A new packaging line engineering firm can make an “immediate impact” on the market, according to the firm’s president and managing director.

Gebo Cermex, groups the brands Gebo and Cermex together and Marc Aury, leader of the company, said it has the resources to be “first in line” in the packaging industry.

Cermex work in overwrapping and end-of-line equipment for fast-moving consumer goods and Gebo focusses on conveying and material handling with more than five decades of experience.

Gebo Cermex will cover a variety of sectors, from beverages and food, home and personal care and pharmaceutical products.

End-of-line solutions

The firm will offer solutions including line-integration to conveying, feeding systems and tunnel machines to overwrapping, packing and palletizing systems and help clients to optimise productivity as well as offering after-sales service.

In an ever evolving industry Aury said he was confident the new firm could make its mark.

“Our industry gets more complex by the day, and we recognised the need for a brand capable of inspiring confidence, a company with the precise combination of experience and innovation needed to make businesses grow.

“Our international coverage, proven know-how and peerless client support allow us to handle projects of all sizes, in an unprecedented range of sectors,” he added.

“We treat every project individually, helping our clients to turn up the value and boost their productivity whatever the size of their operation.”

About the company

Aury will be joined by current Cermex managing director Marc Ville, who becomes vice president of operations of the new company.

Headquartered in Reichstett, near Strasbourg, France, the group has more than 15 commercial facilities and manufacturing sites worldwide, with over 37,000 installations operational and an annual turnover of €320m.

Gebo Cermex will operate as part of the Sidel Group, but with considerable autonomy, confirmed the new venture.

Aury added that the goal was to draw on the past in order to shape the future of the industry, offering clients the broadest possible range of services.

Cermex has grown steadily thanks to a technological

innovation in the fields of case-packing, shrink-wrapping and palletizing and acquisitions, including the buy-out of robotic palletizing experts Newtec Case Palletizing in May last year.

Wolfertschwenden, 7^th May 2013 – MULTIVAC made it very clear at IFFA 2013, which took place at the beginning of May in Frankfurt: “We can do both!” – that is to say, support businesses, which supply hand-made products, with simple and compact packaging solutions and also provide industrial-scale companies with high-performance systems, automation solutions, uniform standards worldwide and local service on site. The packaging specialist was therefore represented at IFFA this year with two exhibition stands, which were each focused on a specific segment. 

The packaging specialist scored on both exhibition stands with its innovative technologies and products, which covered all aspects of packaging, automation, labelling and printing, inspection and high-pressure processing (HPP). In addition to these, particular interest was aroused by the innovative packaging concept MYLAR^® COOK, which enables food to be cooked in its sealed pack in the oven or microwave.

Product and technology innovations

As regards its thermoforming packaging machines, MULTIVAC presented at IFFA 2013 a number of innovative approaches, which significantly improve the energy efficiency of its machines and contribute to increasing overall equipment effectiveness. Many of these innovations are integrated in the new, high-performance R 535 e-concept^TM model and in the R 095 e-concept^TM compact model. In addition to these, MULTIVAC showed with its new R 685 a high-performance model, which is designed for running very wide films.

MULTIVAC also presented at IFFA some innovations with its traysealers for the entry-level and mid-range sectors, among them the T 600, a new, fully automatic traysealer model in the medium output category.

As regards chamber machines, MULTIVAC showed at IFFA for the first time its new C 800 vacuum chamber machine, which is equipped with a 1.40 metre wide chamber. This makes it especially suitable for packing particularly long food products, such as for example large, cylindrical sausages.

MULTIVAC Marking & Inspection, the labelling and printing specialist which is part of the MULTIVAC Group, also put forward a range of new products in Frankfurt in the areas of labelling, printing and inspection systems. Among these was a new X-ray inspection system and the MVS seal seam scanner. The labelling and printing specialist had also announced prior to the exhibition the integration of more of its systems in the HMI 2.0 control terminal.

Positive outlook for the second half of 2013

Overall 2013 has begun well for MULTIVAC. Its CEO, Hans-Joachim Boekstegers, declared himself satisfied with the current situation at a press conference at IFFA. “The gratifying feedback from the market shows us that we are in the right area with our product range, and that we are delivering exactly what our customers need, not just with our traditionally strong product line of thermoforming packaging machines but also with more recently developed product lines, such as for example our traysealers or automation solutions. Our innovation offensive addresses precisely those topics, which will increasingly gain in importance in the future, such as for example efficiency and the saving of resources. They are of interest to our customers not only for ecological but also for economic reasons”.

EU imposes a new anti-dumping duty on all pallet trucks, manufactured in China

Buy Danish quality! The price difference between pallet trucks from China and the quality pallet truck has almost gone…

As per 22 April 2013, EU has imposed a new anti-dumping duty on all pallet trucks, imported from China to EU countries. The new duty amounts to 70,8%. This means that the price difference between a pallet trucks from China and pallet trucks from e.g. Denmark is now very small. The new anti-dumping duty is imposed on both painted as well as stainless pallet trucks!

To Logitrans A/S, Danish manufacturer of material handling equipment, the anti-dumping duty means that the additional price for a Logitrans Panther pallet truck compared to pallet trucks manufactured in China will now be very small. According to Mr Erling Pedersen, President at Logitrans A/S, this will open new opportunities for selling Danish quality pallet trucks!

2013 marks the 50th anniversary of intralogistics solutions provider Jungheinrich’s entry in to the UK market.

Originally located in Manchester, today Jungheinrich’s UK headquarters are in Milton Keynes. In addition, the company operates six strategically sited Customer Service Centres in Scotland (Cumbernauld), the North West (Warrington), the North East (Sheffield), The Midlands (Birmingham), the South West (Bristol) and in the South East (Milton Keynes).

Hans-Herbert Schultz, Managing Director of Jungheinrich UK Ltd, commented:  “A 50th anniversary proves any company’s longevity, staying power and success. Our strong product and service offering allied to our commitment to aftersales care and ability to deliver the lowest cost of ownership underpin our company’s strengths.

“As a group, Jungheinrich is continuously innovating to ensure that our products, solutions and after-sales service support enable our customers to achieve maximum supply chain efficiency and profitability – regardless of their size and the industry sectors in which they operate.”

Jungheinrich’s dedicated workforce are at the heart of the company’s success and the company has held Investors in People (IiP) accreditation since 2009. Investors in People is a national standard which defines best practice for all aspects of developing a company’s employees.

Hans-Herbert Schultz added: “We are very proud to have reached such a significant milestone in the UK and are looking forward to our next half century working closely with our customers”

Specialist conveyor belting firm Rydell Industrial (Belting) has launched a range of industry certified metal detectable cords and belts suitable for use by the food industry.

Deteriorating conveyor belts have previously led to cases where food has been recalled because bits of the belts have been discovered in products, so belts that are detectable by inspection systems is a great help to the industry.

Fast moving polyurethane belts used in food processing are subject to wear and abrasion. Rydell Industrial’s commercially compliant belting is produced in an easy to identify blue colour making it easy to see.

“Our new line of metal detectable food grade belting takes this range to the next step in food safety,” the company states. “PU80A SAFE belts are made of a special thermoplastic recipe that allows very small particles to be detected by most standard metal detection equipment used in the food industry.”

Wet and dry applications

Rydell Industrial said the belts were fully compliant with Food and Drug Administration and European Commission requirements. They could be used in dry and wet applications and ensured food safety by reducing the risk of contamination, it added.

The belts are available in a range of different profiles, including round, flat and special, to order and are designed to offer the highest safety through detectability.

Rydell is based in Kings Park, New South Wales. The firm provides a range of belts for a variety of different industries, of which the food processing sector is just one.

Leading UK food-grade lubricants manufacturer ROCOL has introduced innovative caps and actuators on aerosol spray cans in the FOODLUBE range to help reduce the risk of foreign object contamination during food and drink processing.

Building on its long-standing NSF registration for FOODLUBE and its corporate ISO 21469 certification, both of which offer crucial safety assurances about lubricant formulation, the company has now become the first in the UK to add DETEXTM metal detectable plastic actuators and caps on all aerosol cans.

This means that, unlike traditional aerosol packaging, all caps and actuators on FOODLUBE packs can be identified using standard metal detection equipment should they become loose in food and drink processing areas.

The patent-pending DETEX caps and actuators are themselves manufactured from safe materials deemed acceptable by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in food processing plants.

ROCOL marketing manager Joanne Ferguson says: “The addition of DETEX caps and actuators represents another important step in helping food and drink processors avoid costly downtime, product recalls and the risk of reputational damage.”

Golden Valley (A BRC accredited company) is a dedicated specialist supplier of Hand and Machine Pallet Wrap (Stretch Wrap) Film that sources the best products from around the globe.

Golden Valley is one of the largest stockists of pallet wrap in the UK and can offer same day despatch on stock items which includes Hand and Machine Pallet Wrap in Clear, Black, White and Blue in various microns and transverse stretch including ventilated film for fresh produce and film for temperature controlled products. The key to the success of Golden Valley is the service offered to all clients.

Golden Valley is proud and excited to launch a new product to add to their extensive range of films. The new film will be known as ‘Carbon’ and is the strongest film in it’s category. Although the film is thin it has excellent puncture resistance, this being achieved by the 7 Layer co-extrusion properties. It is a blended high performance film and is not pre stretched which gives a much higher yield and 50% less consumption which not only makes it highly cost effective but also has a positive impact on waste management.

Automated packing and palletising systems specialist Brillopak has introduced a versatile new robotic palletiser specifically designed for fresh fruit and vegetables. The new Brillopak Compact C211 is capable of placing a variety of container formats including crates, cases and trays on to pallets.

Developed following extensive research by Brillopak into the issues surrounding fresh produce packaging, in particular the challenges of supplying the retail sector, the Compact C211 has been designed specifically to help with operational and health and safety challenges common in fruit and vegetable packing, still largely a manual process.

The Compact C211 fits easily into even the smallest of factory spaces and can integrate with other packing equipment to provide a complete line solution. The machine can palletise crates and cases at the rate of up to 30 per minute and Brillopak says the system delivers a typical payback within two years.

“The Compact C211 satisfies the main requirements for fruit and vegetable end of line packing in terms of speed, efficiency and user-friendliness and provides the flexibility to enable companies to respond to changing retailer requirements,” explains Brillopak director David Jahn.

Additional machines in the COMPACT C range include the Brillopak C1 11 crate packer, C250 crate de-stacker, BK750 pallet stacker/de-stacker, crate bale arm closing unit, vision systems and Ethernet connection for remote access and support.

Specialist conveyor belting firm Rydell Industrial (Belting) has launched a range of industry certified metal detectable cords and belts suitable for use by the food industry.

Deteriorating conveyor belts have previously led to cases where food has been recalled because bits of the belts have been discovered in products, so belts that are detectable by inspection systems is a great help to the industry.

Fast moving polyurethane belts used in food processing are subject to wear and abrasion. Rydell Industrial’s commercially compliant belting is produced in an easy to identify blue colour making it easy to see.

“Our new line of metal detectable food grade belting takes this range to the next step in food safety,” the company states. “PU80A SAFE belts are made of a special thermoplastic recipe that allows very small particles to be detected by most standard metal detection equipment used in the food industry.”

Wet and dry applications

Rydell Industrial said the belts were fully compliant with Food and Drug Administration and European Commission requirements. They could be used in dry and wet applications and ensured food safety by reducing the risk of contamination, it added.

The belts are available in a range of different profiles, including round, flat and special, to order and are designed to offer the highest safety through detectability.

Rydell is based in Kings Park, New South Wales. The firm provides a range of belts for a variety of different industries, of which the food processing sector is just one.

Eagle Packaging Machinery has made some notable changes to its BOXXER Case Erector Loader Sealer System, having recently taken on a project that required case packing different shaped jugs.

The Boxxer is now able to automatically case pack round and square jugs, which is no mean feat as jugs are a difficult product to pack being heavy and requiring an accurate loading process.

Once the jugs are filled and capped, they enter the Boxxer through an in-feed conveyor. They are then stacked according to the pack pattern that has been chosen by the operator.

Eagle’s particular project required two separate pack patterns: packing four 1 gallon round jugs into a case, and two 2.5 gallon square jugs into another case.

While the jugs are being arranged, a knock-down case is being pulled from a hopper and formed.

While other machines typically use a drop packer that drops the jugs from the top of the box, risking potential damage to the containers and spillage, Eagle designed this loader sealer system to gently lift the product from the bottom using a servo driven mechanism.

Once the case is packed, it is then conveyed to the sealing station for tape or glue depending on the application.

Eagle says the method of packing both round and square jugs is precise and increases the overall production rates.

Redpack were chosen by Vince Cable Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills as the venue for the launch of the “Growing Business Fund”, a £3m scheme designed to kick start growth. Redpack who are seeing a continued demand for their flow wrapping machines both in the UK and overseas and have a full order book and more orders in the pipeline are eyeing up the fund as a potential driver for its investment plans. Business Secretary Vince Cable championed the firm as a “Superb Company” during his visit to Norwich for its ability to flourish during the recession and to improve upon its overseas foothold.

Dr Cable said: “Redpack clearly is a superb local company. They have got more than 40 local employees here. They are a successful manufacturer, exporting all over the world [for example] in Brazil, Mexico and Malaysia. They have got a full order book and they have got through the recession. The problem they do have is that they want skilled people, which is why we have to invest more in apprenticeships, and if they are really going to expand they are going to need more funding support, so this is why funds like the Growing Business Fund, will be useful.”

Processing equipment supplier Multivac is launching a vacuum chamber machine for packaging long food products, such as cylindrical sausages and certain types of whole fish.

The C 800 vacuum chamber machine is equipped with a 1.4m-wide chamber, making it the largest single-chamber machine in Multivac’s portfolio.

Ingo Renner, manager of Multivac’s chamber machines business unit, said the new equipment had been devised in response to current trends in meat processing.

“One trend, for example, is toward ever longer cylindrical sausages, which first require pre-packaging in order to protect them during in-house transport to the slicers.

‘Extra-long sausages’

“Our customers require especially long chambers of up to 1.4m in width in order to package the extra-long sausages.”

The C 800 was considerably wider than the next model down in Multivac’s portfolio, the C 500.

However, the company said the C 800 offered all the benefits of the C 500 as well: reliability and precision, hygienic design with proven stainless steel construction, high production speed and packaging security and flexibility.

In addition to the vacuum ‘quick-stop’ function on the machine, the C 800 also offers automatic progressive ventilation, ensuring sharp or pointed products do not destroy the film pouch during ventilation.

Sealing systems and vacuum pumps

Depending on the packaged ware and the packaging materials used, various sealing systems and vacuum pumps can be employed.

In order to further extend the shelf life of products, or to protect them against pressure points or similar danger areas, there is also the option of using modified atmosphere packaging. Typical inert gases used are nitrogen (N) or carbon dioxide (CO).

“Because this is a time-tested machine design, rapid implementation by the customer is ensured,” said Renner. ”Users also remain very flexible, since not only large products but also several small products can be packaged as well.”

Multivac is displaying the new equipment at the trade show IFFA, which is running from May 4-9 in Frankfurt.

Introduction

There comes a time when the ends of a conveyor belt must be joined. Whether a first time installation, replacement or repair, the question is what methods are available to fasten the two ends, and which one is best for your application.

A conveyor belt arrives at the plant in a fixed length. It comes openended, since it can’t be installed in its endless or looped form. So the ends have to be joined after the belt is positioned on the conveying equipment.

Shutting down a conveyor system to install a new belt, or repair an old one, involves downtime. Downtime means lost productivity. Even if the belt is replaced during scheduled maintenance, care must be taken to ensure that the splice meets certain operating criteria. For raw food processing in particular, the belt splice must meet strict hygienic standards.

Other key considerations include belt installation know-how and cost. Maintenance crews in food manufacturing plants are probably familiar with mechanical splicing equipment and techniques. Mechanical splices are easier to make and less costly than vulcanized or welded splices. However, they may compromise belt integrity and pose a food safety hazard.In this paper we’ll examine the more common types of mechanical and vulcanized splices and discuss the pros and cons of each, especially with respect to sanitation, ease of installation, longevity and cost.

Food Grade Conveying Belts

Not long ago, fabric-ply rubber belting was the prevalent technology for a wide range of conveying applications, including food processing. For food handling operations, the ends of PVC-coated, fabric belts were usually joined on conveying equipment by vulcanization (heat welding). The two ends were cut in opposing zigzag patterns, called a finger splice, and then placed into a heated press that melted the vinyl ends together. This process required specialized machinery to apply heat and pressure over time.

Using the equipment to make these splices took skill and craftsmanship. Maintenance departments were trained in the use of the machinery and had the know-how to complete the operation successfully. Many distributors also had the necessary equipment and skill.

When a fabric-ply belt needed to be replaced due to wear or damage, mechanical splices were generally used. By comparison to the vulcanization process, mechanical splices were easy to accomplish in the field, and required simple, inexpensive tools.

Modular Plastic Belting

Over time, modular plastic belting began to replace fabric-ply rubber belting. Modular plastic belting is also referred to as table top chain or modular chain. This type of belting is formed by a series of interlocking hinges and pins. Because it’s strong and durable, it has gained popularity for a wide range of conveying applications, including food manufacturing.

Since replacing hinges and pins is a relatively simple matter, belt ends could be joined easily to any length in the plant. The need for expensive vulcanizing equipment went by the wayside, along with the skill of vulcanizing belts. Today, vulcanizing operations are primarily performed by belt manufacturers and specialized fabricators.

Despite its popularity, modular belting has a major drawback relative to sanitation. The hinges and crevices can harbor bacteria. In the processing of foods such as meat, poultry and dairy products, hygienic standards are high. So the modular plastic belts must be removed from the conveying machinery and soaked in a sanitizing solution following every shift, often for hours. This cleaning process creates downtime, offsetting the benefits of easy belt assembly and disassembly.

Polyurethane Belting

The newest technology in conveyor belting is extruded polyurethane. This new technology offers many benefits over modular plastic chain in food conveying operations.

Polyurethane belts are available in a wide range of profiles, materials, and covers. They can be reinforced with tensile cords to add load capacity. And they offer high resistance to the harsh detergents and chemicals used in wash-down.

Having smooth surfaces and sealed edges, there is no place for microbes to take hold, so the belts can be easily sanitized using clean-in-place (CIP) practices. And there is no risk of contamination by broken hinges or pins.

Sanitizing the belt on the conveyor can reduce the use of cleaning/sanitizing water by up to 45% for every foot of 24” modular plastic chain, and reduce cleaning labor by half.

However, polyurethane belts present their own set of issues when it comes to joining and fastening.

Joining and Fastening Options for Polyurethane Belts

Joining or fastening a polyurethane belt offers the same challenges as did splicing the fabric-ply rubber belting of the past. The same two options are available:

• Vulcanization or welding (the process of joining belt ends using
heat and/or chemicals)
• Mechanical splicing (the process of joining belt ends using
metal or plastic hinges or plates)

Today, knowledge of the vulcanization process is not as prevalent in maintenance departments as it once was, so some plants hesitate to consider this method.

We’ll review both options to make clear which is best under what circumstances, and remove potential mental hurdles that may exist concerning the vulcanization process.

Vulcanizing or Welding

Heat welding the two ends of a polyurethane belt can be done in the factory, in a specialized belt shop, or in the field. The belt ends are typically joined using either a finger splice or a butt splice, as described below.

