Grain & Food Industry Solutions

The fundamental difference of industrial food production from other sectors is the mandatory requirement that all product-contact surfaces comply with hygiene standards. This is not just a daily legal requirement but a direct guarantee of product safety.

TMD GRUP designs equipment for food lines with these principles:

• All food-contact surfaces are stainless steel (AISI 304 or 316).

• Corners and joining points are rounded — preventing dust/particle accumulation.

• Seal materials are FDA-compliant (silicone, EPDM food grade).

• Quick-disassembly mechanisms — equipment is easy to open for cleaning.

• Internal surface roughness standard (Ra value) — to prevent bacteriological accumulation.

The main handling system in flour and grain mills is the bucket elevator. There is an elevator at every vertical transfer point — from the grain silo to the milling unit, from the milling outlet to the packing line.

As stated in our catalogue, bucket elevators are used for the vertical handling of various types of powder, granular and lump materials such as grain, flour, sand, soil, coal, soda and cement. They are particularly preferred in agriculture, recycling, food, mining, chemistry and cement sectors.

TMD GRUP food-line elevators feature:

• Stainless-steel housing and buckets (AISI 304).

• Polymer alternative bucket options — physically protects grain kernels.

• Belt type (quiet operation) — for flour and light grain.

• Quick-cleaning covers — for periodic sanitisation.

• Transparent observation windows — operator can see the line, product loss is monitored.

Screw conveyors are widely used in the food sector, particularly for powdered products such as flour, sugar, spices, cocoa, milk powder and similar items. According to our catalogue, the sectors we serve include Cement, Glass, Gypsum, Lime, Concrete, Grain and Food.

Typical configuration for TMD GRUP screw conveyors in food lines:

• Tubular type (fully enclosed) — preventing dust release and cross-contamination.

• AISI 304 stainless housing and helix.

• Vibro motor drive — lower noise, no stress on the product.

• Quick-discharge and cleaning cover — ease of sanitisation.

• Multi-point feeding — from multiple raw-material silos to a single mixer line.

In flour mills, the lines from the milling unit outlet to the packing bunkers are typically built with screw conveyors.

One of the key processes in the food sector is mass-based dosing: every package must be the same weight and every mix must be in the same proportions. TMD GRUP vibratory feeders ensure this precision:

• The vibro motor's frequency is precisely controlled via PLC.

• Closed-loop with load cell (weighing sensor) — exact required weight is delivered.

• Stainless-steel tray or pipe — food hygiene.

• Quick stop-start feature — stops instantly when a package is full and restarts for the next one.

The closed-tube variant (Vibro Pipe) is preferred as ATEX-compliant in dust-explosion-risk environments such as flour, cocoa or similar.

Animal feed production is similar to flour milling but has its own specifics: various raw materials (grain, liquid oil, mineral, vitamin), mixing, pellet production and final product dispatch. TMD GRUP animal feed factory equipment:

• Bucket elevators — from raw-material silos to the mixing section.

• Screw conveyors — from the mixer outlet to the pellet unit.

• Vibratory feeders — adding sensitively dosed ingredients such as minerals and vitamins.

• Slide-gate valves — control of silo outlets and mixer inlets.

• Bag filters — for flour dust and raw-material transfer points.

Thanks to the closed-system design and stainless-steel manufacturing, feed hygiene standards are maintained.

Fine organic dusts such as flour, sugar, spices, milk powder and cocoa form an explosive mixture when combined with air above a certain concentration. A spark — even static electricity — can cause a major explosion.

For this reason, equipment in food factories must meet ATEX compliance requirements:

• Use of anti-static belts and bags.

• ATEX-certified motors and electrical components.

• Static-electricity earthing systems.

• Explosion-relief panels (rupture disks) — directing pressure safely when needed.

• Explosion-suppression systems — for advanced facilities.

In food projects, TMD GRUP supplies equipment compliant with the customer's ATEX zone classification.

Food lines are periodically cleaned — daily, weekly or after each production batch. This requires that the equipment can be easily disassembled and reassembled. TMD GRUP offers the following features as standard on equipment designed for food lines: