BAR SOAP FINISHING

Luis Spitz L. Spitz, Inc.

April 5, 2006 Hollywood, Florida ______________ Bar Soap Finishing Processing Steps and Equipment. Bar Soap Finishing consist of six processing steps for the production of standard, superfatted, translucent, soap/synthetic (combo), and synthetic products into a solid bar (tablet) form packaged in various styles. he processing steps! the equipment used in each step and bar soap finishing line classification and selection "ill be presented. Soap Processing Steps# $. Mixing the main dry soap base! mostly in pellet form! "ith minor liquid and solid ingredients. %. Refining the fully formulated mixture into a uniform! homogeneous product. &. xtruding the finished product into a compact predetermined shape and si'e slug (billet).

(. !utting the extruded slugs into individual lengths as required by the soap press model used. ). Stamping the cut slug (billet) into a specified "eight and shape bar (tablet). *. "ac#aging the stamped bar in various styles Soap Finishing $ine %ypes and Selection

Mixing here is no precise definition or measuring criteria in the soap industry for mixing. +acro and +icro terms are used in other industries and can be applied to soap mixing. +ixing of $, or higher quantities of solid and liquid ingredients "ith the dry pelleti'ed soap base in standard mixers can be called macro mixing. -uring macro mixing the additives only coat the outer surface of the pellets. &ntensi'e or micro mixing is achieved "hen the pellets are broken up to expose more surface area. his allo"s the ingredients to penetrate the pellets. Refining .efining is the "ork done on soap by the combined action of pressure and shear. he purpose of refining is threefold# $. o produce a fully homogeneous! uniform product. %. o improve bar feel by eliminating lo" solubility hard particles. &. o enhance product lather! solubility! and firmness by affecting crystalline structure change. Methods for Measuring the (egree of Refining /ashdo"n emperature %he )ashdo)n temperature test is used to measure the degree of refining! evaluating the presence of hard particles (specks) by soap feel (grittiness! sandiness! roughness). he bar is "ashed "ith both hands for $ minute in a sink "ith &012 "ater. 3nce the bar surface is smooth and all protruding lettering and designs are "ashed a"ay! the "ater temperature is decreased. /ashdo"n temperature is the temperature at "hich the first hard specks can be detected. 5 4 smooth bar "ithout any hard specks has a %%12 "ashdo"n temperature. 4 6slightly gritty7 feel appears at %& to %(12. 4 6moderately gritty7 feel appears at %) to %*12. 4 6gritty7 feel appears at %* to %812. 4 6very gritty7 feel occurs "hen the "ashdo"n temperature reaches %912 or higher.

Photo5evaluation 4 visual method can also be used for roughness evaluation. he bar is "ashed for $ minute in %012 "ater and then left to dry. :f the bar is held at an angle in front of a high5intensity light source and belo" eye level! the dry specks can be easily seen. ;sing photographic standards the bar can be graded as 0! $! %! &! ( or ). <ero represents a smooth product! "hereas five refers to a very gritty bar. "lodder and Roll Mill Refining .efining is performed "ith plodders! roll mills! or both units used in combination. Plodder .efining Plodders perform the three main refining functions only "hen they are fitted "ith a refining screen. he degree of refining depends on the si'e of mesh si'e used. *ne full stage of plodder refining is achie'ed )hen a +, mesh si-e refining screen is used. /hen %0 or &0 mesh screens are used the degree of refining is diminished. .efining Screens he most "idely used refining screen is the s/uare mesh )ire type. Screen suppliers offer the same mesh number screens "ith different "ire diameters! "idths of opening! and percentages of open area. .oll +ill .efining he degree of refining (homogeni'ation and dispersion) of the minor ingredients into the main soap base by a roll mill depends on t"o variables# roll gap (clearance or nip) establishes the film thickness. shear is generated by the roll speed differential.