Finger Splice—Factory Weld

At the factory or in a fabricator’s shop, an endless belt is formed using a long finger splice. The ends of the belt are precisely cut in an interlocking pattern. Using specialized equipment, the long fingers are joined together and subjected to heat and pressure for a period of time. The result is a heat-welded bond that is virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the belt.

A factory finger splice produces the highest strength bond possible. This heat-welding process completely seals any exposed tensile cords or fibers in reinforced belts, eliminating any places for microbes to hide. The smooth splice maintains the integrity of the belt profile, which avoids the risk of the splice tearing, snagging or catching on equipment. And there are no metal or plastic pieces to break off and contaminate the food.

Producing a factory finger weld requires a large, water-cooled presswith separate controls operating on 220 volt current. The splice should be performed in a controlled environment with respect to temperature, moisture and contaminants. The splicing operation takes several hours to complete, and is not suitable for old, dirty or unevenly worn belts.

Factory splicing equipment costs approximately $10,000. Given the time and cost considerations, factory splices are impractical for many end-user (plant) operations.

Finger Splice—Field Weld

It’s not always possible to produce an endless belt for a piece of conveying equipment in the factory. Often that task must be performed on site, in the field. Perhaps the belt is replacing an existing belt on conveying equipment already in the plant. Or the joining operation may be needed to repair a damaged belt.

In the field, you can form an endless belt by joining the two ends using
a short finger splice. This splice is similar to a factory weld, but the fingers are shorter and therefore easier to weld.

Like the factory weld, a field finger weld produces a strong, smooth bond that maintains the integrity of the belt profile and provides a sanitary surface for ease of cleaning.

However, the equipment and operator skill needed to produce a field finger splice is similar to that required for the factory splice. Large manufacturing plants with skilled maintenance personnel may be able to invest in the equipment and training; smaller plants may not.

Field Butt Splice

A butt splice involves making a straight cut perpendicular to the belt centerline, and then joining the two ends using a hot vulcanization process. Different belt manufacturers have different methods of heat welding the straight belt ends together. One method uses a “hot plate” to melt the ends of the belt. The hot plate is removed and the ends pushed together. This method produces a relatively weak bond because only the surfaces of the belt are joined. Another method involves the use of a welding rod. A 45° “V trough” is cut into the end of each belt and the ends are melted together using a plastic electrode.

Another butt splice method uses a heat wand placed between the clamped ends of the belt. A fixture drives the two belt ends together against the heat wand, melting the urethane. The heat wand is removed and the ends cooled and trimmed to complete the splice. Making butt welds in the field involves smaller, more user-friendly and less expensive equipment than that used for finger welds. For example, Gates Mectrol® offers an air-cooled field welder that operates on 110 volt current and does not require compressed air. The machine applies pressure to the belt ends from top and bottom, and operates on an eight minute heat cycle. At roughly $5,000, it costs half as much as finger welding equipment.

While easier to perform in the field, butt welds do not produce the strength of finger welds. A butt weld is more likely to come apart as it stresses over the pulleys. When butt welding urethane belts with reinforcing tensile cords, some methods are unsuitable because they push the cords to the top of the belt, destroying the integrity of the reinforcement.

Mechanical Fastening

Mechanical fastening is the process of joining belt ends by means of metal or plastic hinges or plates. Many fasteners used today were born in the era of fabric ply belts, and are now being applied to the newer polyurethane belts.

Food grade polyurethane belting is typically joined using hinged fasteners, including wire hooks, lacing, staples and rivets. The fasteners are attached to each end of the belt, and then joined by means of a hinge pin.

Operational Considerations

The most important factors affecting splice life and performance are
• belt working tension
• pulley size
• construction of the belting
One must also consider
• belt width, length, thickness
• speed
• the presence of cleaners
• metal detectors.
An important consideration for food manufacturers is splice cleaning
and sanitation.

Belt working tension is rated in Pounds per Inch of Belt Width (PIW). Factors that affect belt tensioning include the load to be carried, gravity, acceleration and coefficient of friction. When deciding which splicing method to use, one must consider the weakening affect of the splice on belt working tension.

The following chart shows the working tension rating by type of splice for two Gates Mectrol food grade urethane belts. You can see that in this instance, the factory finger splice produces the strongest splice, and the butt splice produces the weakest.

Before deciding which fastener system to use, determine the belt tension rating (in PIW), measure the thickness of the belt, and measure the smallest diameter pulley in the system. Based on these criteria, choose the appropriate fastener size, and then choose the material suited to the application. Hinge pins and fasteners are available in a wide range of metallic and non-metallic materials, including stainless steel and plastic.

Some fastening systems can be attached directly to the belt cover; others need to be countersunk to make the fastener even with the belt surface and maintain the belt profile. This may involve skiving, or shaving material off the end of the belt before attaching the fastener. Hidden splices are a form of countersunk fastener that involves covering the splice with belt material—replacement cover stock that is laid over the splice and cured—to protect the splice from abrasion and wear.

Individual belt manufacturers can provide recommendations for styles of fasteners based on type of service. Most belt manufacturers have guidelines and tables, plus installation techniques and tools that suit their belts.

Pros and Cons of Mechanical Fastening Systems

Mechanical splicing is quick and economical compared to vulcanizing or heat welding. Splicing materials and installation tools cost relatively little. And splices can be made in minutes versus hours. Mechanical splices can be temporary or permanent.

While some skill is needed to make a field mechanical splice, nearly anyone can do so. Some mechanical splices can be installed with nothing more than a straight edge, a knife and a hammer. A mechanical splice wastes less belt material—just the amount needed to square both ends of the belt.

The ability to make quick splices on the plant floor helps reduce downtime. Splices are safe to install, since there is no exposure to heat and chemicals. They are easy to inspect for damage, because the splice is plainly visible. And mechanical splices are compatible with almost any type of belt.

In food operations, the biggest disadvantage to mechanical splices is sanitation. Unlike vulcanized splices, mechanical splices penetrate the belt, leaving holes where bacteria can accumulate. Also, with reinforced polyurethane belts, mechanical splices leave the tensile cords on the belt ends exposed, providing another area for microbes to grow.

Some mechanical fastening systems are prone to breakage. The broken pieces can potentially contaminate the food being conveyed. In cases where food streams must pass through metal detectors, fastening systems should not have metal parts.

Mechanical splices are not as strong as vulcanized finger splices, so tensile strength is compromised to a greater degree. And mechanical splices require a larger pulley diameter because the splice components lack flexibility.

Some mechanical splice styles raise the belt profile, so they don’t pass as easily over pulleys and cleaners. If not properly installed they can snag and tear, leaving pieces that can contaminate the food stream.

All these factors must be taken into account when considering whether to use a mechanical splice or a vulcanized one.

Common Hinged Mechanical Fastening Systems

Wire Hooks

Wire hooks date back to the days of flat, fabric belts. The hooks were designed to penetrate and grab onto the fabric plies of the belt carcass.

Wire hooks offer a low profile fastening system that is relatively simple to install. The tooling is inexpensive. Hooks are available in a wide variety of wire diameters, materials, leg and point lengths, and strip lengths. There are various methods of installation, including a rolling device and a hydraulic device.

Hooks and connecting pins are available in stainless steel for food processing operations where sanitation is a prime concern. The key benefit to this fastening system is ease of installation and the ability to take the belt on and off. The risk of the hooks breaking and contaminating the food stream is a factor to consider before employing this fastening method.

Metal Staples

Metal staples are well suited for light and medium duty fastener applications on synthetic carcass belts. The staples can be preinserted into a one-piece fastener strip which is placed over the ends of the belt and installed using a lightweight tool. The staples are then driven into place with a hammer.

Metal staples are available in stainless steel alloys for food grade applications. They can be used to repair a belt for temporary use, or as a permanent splice.

Metal LacingMetal lacing gives the appearance of a piano hinge. The laces are provided in a continuous strip to match the width of the belt. They are placed over the ends of the belt and the teeth are embedded into the belt carcass with a hammer.

Metal lacing creates a low profile splice that is economical to install. It can operate over pulleys as small as 1” in diameter.

Both fasteners and hinge pins are available in stainless steel for food grade applications. The hinge pins are removable so the belt can be separated for cleaning.

Plastic Rivets

Plastic rivets are a non-metallic fastener that can pass through metal detectors. This non-scratching, non-magnetic fastening system has rivets with beveled front edges that are molded into the carcass to present a flat surface. They travel over conveyor components more easily and quietly than metal systems.

Plastic rivet fasteners have hinge pins that can be removed for belt disassembly and cleaning. This fastening system requires a special tool for assembly, and offers a low-cost alternative to vulcanization. Plastic rivet fasteners have mechanical fastener ratings up to 65 PIW, and a minimum pulley size of 1 ½”.

Hybrid Joining System: PosiLace™ Pin Splice

Gates Mectrol PosiLace™ joining system combines vulcanization with mechanical fastening. Designed for light to medium weight loads, the fastening system has no metal parts to set off metal detectors.

The PosiLace pin splice is designed for fiber-reinforced food grade urethane belts. The vulcanization process takes place at the factory, where urethane is welded to the belt in the pin area. An end cap is welded to the belt ends to seal off the tensile cords and maintain the integrity of the reinforcement. This process also prevents exposing the cords to bacteria.

A plastic pin is inserted through the splice to join the belt ends in the field. No special tooling or equipment is needed. The splice is easy to clean and sanitize.

Conclusion

There are many factors to consider when choosing a belt joining or fastening system. For food grade polyurethane belts, vulcanization is a superior method for creating a splice that meets the highest sanitation standards. In raw food processing operations especially, hygienic considerations may outweigh the lower cost and ease of installation that characterize most mechanical fastening systems.

