New electric tunnel oven from GEA increases energy efficiency and precision

GEA introduces the E-Bake G2, a new electric industrial baking oven designed to deliver enhanced energy efficiency and improved process control. Developed to meet the evolving demands of sustainable food manufacturing, the E-Bake G2 represents a significant step forward in the transition away from legacy gas-based systems.

This second-generation oven is engineered to produce cookies (both soft and hard dough) and crackers, offering a compact footprint, advanced airflow design, and modular flexibility. Its design is optimized exclusively for electric operation – no gas integration – enabling significant CO₂ emission reductions while achieving precise, repeatable baking products.

Individually controlled baking zones and new baking chamber

Key to the oven’s performance is its modular architecture, which allows each baking zone to be individually controlled. This enables manufacturers to tailor baking parameters precisely to product requirements, improving both energy usage and baking consistency.

The baking chamber has been redesigned with a reduced internal volume, which minimizes heat loss and positions heating elements closer to the product, improving thermal efficiency. The inclusion of micro-convection technology, featuring localized air flow systems, ensures uniform heat distribution and reduces temperature gradients across the baking surface.

Thermal bridges-pathways through which heat can escape—have been minimized. Additionally, a new configuration of electric resistances supports targeted heat generation, contributing to a potential energy consumption reduction of up to 40% compared to the previous generation gas-fired model.

Flexible heat transfer configurations

The E-Bake G2 is available in multiple heat transfer zone configurations, including:

• RE (Radiant Electric)
• CVE (ConVective Electric)
• ConRad (Combined Radiant + Air Turbulence)
• RE + CVE (a hybrid, ultra-flexible configuration)
• Hybrid models (custom combinations of the above)

These options enable manufacturers to configure baking lines based on process needs, thermal profiles, and product types, offering both thermal flexibility and redundant reliability across modules.

Addressing market needs

According to Marco Girimondo, Product Manager at GEA, “Our Voice of the Customer research highlighted growing interest in sustainable baking solutions, particularly electric baking. However, customers face high operational costs due to energy tariffs and capital costs for plant infrastructure upgrades. The E-Bake G2 directly addresses these concerns by significantly lowering energy consumption and reducing both installed power and total cost of ownership compared to conventional electric ovens.”

High product quality and consistency

The oven delivers superior baking performance by replicating a small-scale airflow circuit within each module. This allows for precise micro-control of airflow and a uniform heat flux directed toward the product surface. As a result, the system ensures consistent baking conditions in each zone, yielding repeatable results and measurable improvements in critical-to-quality (CTQ) parameters such as texture, color, and moisture content.

Easy accessibility and maintenance

The design of the E-Bake G2 improves operational accessibility with continuous access doors along the baking chamber. The base configuration includes one access door per module, with an optional version providing up to three doors per module. The reduced distance between maintenance points, along with removable bottom plates in the baking chamber, facilitates cleaning and maintenance, thereby minimizing downtime.

Quick installation time

The modular design of the oven enables fast, plug-and-play installation. Each module is preassembled with its electric cabinet mounted on top, eliminating the need for extensive on-site electrical wiring. This configuration can reduce installation time by up to 70%, based on a reference 90-meter-long electric oven with seven baking zones.

New machine design

The E-Bake G2 features GEA’s new Kinetic Edge machine design, which provides a visually modern and functional aesthetic while supporting circular economy principles. The structural redesign uses 64% less iron in the frame and baking chamber, reduces the total number of components, and is based on a standardized module that can be configured to order. These improvements result in a lighter oven system with reduced material usage and easier end-of-machine-life recyclability.