=or most products the gap bet"een the last t"o rolls should be set at 0.$) to 0.%0 mm for maximum performance. :t is important to note that the actual flake (ribbon) thickness "ill be 0.0) to 0.0* mm more than the actual gap setting. his is due to the mechanical tolerance of the roller bearings. he combination of gap setting and speed differential bet"een the last t"o rolls determines not only the degree of refining but also controls the product temperature. ;nlike plodders! "hich al"ays increase the product temperature during refining! roll mills are capable of maintaining and even reducing the product temperature. Soap pellets passing through a roll mill are usually converted into thin fla#es "hich are then usually formed into 6crimped fla#es7 for easier subsequent conveying. he flaker knife (take5off) is a blade designed "ith multiple cuts and angles to produce a thin fla#e. he crimped, compacted fla#es are formed "ith a scraper blade and a crimping bar.

.efining 2omparison bet"een Plodders and .oll +ills 4 general comparison guide for stages of refining bet"een plodders and roll mills is presented> the classification of finishing lines "ill be based upon the number of refining stages. Plodder ?umber of .efining Stages $A .efining Screen +esh ?umber 90 .oll +ill op .oll @ap Setting (mm) 0.$)

$
&B( $B% $B(

)0
&0 %0 $0

0.%0
0.%) 0.&0 0.(0

he use of finer than )0 mesh screens (such as 90 mesh) is not recommended due to excessive product temperature rise and potential production rate reduction. Pre5.efining "re0refining is a refining step performed before the addition of any minor liquid and solid additives to old (fully aged) or to ne" (fresh or partially aged) dry soap base. he use of a pre5refining step is especially advantageous for aged soap! lo" moisture content syndet! and high titer soap. he main advantages of pre5refining are# Easier processing of hard! lo" moisture content syndet! high titer! and translucent soap. Cetter mixing of the liquid additives "ith the plastici'ed! higher temperature! partially refined base. his facilitates the refining action in the subsequent processing stages. :mproved refining (lo"er "ashdo"n temperature of the finished product).

he stage by stage "ashdo"n temperature (photo evaluation scale) changes for a standard refining and for a pre5refining finishing line! each consisting of a total of four plodders! is sho"n in the graph. Soap Case 4ging :f the soap base ("ith or "ithout additives) is stored and aged before final refining! extrusion! and stamping! line efficiency increases considerably. -uring aging! soap crystalli'ation is completed and soap temperature is reduced. he optimum aging time for each formulation should be determined experimentally.

Finishing $ine /uipment Mixers 4malgamator "ith 63pen 4rm Sigma Clades7 he most popular and "idely used soap mixer! called an amalgamator, is a top5loading! bottom5discharge! non5tilting unit "ith 6open arm type7 Sigma profile blades. his easy to clean! efficient blade design is derived from the sigma blade! "hich is the universal mixing blade in the chemical industry. hese mixers mainly coat the outer surface of the pellets "ith the additives. +ixers only partially break up the pellets! thereby limiting the penetration of the additives. -ouble54rm +ixers "ith Sigma (<) Clades he (ouble 1rm Mixers "ith t"o counter5rotating tangential or overlapping sigma blades (< blades) are very efficient units> in spite of their higher cost! they have been gaining increased acceptance in the soap industry. hey are mainly used for synthetic and combo toilet soaps! synthetic laundry bars! and translucent soap production. hey are offered in fixed and tilting type discharge versions. +ixer5Dneaders 4 Mixer02neader consists of a double0arm mixer "ith t"o tangential sigma blades and a discharge extruder scre". he extruder is located at the bottom of the mixer vessel trough (bo"l) and is fitted "ith a pelleti'ing head similar to a plodder. he rotation of the t"o sigma blades creates intensive mixing! kneading action. :ntensive mixingBkneading action is achieved by the counter5currently rotating sigma blades (one rotating t"ice as fast as the other) and the scre" pushing the product up into the blades. 4t the end of the mixing cycle the scre" rotation is reversed to facilitate product discharge and pelleti'ing. +ixer5Dneaders for soap applications "ere introduced in the $E*0Fs by +iag from @ermany. hey have not gained much acceptance over the years because of their high cost and because they do not offer real advantages over the use of a batch amalgamator follo"ed by a separate Simplex .efiner. Cinacchi recently re5introduced these mixers to the soap industry. +ixer5Dneaders are especially suited for translucent soap production lines. Ribbon Blenders! "addle, and "lo) type mixers have limited use in the soap industry. .oll +ills Soap mills have al"ays been available in three! four! and five roll variations. 3ver the last decade the four and five roll mills have practically disappeared> three roll mills have become the industry standard for the follo"ing reasons#