Introduction

The fast pace of most processing industries means it is becoming more and more automated, to both ensure output targets can be met and production line efficiencies are maximised. Challenging economic conditions and an increased level of competition within the industry have further highlighted the need for process efficiency and have encouraged plant managers to review their existing systems to maintain future profitability. Automation is instrumental in consolidating costs from the high rates of labour, expensive raw materials and in ensuring safe and legitimate operations. However, integrating new technology into existing production lines can be challenging at times, while existing technology requires careful configuration in order to optimise the production process.

The concept of inefficiency

Working efficiently is a key ambition for any business as it significantly impacts on its profitability and competiveness within the market. After all, only an efficient business is operating at maximum output while spending the minimum cost per unit. Nevertheless, a lot of processing companies struggle to maintain efficient operations. Often caused by badly specified, outdated, poorly configured or inaccurately tuned control systems, inefficiency can apply to all areas of the process system and can have a damaging effect on profitability. Low product quality, lack of sustainability, excessive labour costs, material wastage, process inefficiency and poor environmental control are just a few of the many examples of how inefficient operations can affect different parts of a business. Whatever the area of concern or the root cause, inefficiency is always expensive.

Targeting inefficiencies

To reduce inefficiencies within a business, it is necessary to identify the source of it. Only once the causes have been established can service providers, such as tna, start recommending improvements to the relevant control system and specify exactly what and where changes or updates are needed.
Identifying the causes of inefficiencies is a complex task and requires an in-depth analysis of the production process. By logging the production data from the existing control system, it is possible to expose areas, in which inefficiency is being experienced. A standalone tna supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA) is well suited for this purpose as it can extract data from the existing programmable logic controller (PLC) system. Once collected, any relevant information is then logged in a central database to enable the creation of configurable reports that are specific to the plant in question. As this system is a standalone piece of equipment and does not form part of the actual control system of the plant, it does not disrupt or interfere with the existing production control and operation.
Once the results have been analysed with the help of the plant’s operations and maintenance personnel, a plan of corrective action can be proposed and implemented. This may take the form of the installation of additional plant sensing devices, the replacement of inaccurate pieces of equipment, or tightening and interlocking the control parameters within the existing PLC application code. In fact, in many cases the results will indicate that the existing system is quite capable of meeting the improved criteria and that a simple alteration to the settings may be solution to the problem. The result will be a more efficient production process without any of the associated costs of a new control system.

Inefficiency 1: Product quality

Product quality issues can apply to both raw materials and the finished product and are often caused by badly specified, outdated or poorly configured control systems. The cost implications for such inefficiency can be significant. While the waste of raw materials is regrettable, real problems occur when the finished product does not fit the guidelines and is rejected due to poor quality or damage sustained during packaging. Besides incurring considerable costs due to increased wastage, potential customer complaints can be a real threat to the reputation of a business. With more and more regulations focusing on preventive control, such as the FDA’s Food Modernization Act in the US, producers are increasingly under pressure to adopt mechanisms that prevent contamination and ensure that all their products are safe from the moment they leave the production line.

Securing food safety assurance

Food safety can be assured by improving traceability and in-line checking throughout the entire production process. Data collection equipment, such as barcode scanning systems, can accurately verify that the correct batch is being processed by scanning the product barcode and cross-checking it with the available data, while data code assurance systems, ensure that the date code is printed, complete and legible. In-line monitoring systems, such as metal detection, will ensure the absence of foreign bodies within the product prior to packaging. Stale product monitoring will ensure the product is always within specification. These systems will ensure that the goal of total product safety will be achieved and provide a rigorous system of product traceability.

Inefficiency 2: Lack of sustainability

With the costs of energy rising, maintaining a sustainable production chain is one of the top priorities for the majority of plant managers. The amount of electricity, gas and water unnecessarily wasted each day may be huge and can be the result of a variety of different inefficiencies. For example, machinery running when not required, poor maintenance, fully-lit plants during production shut-downs, and leaking equipment can all contribute to large energy bills. With vast amounts of money wasted each year on unnecessary electricity, gas and water, plant managers are increasingly looking for effective ways to control their energy consumption and keep wastage to a minimum.

Keeping control of energy costs

Sensing equipment such as flow meters, motion sensors and kWh meters can easily be integrated into any existing PLC-controlled systems, while outdated variable speed drives (VSDs) can be replaced with more energy efficient devices. Providing greater visibility into relevant plant data ensures that energy is used only when and where it’s needed, plus machinery replacement costs can be kept to a minimum. With additional integration through control software and the option of gathering data to produce energy usage reports, any control system can enjoy a new lease of life. As sustainability efforts are often on-going projects, it needs to be remembered that, while large leaks often take priority, a high number of small leaks can equate to a similar amount of wastage and should not be ignored.

Inefficiency 3: Excessive Labour

People are undeniably the most important part of any business, and in particular any production facility. Although, technological progress has certainly automated some of the plant processes, labour costs still account for the biggest share of any facility’s budget. As a consequence, plant managers have started encouraging their employees to work more efficiently in order for the business to stay profitable in today’s challenging economic and market environments. However, multi-tasking is not always easy when out-dated procedures prevail. It’s not uncommon for maintenance staff to have to repeatedly trouble-shoot the same breakdown or work on the same piece of faulty equipment. While these procedures incur considerable maintenance costs, they also increase the amount of down-time. As a result, production grinds to a halt, labour costs are wasted and overall productivity, and profitability, slows down. While in some plants precious production uptime is wasted with maintenance and repair work, in others staff are often engaged in tasks that can be better and more accurately performed by a machine.

Creating an efficient workforce

A number of processes within a production plant can be automated to remove repetitive functions and reduce the margin for human errors. With a PLC at the heart of the control system and a clear and concise HMI (Human Machine Interface) system providing machine status and production data, operators will be able to monitor any unusual activities and react quickly and efficiently, before any further processes are affected. Furthermore, a detailed review of all the activities within the plant can expose a number of tasks that would benefit from automation. Once this has been optimised, staff are able to perform other less repetitive duties and enjoy a broader range of plant activities. As a result, plant managers not only realise considerable cost savings, but also increased job satisfaction and retention levels amongst their employees.

Inefficiency 4: Material wastage

There is no worse sight in any production plant than seeing products being spilt onto the floor or transferred into waste bins. As production lines are becoming more and more automated, products are being processed at unprecedented speeds. Just one product breakage can affect the entire production cycle and easily damage a large number of goods before the fault is noticed, resulting in unnecessary downtime and excessive wastage. Often caused by inaccurate control equipment or badly tuned processes, material waste is a real problem for any plant manager and weakens the efficiency of any production line.

FDS for a smooth product flow

Involving a controls systems provider, such as tna, from the start of a project can prevent such inefficiencies. By developing a detailed user requirement specification (URS), tna is able to help plant managers identify the expected key performance indicators (KPIs) that the process requires. This URS is then translated into a functional design specification (FDS), and once signed off by both parties the process will be set up according to the agreed specification. With a tight control specification in place a smooth and reliable product flow can then be achieved, reducing material wastage and downtime to a minimum.

Inefficiency 5: Process inefficiencies

Out of all the types of inefficiencies within a plant, process inefficiencies are the most invisible and hardest to detect. Control systems are rarely commissioned with a full set of finely tuned control loops as not all processes or recipe types can been tested during initial production trials. As a result, many variables are simply left to chance and will cause unexpected problems at later stages. Although, the system may be running the correct plant equipment at the correct time in the production sequence, fine tuning might not have been applied to some control loops to accurately tighten down these processes. Some processes can also be prone to frequent stoppages during a cycle, further reducing the overall production line efficiency and repeatability of product quality.

Re-tuning for more accuracy

Revisiting the original PLC control code and fine-tuning the proportional integral derivative (PID) loops will greatly improve the control situation. This can be achieved in a number of ways:

• Manually watching and tuning the loop parameters and entering new values for P, I and D.
• Using a dedicated loop tuning package to provide guidance in the correction of the loop parameters for maximum efficiency. Control system specialists, such as tna, who are well experienced with the Rockwell Automation RSTune product can help plant operators with the setup of this software.
• For plants requiring more complex loop tuning, the use of a predictive and adaptive system can be considered. This is a model-based controller that sits above the PLC control loop on its own PC-based platform. Using these models, the system predicts the direction the process is taking and takes corrective actions before it can deviate from its set points. tna has in-depth experience of the Adaptive Resources QuickStudy product and can provide assistance when this process is carried out.

Implementing any of the above steps will result in a much tighter control of the process loops for more consistent product quality, greater process line efficiency, improved safety and reduced waste.

Inefficiency 6: Poor environmental control

Environmental control is a key priority for everyone in the process industry, particularly as industrial pollution poses a real threat to the future of our planet. When it comes to processing plants, drainage discharges (e.g. waste water) and atmospheric emissions (e.g. stack discharge) are the two critical problems that the industry is facing. Not only are these discharges causing substantial damage to our planet, but tighter Government regulations have also brought harsh penalties should any of these unwanted materials accidently escape from the plant. Without effective environmental control, plant manager are increasingly risking huge financial losses and in some cases even plant closures.

Ensuring safe operations

Simply adding extra sensing equipment at selected points within the process will accurately monitor waste products prior to discharge. The information gathered is then fed into the PLC system via 4-20mA signals and compared with a set point of acceptability. Depending on the data, the process will either allow discharge or create an out of tolerance alarm, causing the process to stop before any harmful substances are introduced into the environment. The logged data will also provide a detailed record for submission to external monitoring bodies if required, eliminating the risk of large fines and ensuring a safe and efficient operation.

Rethinking control systems

Inefficiencies within the process industry are numerous, and come at a considerable cost to plant managers, consumers and the environment. Collecting detailed and reliable data from as many parts of the production process as possible is vital to ensure a safe and efficient plant operation. Control systems play a crucial role in ensuring that only quality products leave the facility, waste is reduced to a minimum, labour and maintenance costs are under control and all regulations are adhered to. PLC and SCADA systems can easily be integrated into existing production lines to eliminate or reduce process inefficiencies, simplify operations and maximise productivity. Control systems providers such as tna can be involved from the outset of a project and offer complete engineering solutions from software and system design, control panel manufacture and installation, to maintenance and advice.

