Semi-automatic butter packing: a solution for small businesses

Butter is a familiar product found on every table. It is made from cream by churning or separation. To preserve its original properties and protect it from contamination and external influences, finished butter must be portioned and packed. The butter's resistance to external factors and the degree of weight loss through drying depend on the quality of the packaging materials and the type of packaging. For long-distance transport or long-term storage, butter is packed in containers as 20 kg blocks. For retail sale, butter is packed in consumer packs, most commonly of 100, 200, 250 and 500 g.

Butter packing is essentially a continuation of the butter-making process. There are 2 packing methods: filling into rigid containers and forming. Filling is used mainly when butter is made by the high-fat cream conversion method. Rigid containers are used for this — cups and tubs made of tinplate or polymer materials.

The more traditional way of packing butter — forming it into bricks — is used regardless of the type of butter-making machine.

Butter bricks can be formed in two ways: by pressing butter into a mould and by forming through dosing. Packing butter by dosing is currently the most common method.

Butter intended for packing must have a plastic and uniform consistency.

Butter can be packed manually or automatically.

For small farms producing 100–2,000 kg per shift, semi-automatic packing equipment working on the extruder principle is an excellent choice. A food extruder is a stationary horizontal electromechanical machine.

A butter extruder consists of the following main components: a rigid welded frame, the main electric motor, a gearbox, a hopper for loading the raw product, a screw auger (one or two), a die with forming inserts, and a cutter.

A screw extruder works like a mincer. The rotating augers draw in the product fed into the hopper, move it along the extruder barrel and push it through the die opening, giving the bar the required shape. As a result, the mass acquires the required density and its structure improves. The formed bar is then cut by wires into pieces of the required size. The finished bricks are packed into consumer packaging. A distinctive feature of this equipment is that it can form bricks of almost any shape (square, round, oval and any other). This is a great opportunity for producers to make their product stand out on the market thanks to its unique appearance. In addition, this equipment is extremely easy to use and requires no special skills or training. Thanks to its high output and simple design, the unit pays for itself quickly.

The Milberg plant offers a wide range of equipment for butter production and other dairy products, suitable for both small family farms and large plants. In line with food safety and hygiene standards, all equipment manufactured at our plant is made of high-quality stainless steel approved for use in the food industry.

If you need to buy milk processing equipment, submit a request on the website or contact our specialists by phone.