 2ontact areas are large enough to ensure proper product refining and cooling. +ost of the total po"er absorbed! that is! the heat input to the soap! takes place bet"een the last t"o rolls. @ap clearance setting adGustment and control is easier. hree5roll mills have lo"er operating costs due to lo"er po"er and cooling "ater requirements.

.oll configuration geometry is very important because it determines the total contact area available for refining and cooling. CinacchiFs model C.+5H three5roll mill has been introduced this year. his novel design "ith H shape roll positioning has a )$0 degree total contact surface area higher than other three5roll mills. 4lso it is claimed that this design assures that no soap falls to the ground. here is no soap contamination and optimal temperature control is achieved. Each roll has an independent drive and gear box! a feature "hich allo"s the speed of each roll to be changed as required. .oll -esign +etallurgy Standard quality rolls are made of compound! chilled cast iron "ith )00))0 IC (Crinell) hardness. =or reduced corrosion and "ear! high5chromium cast iron rolls are indicated "ith )%0)90 IC to a depth of chill of $) to %0 mm. he cooling efficiency depends on the minimum thickness of the chilled "hite iron outer layer of the cast iron rolls! "hich has a thermal conductivity of %0 to %) /BmJ2. he thermal conductivity of the rollsF gray iron core is higher! ranging from () to *0 /BmJ2. .oll 2ooling Systems Several roll "ater cooling systems are illustrated. he oldest and most common one is the system "hich sprays "ater onto the inside "all of the roll. "lodders 2lassification he soap industry uses three types of plodders! each of "hich are available in single5 "orm and t"in5"orm versions# Simplex .efiners -uplex .efiners -uplex Hacuum Plodders 4 Simplex Refiner consists of one plodder designed to operate "ith a )0 mesh refining

screen at a maximum pressure of *0 bar. 4 (uplex Refiner consists of t"o simplex refiners mounted in tandem. Each plodder can be fitted "ith a )0 mesh screen. 4 (uplex 3acuum "lodder consists of t"o plodders mounted in tandem and connected by a vacuum chamber. he preliminary stage plodder is exactly the same as a Simplex .efiner and can be used "ith a )0 mesh refining screen. :n the final stage plodder the refined pellets are compacted and extruded as a continuous slug (billet)! free from any entrapped air. "in5"orm plodders exist "ith tangential (touching) counter5rotating "orms in a single barrel or non5tangential (non5touching) counter5rotating "orms in t"o separate barrels. angential t"in5"orm plodders are recommended for processing sticky products and for high production capacity lines. ?on5tangential t"in5"orm plodders are used for the production of marblei'ed soaps and for high5speed lines. :t is very important to note that a plodder functions as a refiner only "hen it is fitted "ith a )0 mesh screen. /hen &0 or %0 screens are used! the refining degree is reduced. $0 mesh and coarser screens are used at times as back up! protective screens for the finer &0 or )0 mesh refining screens. "lodder 4orms Plodder "orms are designed to perform refining! compression! and extrusion functions. erminology Kc is the closed barrel section and - is the "orm diameter. Please note that the KcB- ratio is not the same as the KB- ratio! "hich is the total "orm length K to the - "orm diameter ratio. ypes here are three types of "orms# Single 4orm %)in04orm %angential "in5"orm plodders "ith tangential (touching) counter5rotating "orms in a single barrel are recommended for processing sticky products and for high capacity production lines. %)in 4orm 5on0%angential "in5"orm plodders "ith non5tangential (non5touching) counter5rotating "orms in t"o separate barrels are used for high5speed lines and the production of marblei'ed soaps. /orm Profiles 7