The Design 4 Safety Awards are run jointly by IMHX owners BITA (the British Industrial Truck Association) and Informa Publishing, to highlight the importance of safety product design features in helping to ensure safe materials handling operations.

A panel of experts, drawn from key areas of the mechanical handling industry, recently judged OCME as the Specialist Winners in the Automation category for their Auriga Laser Guided Vehicle. OCME were presented with this prestigious award at the IMHX Show in Birmingham on the 19^th March.

The OCME Auriga LGV is designed with all round protection that minimises the potential to strike pedestrians. The onboard laser scanning devices are used to sense obstacles posing a collision risk and stop the vehicle. The vehicle also has acoustic and visual warning signals that make it clear to pedestrians if the vehicle is about to turn.

In addition to the safety of the vehicle, OCME also consider all safety aspects when designing the operating layout for their LGVs. They design the paths so that a safe distance is always maintained between an LGV and a fixed obstacle. Also, escape routes and safe areas are included for pedestrians and blind alleys are avoided.

OCME LGVs can perform the routine tasks that are normally carried out by fork-lift and clamp trucks, except there is no need for a driver. The cost saving associated with labour is usually significant, however LGVs can also help to reduce operating costs in other ways; for example, no unexpected bills for repairing damage caused by forklift trucks to the building, machinery and product. Also, about 50% lower maintenance costs.

The OCME Auriga is controlled from a central PC which is used to set the missions of the vehicles and manage the flow of traffic. Communication between the PC and the vehicles is made by Ethernet wireless network. Because no wires need to be embedded in the floor, the installation is normally straightforward and, if the plant layout changes in the future, the route of the LGV can be easily modified.

When you walk around a Supermarket you see thousands of different products in a vast assortment of packages many of which have been produced on a Flow Wrapping Machine with crimped end seal and a long seal underneath. How many of us actually stop to think about how the package is produced and what technology is required?

First of all let’s consider the film; you may say “well its plastic isn’t it?” True, it is plastic, but to achieve the seals it has to have some form of heat sealing capability. Then there is often the need to be able to see what’s in the package so the film has to have very good clarity. It also needs to be strong enough for rough handling but not so strong that you cannot open it and it must be food grade to ensure that harmful toxins cannot migrate into the food. It gets more complex if you have product that has to have good seal integrity (that is it must be air tight) or in some instances for, example salad products, where the film needs to allow gases to escape and oxygen to permeate. Most of the flow wrapped food packs that you buy will be some form of Polypropylene but some will be a complex amalgam of layers of different film types that overall provide the desired properties.

What about the machines that are used to pack the product? All flowrappers have some form of product infeed conveyor that can either be a belt or chain driven peg pushers. A reel of film is mounted on a shaft and the film stock is fed to a fold box that folds the film into a tube so that two sides go into rotary crimp wheels to form the long seal underneath the pack. The product is transferred into the tube and travels through the machine to end crimp jaws that seal the ends of the tube and cut the pack away from the film stock. The packed product exits the machine on an outfeed conveyor to be either automatically or manually packed into outer cases for onward transportation.

That sounds pretty straightforward you may think but: Some product is fed onto the infeed by operatives and some automatically using complex feeding mechanisms. The product may be fed through the machine on a tray or, to save packaging material, it may be wrapped without a tray. Wrapping some product, for example tomatoes or apples, can be very difficult because the wrapping characteristics are different when they are wet, dry, cold or warm and they have to be handled very carefully to avoid damage and bruising. The flow wrapping machine can have film stock mounted above the seam crimp wheels (bottom seal machine) or it can be mounted below them (top seal machine). The film stock can be manually changed or, for continuous production, it can be automatically changed using an “Auto-splice” unit. The end crimp jaws can be rotating or, for high integrity sealing, they can go up and down and travel backwards and forwards with the pack in a “box motion”. It’s pretty complex really isn’t it?

So when you next go into your supermarket take a good look at the product packaging because there is a lot more to it than you may realise and if you are looking to purchase a flow wrapping machine make sure that you go to an experienced supplier who can assist you to make the right choices.

The Craemer Group, the manufacturer of plastic pallets, wheelie bins, and containers in Europe, is expanding its services in the UK. At IMHX 2013, Craemer Plastic Pallets UK showcases its portfolio of plastic pallet solutions (Stand No. 18M180) that stand for highest quality, cost efficiency, and best customer value.

As a European market leader with a long tradition in the British market, Craemer plans to strengthen its presence and brand awareness in the UK by using this key trade fair as the kick-off to introduce its products and services to a wide range of industry experts.

Craemer Plastic Pallets UK builds on the company’s tradition and proficiency as an innovative manufacturer and service provider. The company stands for top product quality, guaranteed durability, reliability, and long-life products. Craemer aims at providing its customers the best value and the most cost effective solution. With headquarters in Herzebrock, Germany, and its UK production facility in Telford Shropshire, Craemer combines the manufacturing skills and experiences of both countries. “With manufacturing capabilities and pallet stock warehouses in Telford and in Herzebrock, Germany, Craemer customers can be assured swift and efficient turnaround of orders. We guarantee fast delivery times and a top service centrally organized from our facility in Telford,” comments Gordon Darbyshire, Craemer’s UK Sales Manager.

Craemer UK offers high performance with its wide and varied pallet products that range from the lightweight plastic D1 pallet to CR and T pallets for heavy duty loads. At IMHX, the company will showcase innovative industrial solutions for the food, pharmaceutical, and automotive industries, including dedicated trade, pooling, SCM and logistics services. Craemer UK reported significant growth in pallet sales in 2012 and is looking ahead to 2013. “Following this success we will extend our services by internet and the expansion of our UK sales team to maintain our on-going commitment to product development and customer service,” explains Gordon.

Food packing firm Bedfordshire Growers has announced that its new automated palletiser has helped it to improve productivity

It said its Symach automated palletiser was recently installed for its onion packing line.

The new automated palletiser can cope with up to 10 tonnes per hour. In a statement, the firm also said that the palletiser also “accurately places the nets in the optimum position for maximum stability, and then wraps the entire pallet in heavy duty film ensuring the integrity of the finished product”.

Bedfordshire Growers sales director Tim Elcombe said: “The new palletiser has made a huge difference to our packing line. Our activities are directed at providing locally grown fresh produce which is packed and delivered with the minimal delay.

“As well as speeding up the whole packing line, the improved accuracy and efficiency in stacking now means each pallet can now safely accommodate an additional 100kg.  This represents a space saving of over 10% which not only improves the service we offer but will also will have a direct benefit on transport costs and help to reduce our carbon footprint even further.”

The company, a global provider of retail-ready packaging (RRP) solutions, says its new all-in-one pallet and dolly solution facilitates safe and easy in-store handling.

Roll n’ Pall features a four-wheeled base that can be easily manoeuvred on the retail floor and locked into the sales fixture thanks to its simple foot-activated mechanism.

The lock can then be released in the same way.

Replacing the use of materials handling equipment, Roll n’ Pall is also said to significantly reduce the time and cost of replenishment, making it beneficial for both suppliers and retailers.

“The main advantage of having two products in one is the ability to deliver from the production line, via DC, straight to the retail floor, which keeps handling and replenishment costs to a minimum,” says Adrian Dale, Polymer Logistics managing director UK.

“Empty pallets can subsequently be replaced with full ones, which maximises product availability and noticeably boosts sales,” he says.

Dale add that in trials, retailers have “more than halved their replenishment times” compared to traditional shelf merchandising.
This, he says, not only reduces costs but also frees up staff to assist customers, thereby “improving the overall shopping experience”.

Multihead weighers are faster and more accurate than linear weighers, but are they always the better option? Lynda Searby finds out more and rounds up the latest kit

Where I come from, in the north of England, people don’t mince their words. But in the packaging industry it’s never that simple. A bagger is never a bagger, nor a filler just a filler. And a weigher is certainly never a weigher – it’s a linear weigher or a multihead weigher, a radial or a screw feed weigher.

The key to deciding whether a linear or multihead weigher is the best fit for a particular production line is understanding the distinction between these – and indeed other – types of weigher.

“In very basic terms, a linear weigher feeds product onto a weigh pan until target weight is achieved and then discharges,” explains Chris Bolton, sales and operations director at PFM Packaging Machinery.
Or put another way by Ian Hope, managing director of Lingwood Food Services, UK sales agent for Danish multihead manufacturer Bilwinco: “On a linear weigher product is fed into a weighing bucket until the desired amount is in the bucket. When the portion is ready, the product is emptied into the pack. During the time it takes to fill the weighing bucket no packs are filled.”

Linear weighers typically have two channels: a bulk-feed channel which fills the majority of the weight; and a small channel that tops it up more slowly to accurately reach the correct weight at the end of each cycle. This format is also known as a ‘rough and fine’ weigher and is often used where pieceweight is varied.

Multihead weighers – also known as combination weighers – on the other hand, feed a proportion of the target weight simultaneously into a number of weigh buckets or hoppers. The controls then establish which buckets hold the combination closest to target weight and signal these to be discharged.

“A multihead is actually 10 to 28 linear weighers built together. Here we do not fill the exact amount of product into each weighing bucket, but approximately a third of the target weight. Then the controls combine three different weighing buckets  in order to reach the correct portion size and releases these into the pack. Once this has been done, three other buckets are ready to be emptied,” says Hope.

