The word soap refers to a specific type of detergent in which the water solubilized group is carboxylate and the positive ions are typically sodium or potassium. The largest market for soap is toilet soap, which is often used for personal bathing and cleaning applications.
A wide range of soap making machines are available in the industry that perform different functions and operations. Generally the soap making machines can be of two types one is a laundry soap making machine and the second is a toilet soap making machines.
Types of Soap Making Machines
The most important soap making machines are:
1. Mixer Machines
Soap making machines are very important in soap manufacturing plants, these are the machines that are used to mix the different raw materials used in soap making. The machines can be used for mixing a variety of additives with plain soap and produce a hard paste form. This soap making machines is available in various sizes, dimensions, weights, and mixing capacities. The latest technology of mixing machines is easy to use and operate. And it requires minimum maintenance also.
The modern-day soap mixing machines are specifically designed to develop soap chips in a uniform texture with colour and scent. The mixing action is done by using the specially “Z’ shaped blades that are fitted on parallel shafts mounted with close clearance in a double “U” shaped trough. With the help of blades, the mass is rolled folded back, and pushed down to join the separate layers.
2. Soap Cutting Machines
Soap-cutting machines are those equipment that are used in soap manufacturing plants to cut soap bars into desired lengths, sizes, and forms. In these machines, soap cutters are usually placed downstream from a plodding machine, and the soap bars that come from a plodder enter the cutter and come into contact with an incremental encoder, which sends a signal to the cutting machine.
The cutting machine provides a horizontal and vertical blade shift to cut bars into the desired length and sizes. The soap-cutting machines are designed and manufactured with two conveyors for separate cutting units, which are used to feed the soap bars into the cutter and then carry them out of the cutter.
Types of Soap Cutting Machines
Soap cutting machines are only one category of soap making machines. They are available in many varieties nowadays. The available soap-cutting machines can be categorized as follows –
- Air-powered soap cutter
- Manual soap cutter
- Loaf soap cutter
- Double cutting machines
- Rotary soap-cutting machines
- Bar-size cutting machines
3. Double Vacuum Plodder
A duplex vacuum plodder is a soap making machine that is used to extrude the final image of the soap. Suitable for stamping, the machine consists of two separate stages the first stage is a refiner, and the second stage is an extruder. The extruder is used to produce the final shape of the bar. A vacuum chamber that functions to generate the soap connects these two stages. An extruder is generally called a plodder in the soap manufacturing industry.
The vacuum duplex plodder is used to extrude the final product, which is a long continuous soap bar, and at this point, the work is completely finished. At this stage, the soap bar is actually finished, and the only thing left is to change the form of the bar by cutting the billets into smaller pieces.
The extruder screw of the top noodle plodder carries the milled soap ribbons of soap from the hopper and compresses the soap as it tries to pass through the noodle plate.
Types of Duplex Vacuum Plodder
Besides the simple soap duplex plodder machine, another form of these machines is also available with twin worms. Soap duplex plodders can be categorized into four types-
- Single worm simplex plodder
- Single-worm duplex plodder
- Double worm simplex plodder
- Double worm duplex plodder
4. Soap Saponification Section
Soap saponification section is a set of equipment that is used in this process. This saponification process can be of two types:
- Batch type
- Continuous process type
Batch Method
Semi-boiled saponification for obtaining medium-quality soap is attained by simple mixing and heating in a soap mixer, and it is used for producing small batches. Any impurities in the raw materials will be present in the final obtained soap, and there is no wasted discharge to drain.
Thoroughly boiled saponification for producing high-quality soap is done in kettles. This is the most common method of soap making and can be used to make laundry soap. These thoroughly boiled soaps are washed during the process to remove any glycerin or impurities.
Continuous Process
The continuous saponification process is suitable for producing different grades of soap of different quality standards. This system is not suitable for manufacturing soaps at a production rate of less than 50 tonnes of soap per day. The system can be designed to achieve soap production rates in excess of 200 tones per day.
In this technique, raw materials are accurately metered using a special pump to the saponification reactor. Following the reaction, the clean soap is separated from the product of the reaction which is rich in glycerin. The separation occurs in two stages:
- In the rotating disk column
- Through centrifuge separation
The clean soap is now can be pumped to the storage, or directly to the vacuum spray drying section.