he currently offered "orms by Cinacchi! +a''oni KC! and Sela are sho"n "ith recommended applications for each. 3ptimi'ing plodder "orm design depends on extensive testing "ith different products. :t is still an ongoing challenge for equipment suppliers. Short and Kong KcB- .atio Plodders 2onventional plodders are designed "ith & to$ KcB- ratios and operate at $% to $) rpm "orm speeds. he ( to $ types operate at $95%0 rpm! and the long E#$ KcB- ratio units operate at up to )0 rpm "orm speeds. . he first (#$ KcB- ratio 6?3H47 plodders "ere introduced in $E9( by @. +a''oni S.p.4. :n $E99 Cinacchi L 2o. launched the 6Extenda7 models. 2urrently all suppliers offer mostly (#$ KcB- ratio plodders. here are t"o special plodders! the +a''oni KC 6+P7 +illing Plodder and the S4S 6 ransavon7 plodder! "hich have long KcB- ratios! special "orm designs! and other special features. !utters he extruded slugs (billets) from the -uplex Hacuum Plodders are cut into predetermined length single slugs "hen traditional soap presses are used. he 6flashstamping7 presses require multiple length slugs. -uring the last decade! the mechanical multiblade cutters "ith fixed and manually adGustable chains have been replaced by the electronicBpneumatic and fully electronic cutters. -ue to constantly advancing electronic technology! todayFs cutters cut "ith ever increasing accuracy. +ost cutters can cut# 5 Single length slugs 5 +ultiple5length slugs 5 Short slugs "hich facilitate recycle (re"ork) he Ma--oni $B electronic cutters and their operating principles are illustrated. he ne"est cutters are the Binacchi !M06,,, and the S1S asycut.

"resses 8

Soap Shapes here are t"o basic shapes of soap# 5 Banded ("ith a side band) 5 all soap shapes "ith vertical sides around their periphery. 5 Bandless ("ithout a side band) 5 all soap shapes "ith only one parting line! that is! "ithout vertical sides around their circumference. 4ll banded and bandless shapes can be further classified into four variations# rectangular, round, o'al, and irregular. =lashstamping Soap Presses oday most presses are designed to use the flashstamping system using dies only! capable of stamping all banded! bandless! and specialty shaped products. Excess soap! referred to as 6flashing!7 is formed around the periphery of the dies. 4s the dies come together and form the final shape of the bar! its "eight is determined. =lashstamping al"ays requires $0 to &0, heavier slug "eight than the final stamped bar. his must be taken into account to properly set the extrusion rate of the final plodder. %raditional die box stamping systems are no longer used much. here are hori-ontal and 'ertical motion flashstamping soap presses. CinacchiFs model ;S?5)00 hori-ontal motion flashstamping press! introduced in $E9E! "as the first dual mandril press designed to accommodate up to eight dies (four on each mandril). 3ne set "as mounted on a reciprocating die slide and the other t"o sets on a $90 degree rotating mandril. he recently introduced ;S?5%000 Series are 'ertical motion units "ith one third fe"er dies since they do not have rotating mandrils. +a''oni KCFs 'ertical motion S ;. press stamping system "ith and "ithout the -P -irect Product ransfer is illustrated. (irect 5on0!ontact Bar Soap %ransfers for !artoner and 4rapper &nterface Cinacchi 6-P 7 -irect Product ransfer :n $E9E Cinacchi "as the first to offer a non5contact bar soap transfer as an integral part of their soap press coupled to a soap cartoner. his invention broke the then prevailing &00 cartons per minute speed barrier. :n $EE) Cinacchi introduced a similar transfer system for the direct interface "ith Cinacchi soap "rappers. he ne" 6-P 7 system "ith the Cinacchi ;S?5%000 series presses "ith and "ithout the 6-P F -irect Product ransfer is sho"n. Harious optional layouts illustrate applications of these units "ith soap "rappers! cartoners! and flo"5"rappers. +a''oni KC 6- S7 -irect ransfer System 9

he +a''oni KCFs ne"ly introduced 6- S7 -irect ransfer System is also designed to be coupled "ith various types of soap packaging machinery. Bar Soap Finishing $ine %ypes and Selection he selection of a bar soap finishing line depends on the follo"ing# ypes of products to be produced Kine operating speed ?umber of refining stages required 2hoice of an all plodder or a combination plodder and roll mill line .e"orkBrecycle quantity and recycle location +ultifunction line layout Pre5.efining requirement

