Making sure your bakery is equipped with the best and most efficient machines is crucial. One of the most important decisions you'll likely make is selecting the right dough divider for your needs. Whether you're scaling up production or aiming to more efficiently streamline production, the right dough divider can save you time, reduce waste, and ensure uniformity in your products. In this blog, we’ll explore the different types of dough dividers and how they can help you build a successful bakery.

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Why Invest in a Dough Divider?

Before diving into the specifics, it’s important to understand why a dough divider is essential for your bakery. So, what does a dough divider do? A dough divider automates the process of dividing dough into equal portions. The level of consistency provided by dough dividers will improve the overall quality of your products and continuously provide the customer with the product they are looking for. Dough Dividers also help to streamline production, allowing you to meet customer demand more efficiently.

Types of Dough Dividers

There are a variety of dough dividers to choose from, and each different model is designed with specific products and needs in mind. The different models also provide different out volume and weights that bakers may need for their specific products, so it is important to first ask yourself what products will I be making and which divider can help automate that production.

Types of Divider Models:

1. Manual - Manual Dough Dividers are machines that utilize manual levers to press and cut the dough into consistent portions. This option is more affordable but requires more manual effort.
2. Semi-Automatic - Semi-automatic dividers rely on hydraulics to carry out all pressing and cutting functions with the use of a simple joystick.
3. Fully Automatic - Fully automatic dough dividers use a control panel that can store programs that carry out your dough-dividing needs at the touch of a button.

Types of Divider Configurations:

1. Square Dough Dividers - Square Dough Dividers typically provide bakers with the most divisions. Capable of producing anywhere from 10 to 80 divisions per divide, square dividers are perfect for ciabatta, buns, rolls and pizza doughs. Square divisions are often used in conjunction with a dough rounder or moulder.
2. Rectangular Dough Dividers - Rectangular Dough Dividers provide larger dough weights of up to around 70 ounces per piece. They are perfect for the production of baton breads, baguettes and long loaves of bread.
3. Round Dough Dividers - Round Dough Dividers use a round basin to divide larger portions of dough. The portions can range from 4.6 to 42 ounces. This type of divider is perfect for dinner rolls, burger buns and other similar products. Additionally, configurations of round dividers are generally between 16 and 24 divisions.
4. Hexagonal Dough Dividers - Hexagonal Dough Dividers feature the smallest weight ranges of all the dividers. Capable of division between 1 to 17 ounces, they are perfect for dividing products like biscuits, scones, rosetta buns, dinner rolls and more.

Choosing the Right Dough Divider for Your Bakery

MEanwhile,when selecting the best dough divider for your bakery, the following factors should be taken into consideration:

1. Production Volume: Assess your current and projected production needs. If you’re a small bakery with moderate output, a manual or semi-automatic divider might suffice. For larger operations, automatic or divider/rounder machines are more suitable.
2. Space: Consider the available space in your bakery. You will want to find a machine that has a compact design and can fit in most bakery layouts.
3. Product Types: Think about the products you bake most frequently. Does automating the production of these products help your bakery keep up with demand and grow the business?
4. Ease of Use: Consider how easy the machine is to operate and maintain. The easier the machine is to use and clean, the less work your have to do. A complex machine defeats the purpose of simplifying production. If you spend too much time learning to operate and clean the divider, you are not saving much time.

Investing in the right dough divider is a critical decision that can significantly impact the efficiency and success of your bakery. Whether you opt for a manual, semi-automatic, automatic, or square, round or rectangular, the key is to choose a machine that aligns with your production needs, space, and budget. By making an informed decision, you’ll ensure that your bakery runs smoothly. You'll also ensure products remain consistent, and your customers stay satisfied.

An Overview into Dough Dividers & Dough Rounders

Saving You Time While Increasing Product Output

Bakeries have to produce large quantities of dough - but many don’t have the time or the workforce to do it efficiently. However, if your facility could take large amounts of dough, cut it down into smaller pieces and knead those portions for proofing, your operations would reduce labor costs and save time during production. By incorporating dough dividers and dough rounders, you will heavily increase your output while maximizing product consistency.

In this article, we’ll go over the following:

- Define the type of equipment

- Where to find in a production line

- Favored Manufacturers

- Benefits and Features

- Industries used in

- Summary

What are dough dividers and dough rounders?

Dough Divider

Dough dividers take a large quantity of dough and divide it into pieces of equal weight or volume.

With automatic dough dividers, the dough is fed into a gravity hopper and is then metered into the divider chamber or extruder.

Smaller operations tend to use manual dividers. With these units, you place the dough underneath the divider and pull down a hydraulic arm to divide the dough into multiple pieces.

[Source: Mila Lin YouTube] 

Dough dividers can have a wide range of pockets capable of producing one to 36 individual dough pieces.

Dough Rounder

A dough rounder kneads and shapes portions of dough for proofing. They are used to round products like bread, buns, tortillas and other bakery goods.

The most common type of rounder is the conical rounder, where the dough travels in a spiral pattern around a center axis. This step usually comes after the dough has exited the dough divider.

The two types of rounders:

Conical Dough Rounder:

- Commonly used in the industry

- Rotating cone shape

- Used for soft and medium-type doughs

Cylinderical Dough Rounder:

- Rotating tower shape

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- Also used for soft and medium doughs

The main difference here is the structure of the two. Both rounders perform the same function.

Where to find in a production line

Upstream Equipment

- Ingredient storage

- Mixers

- Dough hoppers

- Dough elevator

- Feed belt

Downstream Equipment

- Conveyors

- Rollers

- Rotary Die Cutters/Moulding

- Proofer

- Ovens

- Cooling Tunnels

- Metal Detectors

- Wrappers

[Source: HM Notes]

Dividers and Rounders for Automation

Automatic dividers and rounders are found in high-volume production facilities. In these types of operations, the dough comes through a gravity hopper and is divided into separate pieces. The dough then exits the divider and is conveyed into the rounder. Some rounders have a flour duster component to keep the dough sticking during discharge.

[Source: Martina Yuan YouTube]

Preferred Manufacturers

- Konig

- Peerless

- WP Bakery Group

- Reiser

Industries used in

- Bakery

- Pastry

Summary

Dough dividers and dough rounders allow your operation to produce a high volume of dough while maintaining a uniform product. Dividers take a large amount of dough and cut it into smaller, manageable pieces to enter the ovens on production lines. Rounders knead and shape the dough, preparing it for proofing. Adding these pieces of equipment to your facility will allow you to cut down on the time it takes to create complex bakery products without compromising consistency.

If you want to automate your bakery’s production, click here to contact our Integration team. They’ll help you get the most out of your production line.

To purchase a dough divider and dough rounder for your facility, contact our sales team by clicking the button below.

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