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The following is a list of care and handling suggestions to assist you in obtaining a longer life from the DuraShield™ coating. Please note that some of these suggestions may not be applicable to your bakery as processes and equipment vary greatly from bakery to bakery.
General Care:
Washing Pans:
Pans should be brushed and vacuumed before being taken off the line for storage. All residue should be removed from the pan prior to storage. Ideally, the pans should be hand wiped with a damp cloth as needed—usually between 500 and 1,000 bakes.
Straightening:
Eliminate pan distortion by eliminating the causes of distortion within the system. Straighten pans when necessary to protect the coating and the pans if pan distortion cannot be eliminated.
Regular Inspections:
Check for wear points on all surfaces of your pans. Find the causes of the wear and make the necessary adjustments before damage to the pans or DuraShield becomes severe.
Causes of Failure:
Thermal Breakdown
At the end of its life DuraShield will ultimately fail due to thermal breakdown. Thermal breakdown occurs gradually on a molecular level as a pan is subjected to normal baking temperature variations. Each time a pan is heated and cooled, microscopic cracks begin to form in the coating. Eventually these cracks will grow large enough to will allow the accumulation of baking residue, causing the coating to lose its nonstick properties. Here are three typical events that accelerate thermal breakdown of the coating and how to avoid them:
Line Breakdowns:
When DuraShield is subjected to excessive heat (>550°F) over a prolonged period of time (such as during a breakdown where a pan is stuck in the oven for an extended period), thermal breakdown will be accelerated. We recommend shutting down the heat during oven stoppages if possible.
Uneven Heating:
Occasionally, ovens heat unevenly. When this occurs, some sections may get significantly hotter than others. When this occurs, thermal breakdown is accelerated. Oven experts can check to ensure that oven heat flow is consistent throughout the oven. Not only will even heating help the DuraShield last longer, it will also help ensure a more consistent bake.
Panning:
If empty moulds are run through an oven, they reach higher temperatures. Ideally, all of the moulds within a pan have dough deposited in them. You must strive to keep empties to a minimum to get the longest life from DuraShield.
Abrasion
Mechanical abrasion may wear through the DuraShield coating. Although DuraShield was designed to withstand the typical conditions of a high-volume bakery and is resistant to abrasion, care must still be taken to prevent unnecessary abrasion from wearing the coating prematurely.
Brushes:
Although we recommend that brushes be used to remove residue between the moulds, only a soft bristled light brush should be used to loosen seeds or other ingredients from the pan. Furthermore, the brush should not be adjusted so it rides too close to the surface of the pan. The brush should never mar the DuraShield surface.
De-Panners:
The de-panning angle can cause extra friction that may cause extra wear of the coated surface. De-pan with as little friction as possible. Adjust the de-panner to lift the product out of the mould as straight as possible. Ensure that the de-panner head and pan conveyer are traveling at the same speed.
Excessive Air Pressure:
When the air pressure is too high, it can blast seeds, crumbs and cornmeal into the pan surface. This will cause the coating to wear prematurely.
Pan Indexers:
Adjust the indexing fingers to prevent scratching the coated surface. Padding the fingers with Teflon® or rubber will help reduce friction and wear.
Stacking:
Careless handling can cause serious gouging, denting and scratching of DuraShield coated surfaces. Avoid dropping pans at an angle to minimize scraping the DuraShield on the inside of the pans. Use extra care when using a pan as a cover for pans in storage.
Accumulation of Ingredient & Product on the Pan Surface Incomplete cleaning allows ingredients and product to gather on the coated surface and will cause a degradation of nonstick properties. Mild brushing with a soft brush, or the vacuuming of residual food products, is essential to obtain maximum coating life.
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