Multihead variations

There are also variations on the combination multihead. Screw feeds are used in multihead systems where goods are particularly viscous and cannot be fed by vibration. This configuration is known as a screw feed weigher. Combination multiheads can also be supplied with the pockets in a linear rather than radial orientation, a format generally reserved for fresh or fragile products requiring very accurate feed control.

The different operating principles of linear and multihead weighers mean that fundamentally, linear weighers are slower and less accurate than multiheads, as James Hosford, European sales manager with Tna Europe, explains: “With multihead weighers, each channel does not aim to hit the target weight, nor does the amount in each bucket need to be precise. This allows the loading, and therefore, bagging, to be much quicker.”

What’s more, he adds, as the software system has thousands of combinations to choose from, the release of product is more accurate.

Ishida Europe marketing manager Torsten Giese provides some examples to illustrate the contrast in speed and accuracy between the two types of weigher. He says that ‘rough and fine’ linear weighers will typically achieve up to 50 products per minute, whereas multiheads can process several hundreds of weighments per minute. In terms of accuracy, he says that on a 1kg washing powder pack, a rough and fine weigher might achieve 5% accuracy, whereas a multihead will usually be within 1% of the target weight.

German firm Multipond has developed a patented ‘dosage mode’ for its multihead machines that can be used to deliver even greater speeds than would be possible using combination technology. UK managing director Geoff Tandy says this comes into its own when feeding a high speed thermoformer, for example, when weighing cereals into a dual compartment yogurt pot.

Given the superior speed and accuracy of multihead weighers, it is hard to see why anyone would opt to invest in a linear weigher.  Historically, the higher price of multiheads gave some buyers grounds for choosing linear weighers, but according to PFM’s Bolton, this is no longer a justification for most.

“The first multihead weighers became available in the late 1970s and since then the price differential between linear and multihead weighers has closed considerably. This means that in the majority of applications encountered by PFM, the speed and accuracy of multihead systems more than compensates for extra capital cost, particularly through reduced product giveaway,” he says.

In addition, Tandy says that the proliferation of cheap Chinese multihead machines has killed a lot of the linear market. His company stopped making conventional linear weighers altogether about three years ago to focus solely on multiheads.

Similarly, PFM says that the advance of small, entry level multiheads has meant that it has been nearly 10 years since it supplied linear weighers for use with its bagging machines.

Even producers of commodity food products such as rice and pasta, historically staunch linear weigher users, are turning to multihead technology, according to Ishida’s Giese.

“Where products were previously not considered high value enough for multihead weighing, greater pressure on margins is prompting a move to multihead weighing due to the lower giveaway,” he says.
Still, there are some pockets where linear weighers are hanging on to their market share.

“There will always be some applications where linear weighers are suitable, for example, in the packaging of smaller product runs where bulk output is not a major requirement,” notes Tna’s Hosford. “However, more and more users are turning to multihead weighers due to their increased speed, accuracy and comparable cost.”

And as innovation continues to forge ahead, the argument for multihead weighers is only going to become more compelling. Tna says it is continually developing new technology to increase speed without compromising on accuracy.

“For example, we are currently developing a close loop control which allows the distribution system, on-head flavouring systems and packaging system to communicate and adjust their processes to cope with changing factors at any point in the production line, enabling maximum efficiency,” says Hosford.

In addition, last year, Tna launched the new Intelli-weigh Omega multihead scale, which is said to increase weighing speeds by 30%.

Ishida’s Giese lists the main areas for advancement as the use of more sophisticated, faster electronics to calculate the best combinations and improvements to the interface between the weigher and packaging machine.

Multipond’s Tandy makes similar observations, saying “feeding product better onto the machine, increasing output and improving integration with packaging machines” are some of the main focus areas.
PFM’s Bolton, meanwhile, says the principal innovations in multihead weighing now lie in the electronic control systems that allow machines to function mechanically much more quickly and accurately. For example, PFM has developed new software and control systems for its MBP C1 and C3 weighers.

“The improvements in accuracy come from a new powerful microprocessor within the industrial PC used to control the weigher,” explains Bolton. “This runs newly designed software to cancel the effects of external vibrations close to the machine and control weight combinations in a fraction of the time compared to the previous system.”

Consequently, the prognosis for the long term survival of linear weighers appears bleak.

“Ultimately, linear weighing will probably die out,” predicts Giese. “As soon as people can switch, they will.”

New filling equipment round-up

Dico & Gravfil has launched a generation of liquid filling and capping equipment for use in the petrochemical, agro-chemical, household product and food industries. The Dico-Delta capper can achieve speeds of up to 400 caps per minute and the Gravfil-Excel liquid filler is capable of filling container volumes from 50ml to five litresl. According to Dico & Gravfil, the lines use dual servo-controlled filling technology for guaranteed fill speed optimisation. In addition, energy-saving Siemens hardware is on hand to reduce operational costs and advanced remote diagnostic capabilities is designed for maximising machine uptime.

Disocont Tersus is a new system from German firm Schenck Process for controlling material feeding machines such as gravimetric loss-in-weight feeders and screw weigh feeders. The new system has a touch screen interface, offers improved modularity and is said to be easier to install and use than previous models.

IMA Life has developed the Sterifill Smart aseptic filler to answer calls from pharmaceutical companies for quicker size changeovers, more compact layout and improved process control. The filling, stoppering and capping machine can handle vials of up to 500ml.

GEA Avapac has extended its Limited intervention (Li) range of 25kg bag filling systems for powders with the RBF-1000Li, a line with a higher capacity but the same small footprint as the RBF-800Li. The company’s Li technology enables companies to fully automate their plants from empty bag handling right through to finished pallets.

When Norfolk vegetable processor Pinguin Foods set itself an aim to increase throughput by a fifth, it looked to Ishida to upgrade its ageing checkweighing set-up. Philip Chadwick finds out more about the installation

Who Pinguin Foods
Aim The frozen vegetable processor and packer needed new weighers to boost production throughput in its Kings Lynn facility by 20%
Spend Undisclosed
What Ishida weighers – 24 head CCW-R multihead weigher and four 5 litre hopper 14 head models
When Early 2012

Challenge
Pinguin Foods is a supplier of vegetable and potato-based easy to prepare products. The company, part of the Belgian PinguinLutosa group, has a facility in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, which processes and packs vegetables.

The company has been investing heavily in its processing and packing operations with a multi-million pound spend on high-tech kit including colour sorters that can detect imperfections in the vegetables and reject them at high speeds. But to improve efficiency, Pinguin felt that it needed to upgrade its weighing equipment. The company already had a raft of old Ishida equipment.

“It is vital that we keep up with the times,” says Pinguin Foods chief engineer Paul Spurrell. “The high quality standards that we set ourselves and which our customers demand mean we have to invest in the latest and best equipment.”

Strategy

The target was clear: to increase throughput by 20%. Alongside its other investments the company went for five new Ishida weighers: a 24 head CCW-R multihead weigher with three litre hoppers for mixed vegetables; and four 5 litre hopper 14-head models for single varieties, which include carrots, peas, sweetcorn, beans, broccoli and cauliflower.

Implementation

According to Spurrell, installation “went like clockwork” and the new weighers have proved to be easy to operate. Ishida Europe marketing manager Torsten Giese explains that new equipment went into the Kings Lynn plant in stages, so it didn’t disrupt the business.

The Ishidas handle pack sizes of between 125g and 2.5kg including mixed vegetables of two, three and four varieties on the 24 head mix weigher. The weighers have also been designed for special pack requirements. One weigher, for example, is set up in a ‘double dump’ format and is used to pack 10kg boxes.

“Another advantage is their flexibility,” adds Pinguin packaging hall manager Steve Walton. “We can easily switch product from line to line depending on requirements. That was something not possible with our previous volumetric and older multihead models.”

According to Ishida Europe marketing manager Torsten Giese, automation was another key part of the offer because, he says, it helps to further increase efficiency on the production line.
He says: “They can go to another level of performance. We have been able to increase the accuracy enabling a massive improvement in productivity and cost savings. The investments have also future proofed the business.”

Typical speeds are around 75 packs per minute for a 1kg pack, which, according to Ishida, are well within the weigher’s capabilities of 90 packs per minute. The weighers are in operation 24 hours a day, five days a week.

Spurrell says: “We are continuing to work on further developing the performance of the lines. Our focus is not just on speed but on delivering the consistency and ensuring that the weighers are fully integrated so that they work as efficiently as possible with existing equipment.”

The DACS-W checkweighers feature Ishida’s Digital Signal Processing chip which permits “accurate signal processing under a wide range of weighing conditions”. This goes with an Ishida built load cell that delivers, according to the kit supplier, high sensitivity, response and accuracy.  Speed and accuracy are further enhanced by the lightweight conveyor, enhanced direct drive motor and a special low friction belt.

Results

So far, Pinguin is edging towards its 20% target. “In the last few months that they [the weighers] have been installed we have already achieved a 15% improvement in throughput so we are well on the way to reaching our 20% target,” explains Spurrell.

Further investment in Ishida kit is on the cards. Pinguin is planning to convert a final line to incorporate Ishida kit.

“We are a forward looking company and constantly challenging ourselves to deliver the highest standards to our customers,” says Pinguin Foods UK managing director Nigel Terry. “This means we are committed to continual investment in the best equipment that will help us deliver on these promises.  Ishida weighers are a key part of this.”

Brillopak, the automated packing and palletising systems specialist, has introduced a new robotic palletiser designed for fresh fruit and vegetables

The new Brillopak Compact C211 is capable of placing a variety of container formats including crates, cases and trays onto pallets. The Compact C211 features highly compact dimensions, far smaller than conventional robot cells, which enable the machine to fit easily into even the smallest of factory spaces or to integrate with other packing equipment to provide a complete line solution.

The machine can palletise crates and cases at the rate of up to 30 per minute dependent on application.  A multi-purpose end effector enables it to handle multiple sizes and a simple-to-use touchscreen with pre-set recipe function ensures easy operation and fast changeovers.

