Although silicone glazes and fluoropolymer coatings both exhibit good release qualities even without oiling pans, many US bakeries still use oilers to disperse light coats of oil on pans to improve release as well as add other product characteristics to the final product.

Burford Corp. offers two different oilers that apply release coatings to pans. A cabinet-style bread pan uses a 3-nozzle system. It uses electrstatic pressure to break the oil down to a finer spray and to get a more even coat to the inside of the bread pan, according to Mitch Lindsey, technical sales for the Maysville, OK-based company. The oiler typically runs at pressures of about 170 psi, no air atomization is used, so there is less oil waste. Besides saving on oil costs, it also extends pan life if extra oil does not become carbonized on pans.


Burford also offers a bun and sheet pan oiler that can have from four to 10 nozzles, depending on the setup required by the bakery. A sequence controller sets the number of pulses that the nozzles spray and the spacing per pan.

An extended arm allows the nozzle head assembly to be raised or lowered to best meet conveyor height requirements. Both oilers also feature sensors to detect the bottom of the pan so that the oiler only sprays release agents as needed.

As with any system, Mr. Lindsey said, it is critical that the operator has oilers set correctly so that they don’t overspray.