Car Soap =inishing Kine ypes and Selection he processing steps and the various machines used in each step have been previously described. he three most "idely used lines in various layout configurations are# o Kine "ith & plodders (% refining Stages) Simplex Refiner and a (uplex 3acuum "lodder o Kine "ith ( plodders (& .efining Stages) (uplex Refiner and a (uplex 3acuum "lodder o Kine "ith & plodders and $ roll mill (& .efining Stages) Simplex Refiner, %hree0Roll Mill! and a (uplex 3acuum "lodder Pre5.efining Kines 4ny line can be made into a pre5refining line by placing a Simplex .efiner or! alternatively! a .oll +ill before the +ixer. +ultifunction Kines :n standard lines products have to pass from one machine to another "ithout the option of bypassing one stage. =or some products using less mechanical "ork (less refining) is indicated. 4ll layouts indicate the multi5function and recycle options. 4s an example! a multifunction line "ith three plodders and one roll mill is sho"n. his is a dual function line in "hich the roll mill can be bypassed if so desired. 4 similar line "ith four plodders "ould have a right angle -uplex .efiner to allo" bypassing the first stage plodder "hen it is not required by the specific soap formulation.

10

"ac#aging ?e" packaging machinery! bar soap transfer (infeed) systems! and increased acceptance of existing and ne" direct soap press transfer systems are responsible for steadily increasing packaging speeds. he packaging machines of today turn out (00 )00 bars per minute and *00 bars per minute is "ithin reach. Soap "ac#aging Styles +ass +arket Soaps +ass +arket Soaps are sold /rapped! 2artoned! =lo"5/rapped! 3ver"rapped andBor Cundled (;5Canded) -uring the last decade the sale of single pack toilet soaps has practically disappeared and has been replaced by multipacks containing up to %0 individually "rapped or cartoned bars. he multipacks al"ays offer a fe" free bars. 4lso! to save cost per bar! most "rappers and cartons are "hite and unprinted. +ost multipacks are over"rapped and some are bundled (;5Canded). he acceptance of the flo"5packed "rapped style (fin seal style) is gro"ing in many countries as the speeds of flo"5pack "rappers are increasing and many have in5line! non5contact infeed systems. Specialty Soaps Specialty cosmetic! gift! and novelty soaps are pleat "rapped! stretch film "rapped! and flo"5packed "rapped. Iigh priced soaps are also packaged in special cartons. Soap Packaging Equipment his portion of the presentation consists of an updated! illustrated summary of the most "idely used soap "rappers and cartoners "ith emphasis on ne" units. 4ckno"ledgments his is the first update on the subGect of Soap =inishing since the publication of Soaps and -etergents book in $EE* (.eference %). o prepare a current update! the maGor soap equipment suppliers "ere contacted. -ra"ings "hose headings start "ith a company name "ere provided by the individual companies. 3nly main titles and notations "ere modified to obtain uniformity. hose illustrations that do not have a company name have an indicated source. : "ish to extend my appreciation to the companies "ho provided information and illustrations. his revie" "ould not have been possible "ithout the assistance of# 4cma S.p.4.! Cinacchi L 2o.! @uer'e srl! +a''oni KC S.p.4! .. 4. Mones! S4S! Sela @mbI! and Soaptec srl. 11

4 special thank you to 4ndrea del 2orno of Soaptec srl for his valuable assistance in the preparation of the Solid Edge soft"are5based and other illustrations. .eferences $. %. Spit'! K.! ed.! Soap echnology for the $EE0Fs! 432S Press! 2hampaign! :llinois! $EE0! pp.$8&%09. Spit'! K.! ed.! Soaps and -etergents! 4 heoretical and Practical .evie"! 432S Press! 2hampaign! :llinois! $EE*! pp. %(&5%98 and (8(5(E%.

12