“We have listened closely to the market in the development of this machine,” said Brillopak director David Jahn. “The Compact C211 satisfies the main requirements for fruit and vegetable end of line packing in terms of speed, efficiency and user-friendliness and provides the flexibility to enable companies to respond to changing retailer requirements.”

Additional machines in the Compact C range include the Brillopak C1 11 crate packer for a wide range of pre-packed fresh produce, C250 crate de-stacker, BK750 pallet stacker/de-stacker, crate bale arm closing unit, vision systems and Ethernet connection for remote access and support.

Established in 1991, Dalepak is an established warehousing, order fulfilment, distribution and contract packing specialist. The company operates multiple sites in and around Northampton with a combined footprint of more than 300,000 square feet  but, with demand for its range of services growing, additional storage space was required. So, in January 2012, Dalepak acquired a new 140,000 square feet site on the ProLogis Pineham Estate in Northampton.

The new facility has 12 dock level doors and is 12.5 metres high to the eaves. It boasts a number of eco-friendly features such as a rainwater harvesting system, solar shading and skylights which allow natural light to flood in to the building. Being a new build, the facility was, in effect, an empty shell when Dalepak took the keys which meant that one of the company’s first jobs was to design and install a storage and racking system that allows the available space to be utilized to its optimum capacity. Dalepak approached RediRack – one of the UK’s most popular storage system suppliers – for a solution.

Having considered Dalepak’s requirements, RediRack designed and installed a bespoke pallet racking system that provides more than 21,000 pallet positions, along with two mezzanine floor structures which, in addition to offering extra storage space, allow contract packing activities to be carried out away from the hustle and bustle of the warehouse.

RediRack created a narrow aisle system comprising 30 double runs of racking with 2300mm wide aisles. Each aisle is 56m long and has an access tunnel running across the block to allow Dalepak’s fleet of Bendi articulated forklift trucks to reach the required pallet location quickly and fuel efficiently. To protect the new racking, Dalepak asked RediRack to install sacrificial legs to every frame.

Sacrificial legs allow damaged frames to be quickly and easily changed with minimal cost and down time. Essentially, a removable section from the lower front of the pallet packing frame (the area where racking damage caused by a carelessly driven forklift is most likely to occur), the leg is designed to absorb impact and leave the rest of the frame undamaged. The legs can be replaced in as little as 20 minutes.

“We know that racking gets damaged -  the key to minimizing the downtime this can cause is the ability to quickly,  safely and easily replace the damaged frames. RediRack’s sacrificial leg is the perfect solution for us” says Gary White, Dalepak’s joint managing director.

RediRack also fitted high visibility end barriers and column protectors to further reduce the likelihood of forklift damage. The racking bays within the storage cube are 2700mm wide and the system varies in height to take advantage of the building’s full internal dimensions. The new mezzanine floor areas within the new unit were created by RediRack’s sister company, RediFloor.

Dalepak already had a single tier RediRack mezzanine floor at another of its facilities and RediFloor were able to dismantle, move and rebuild the system within the new warehouse to create an additional 460 square metres of floor space.

The area is used for contract packing. “Contract packing is a significant part of our business that, during seasonal peaks, involves hiring specialist staff,” Gary White explains. “On a mezzanine floor, these staff are able to quickly and efficiently pack high volumes in a safe, controlled working environment.”

To create further e-Commerce fulfilment space, RediFloor built a second, 468 square metre single tier mezzanine in the centre of the facility. Both mezzanines conform to the Buildings Regulations code, are fully fire protected with a one hour rating and feature pallet gates to ensure the safe loading of goods into the pick and pack area.

The new facility is now operating three shifts a day, 7 days a week, and is serving multiple clients including Molton Brown and Whittard of Chelsea.

Gary White commented: “I believe RediRack’s welded, bolt-free racking is sturdier and safer than the alternatives on the market. When we build our next facility, RediRack will install the rack and mezzanine floors. Every time RediRack manage an installation for us they use high quality, British manufactured products and the project comes in on time and on budget; I can’t ask for any more”.

A new robotic palletising line bought from Brillopak at Muntons’ Stowmarket malted ingredients factory looks set to yield a return on investment within less than 18 months of installation, writes Lynda Searby

Who: Muntons

Aim: To boost capacity on Muntons’ 25kg sack packing lines

Spend: £300,000

What: Brillopak robotic palletising cell incorporating a Nachi PLP 130 robot, plus infeed and outfeed conveyors

When: Summer 2012

Challenge

Muntons has been producing malt and malted ingredients for more than 80 years. During this time the company has grown to become a significant player in the supply of malts, malt extracts, homebrew kits, flours and flakes to the international food and drink industry.  The company’s Stowmarket mill is operational 24 hours a day, five days a week. Prior to a new investment last summer, the mill was at maximum capacity, producing 17,000 tonnes of crushed malt and malted ingredients annually.

However, with Muntons experiencing growth in domestic and overseas demand for these ingredients, it became apparent that capacity needed to be ramped up.  One of the bottlenecks identified was the palletising line, which palletises 25kg sacks of grain from two bagging lines, one manual and one automatic.

The palletising operation was already automated following investment in a layer palletiser nine years ago. The problem, though, was that it wasn’t fast enough or flexible enough to cope with higher throughput.

“We could only ever run one bagging line into it,” explains David Mercer, project engineer at Muntons. “In the past we’d been able to get round this with careful planning, but it had reached the point where we needed to increase packing volumes.”

Strategy

In July 2011, Muntons asked three equipment suppliers, one of them end-of-line automation specialist Brillopak, to propose a robotic palletising line that would increase throughput by 50%.

Brillopak designed a robotic palletising cell incorporating a Nachi PLP 130 four axis robot, plus infeed and outfeed conveyors, which impressed Muntons with its attention to detail and quality of engineering.

“We could see that it was robustly designed using only top quality components and that the layout had been carefully thought out,” says Mercer. “Some systems seem, on the face of it, to be well built, but when you come to maintain them they have parts you can’t source.” The user-friendliness of the Brillopak system was another factor in its favour, according to Mercer.

“We wanted a robot that would be easy for us to programme,” he says. “For example, slightly changing the position of sacks on a pallet is often quite a difficult thing to do, whereas with the Brillopak palletiser, it is easy.” Brillopak created 65 different pallet load recipes for the robot, accommodating every conceivable combination of bag size and type.

The company also provided a solution to the problem of restricted ceiling space, mounting the robot on a plinth to increase its reach range. This allows it to work round obstacles like slipsheets and sacks despite the low ceiling.

Implementation

The contract was awarded to Brillopak in December 2011, the design was agreed in February 2012 and three months later, the line was up and running.

Sacks from two separate packing lines feed the Nachi robot. Each line passes through a bag flattener, metal detector and labeller onto a pick-up conveyor. Brillopak specified a conveyor with central belt and end-stop and on which each roller was driven to ensure that sacks would be presented to the robot in the correct position.

Programmed with 65 different recipes for each line, the robot feeds two different pallet stations, each of which has its own pallet dispenser. The robot head auto adjusts for different bag sizes and loads two pallets at a time. Full pallets are moved down the line to a stretch wrapper with hooder. From there they are fed to a series of outfeed conveyors. This is an improvement on the previous line in that fork lift trucks are no longer needed to transfer pallets to the stretch wrapper.

The entire system is driven from a single colour touchscreen HMI. The robot signals are fed to the HMI meaning that there is no requirement for the operator to use the robot pendent. The system is safety zoned into two areas with safety guarding and CAT 4 light guards.

Results

The line is capable of 600 sacks per hour, more than fulfilling Muntons’ brief.

“We wanted 50% more throughput but we got more. The previous system did 300 bags per hour; this line can do twice that,” says Mercer. “Hopefully in time we’ll fulfil that capacity.”

Dirt, dust and moisture can lead to both danger and expense when it is introduced to warehouse and production areas. For example, forklift and warehouse pallet trucks can lose grip, go into a slide and become uncontrollable, putting lives and equipment at risk. Dirt can also lead to contamination of products and their packaging being stored in the warehouse.

To avoid this situation, CleanTrax has been developed and is available in the UK from Unisan.

The new CleanTrax system is a new and very innovative, effective brush system for cleaning and reducing moisture on wheels and feet within entrances to factories, warehouses and production areas.

CleanTrax helps to contain dirt and dust at the entrance and stop it from spreading throughout the plant; helping to keep the floors clean & hygienic. The CleanTrax cleaning grates have been proven to capture up to 90% of the dirt directly at entrance areas or heavily used traffic lanes within the factory.

The angles at which the brushes are positioned within the grate automatically clean the tyres and soles while crossing the grates. The removal of dirt from this system is extremely easy and all dirt is fully contained within the grate. Vehicles and people can pass over this device without any loss of time

The clever design of the system means that no power supply or electric motors are required to make this work, as it is totally mechanically operated. This means that the system is very durable and reliable and there are no electrical parts motors to wear or break down.

Summing up, using CleanTrax you can

- drastically reduce your cleaning costs

- minimise the transportation of all kinds of dirt

- enhance your product quality

- make your production area safer

- prevent the floor coverings from being scratched and worn off

- fulfill compliance requirements

- impress customers and authorities by your innovative action

Unisan says this is the first product of its kind which is so simple and efficient, and that its acceptance by the market has been “really tremendous”.

Many renowned and market-leading manufacturing companies have had their problems solved and their requirements fully satisfied by installing the CleanTrax system. These customers include blue chip companies such as Coca-Cola, BMW UK, Toyota UK, DS Smith Packaging, Pfizer, Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, VW, Audi, Porsche, Honda, Bosch, Opel Vauxhall, Unilever, Miele, Ineos, John Deere, Siemens and many more.

