the mix
Mixer stages, speeds and times run from the recipe, with bowl and guard interlocks checked before each stage.
- 4
Record the batch
Temperatures, times and recipe details are logged for each batch for quality and food safety records.
On gas-fired ovens, the burner, gas train and burner management system are not altered. The new controls request a firing rate and read the burner status, leaving the burner’s safety functions with the system designed for them. Smokehouses and cookers share many of these principles, covered in smokehouse control systems.
The commercial case
The value of the upgrade comes from three sources: product consistency, faster product changes, and removal of the risk that an unsupported controller stops an oven that the whole production schedule depends on.
Alternatives
- Replace failed controllers individually. Keeps the oven running, but each replacement adds another model and another set of settings.
- A new oven or mixer. Justified where the mechanical equipment is worn. Where it is sound, a new machine is a far larger investment.
- The original manufacturer’s upgrade. A good option where the manufacturer supports the model locally. Some older ovens no longer have that support.
- A large systems integrator. Better suited to new production lines than to individual machine upgrades.