Ms. Seda Tekin from BSH (Bosch And Siemens Home Appliances Group), endorsed the CleanTrax system: “We have very good feedback. 10 kg of dirt has been accumulated in the trays. Besides on rainy days, the wheels of the forklifts are dried by the brushes and don’t ruin the indoor floor. Thank you…!“

Mr. Raats from Bavaria brewery added: “We are very happy with the cleaning grates…  Thanks to CleanTrax, we have been able to  significantly reduce the amount of dust and dirt. I can recommend this system to every company where too much dirt and dust is an issue“.

For more information contact Unisan on 0845 0700 624 or visit our website and watch a video of CleanTrax in action… www.unisanuk.com

At the upcoming IMHX 2013, RDS Technology will be exhibiting their range of on-board weighing systems for Forklift trucks – the Liftalert, Liftlog 100 and the Liftlog 100+.

These systems offer load monitoring and weighing functions with an internal alarm to warn when load threshold is approached and at the overload point.  The Liftlog 100+ also offers a totalising feature, making it ideal for applications where multiple pallets are to be check-weighed or loading storage systems where weight limits are to be adhered to.  Negating the need to travel to a floor-mounted platform scale often sited in a remote part of the warehouse, the Liftlog range provides a time-efficient means of check weighing.

A hydraulic load sensor is used to measure the increase in system pressure and the Liftlog 100+displays the weight to the operator.  Also included is an overload alarm that will sound when the overload threshold is approached and at the overload point to further inform the operator of load status.  This helps the driver to avoid potential tip-over, increasing the safety of the forklift and surrounding warehouse.

An optional external audible alarm and also a visual load indication light bar are available to further enhance overload warnings to the operator and to signal current load status giving further and immediate visual indication to the operator and supervisor.

A number of more advanced on-board weighing solutions for forklifts is also available through RDS, including the new WEIGHLOG a10 system.  Incorporating a 4.3” colour, hi brightness resistive touchscreen display and additional physical keys, the WEIGHLOG a10 provides a user- friendly on-board weighing system that can be used for truck loading or check weighing.

Suitable for use with up to 10 different attachments e.g. buckets or forks, the system can be retrofitted onto forklifts, telescopic handlers, compact wheeled loaders and skidsteers.  The system measures hydraulic pressure using up to 4 sensors at a certain position on the lifting cycle compensating for pressure changes in the system.

Enhanced stores capability comprising 30 products and 30 customers enable accurate record keeping and traceability.  The system provides communication and data storage via SD card reader and USB 2.0 host allowing quick, safe and efficient uploading and downloading of data.

For more information on how on-board weighing and data handling be used to help improve your operations, visit RDS on stand 19 J 85 or visit www.rdstec.com.

Pacepacker Services has built a containerised sack packing and robotic palletising line for Suffolk-based aggregates supplier Earsham Gravels

According to Pacepacker, the custom installation, thought to be the first of its kind, has doubled capacity and given Earsham Gravels a “portable turnkey line that can be easily transported between quarries”.

Pacepacker built a portable turnkey cell incorporating its innovative Total Bag Control (TBC) sack closing system, its C21 sack placer a bag kicker, a bulk hopper and a weigher.  Within the container, the sack placer opens the empty sacks and presents them to the aggregate specification weigher, for filling from the bulk hopper. The TBC system then takes hold of full sacks with a pair of motorised grip arms and motors toward the sealer.

“As the bag top is held at all times prior to sealing, the system stabilises the bag throughout the closing process,” said Paul Wilkinson, Pacepacker’s business development manager. “To ensure the TBC can cope with harsh conditions, all parts that come into contact with the aggregates are made from stainless steel, and the feeder uses heavy duty rubber belting.”

Earsham Gravel said that automating the line has ramped up bagging speeds from five or six sacks per minute to nine or 10 sacks per minute.

“This means we’ve now got the capacity to bag up to about 140 tonnes per 10 hour day, compared with 70 or 80 tonnes previously,” added Jim Bennett, managing director of Earsham Gravels. “We also have the flexibility to further expand capacity by feeding another line into the robot.”

January 24, 2013 – Robotic packaging line manufacturer, TekPak, has recently launched an innovative pick and place case packer which is described as a flexible high speed system for vertical case packing quad bags, pouches and doy packs.

The new precision all stainless steel robot, which uses a Elau/Schneider control
system, represents the latest development from the company and has widespread applications, particularly for manufacturers of snack packs and bags, confectionery and coffee.

Key features of the system include a unique product transfer system that collates the products beneath the gripper, so that the pick and place can handle a complete case formation, i.e. groups of 10 products at a time, increasing throughput on the line. The gripper head and unique case opening system has been specially designed for vertical case packing in to display cases and other shelf ready formats.

The robot can pack bags straight from the bagger to maintain a continuous packing process.

Highlighting the benefits of the new system, Tekpak’s Business Development

Director, Imelda Kehoe said: “Automating the off-line/WIP (work in progress) operation is a major benefit for our customers because it reduces product lead time and can have a big impact on line efficiency.”

The system can include an integrated case erector and closer for shelf ready display cases which allows for a more compact footprint of just 8m2.

In operation, bags/pouches arrive into the collator pocket on edge direct from a VFFS machine or bagger. They are rotated to an upright position then collated in the pick position in the required matrix to fill the case – typically two rows of 4,5 or 6.

The line provides a product speed of 150/minute and a case speed of 10-15/minute and can be managed by one operative.

See Tekpak’s case packing system in action at http://bit.ly/XJ3Yup

Mobile ‘Spiroflow’ Flexible Screw Conveyor in use at a food factory.

Spiroflow will exhibit working examples of their Flexible Screw Conveyors. Flexible Screw Conveyors are just one product from a portfolio of conveyors for the contamination-free handling of dry bulk foodstuffs, ingredients and additives. In addition, Spiroflow manufacture a comprehensive range of machines for the dust-free filling and emptying of such products into or out of bulk bags.

Spiroflow’s range of hygienic conveyors includes Flexible Screw, Aero-Mechanical, Tubular Drag and Pneumatic Conveyors. Accordingly, they are in an excellent position to offer the optimum conveying solution for any application. Many of their conveyors are designed for easy dismantling without tools to facilitate through cleaning and no cross-contamination between batches. For many applications, Flexible Screw Conveyors are often the lowest cost means of transferring raw materials from storage to process and finished products from process to packaging.

Spiroflow’s range of Bulk Bag Fillers and Bulk Bag Dischargers is one of the most comprehensive in the business. It includes mobile and low-height options and models that can operate without the need for a forklift truck. In addition, they are always willing to design and manufacture models to meet the needs of individual customers.

To demonstrate the working principle of their Flexible Screw Conveyors, Spiroflow will have a working exhibit that comprises 3 conveyors operating in a continuous loop. Within the loop, one of the conveyors acts as an accurate loss-in-weight metering feeder. It is directly connected to a hopper mounted on load cells. Flexible Screw Conveyors are so accurate and repeatable that, for many applications, they are so accurate that they can work in volumetric mode.

Engineers from Spiroflow and theirMiddle Eastbased Representative will be on hand to demonstrate the working exhibit and to discuss visitors’ specific requirements. Spiroflow will be found on stand S-F33 of the British Pavilion in the Sheikh Saeed Halls.

Known globally for the quality of its products and capabilities, Schenck Process provides food manufacturers with total engineering solutions in the areas of bulk materials handling, feeding, weighing, conveying and filtration.

Schenck Process’ client list includes blue chip companies across most sectors of the international food and drink industry. The Schenck Process name is synonymous with expertise in the fields of weighing and feeding technology but the group is similarly well regarded in the areas of mechanical handling with the Redler brand and pneumatic conveying and filtration with the Clyde Process range of products.

Schenck Process Mechatron Loss in Weight Feeder.

Schenck Process’ expertise and systems also extend within the food processing plant with its core range of feeding and weighing systems, such as mass flow meters, belt weighers, and gravimetric and volumetric screw feeders – all controlled by its cutting edge software solutions.

Since acquiring Clyde Process (including Clyde Materials Handling and Mac Process) in 2011, the equipment range has been extended to encompass pneumatic conveying including dense phase conveying, lean phase conveying along with modular short range vacuum conveying systems. This technology is supported by a wide range of filtration products for process equipment and to meet environmental requirements.

In addition the Redler range incorporates chain conveyors, chain and bucket elevators and other equipment necessary for high volume bulk material handling of products such as grain and malt.

“We offer the complete package of services including design, build, installation, commissioning and then look after the plants for their life cycles. We are a very experienced company, which has the scale and provides security of long term supply and ongoing aftercare of the products on site. It is all about providing an overall package,” explains Martin Thomson, Director of Light Industries, Schenck Process’ international business segment that specialises in the food industry.

Schenck Process MCF Air Filtration unit.

Scope of Supply

Schenck Process undertakes food industry work ranging in value from around £100,000 to multi-million pound projects. For example, it is currently involved in a large bulk materials handling projects for State-owned flour and grain terminals in the Middle East and also currently installing a big bag discharging system for a chocolate crumb manufacturer in Europe.

“As a company, we try to own the key process steps. So rather than being an integrator, like many suppliers in the food industry who integrate other people’s equipment, we look to own the key critical process steps,” says Martin Thomson. “There are not many players in our industry with both mechanical conveying and pneumatic conveying technologies to the depth that we have. We are able to handle a wide variety of raw and processed materials using mechanical or pneumatic conveying methods or a combination of both, depending upon the application. Therefore, we can act as an ‘ombudsman’ for clients to advise on the most suitable system for their requirements.”

He adds: “The other factor that distinguishes us from rivals is our global footprint. We have 33 locations across the globe and it allows us to have competence locally to each project.” Schenck Process’ ethos is to ‘think globally and act locally’.

Global Footprint 

With its global footprint Schenck Process is well placed to cater for the trend by large multinational clients to establish centralised engineering technology hubs to oversee new plant and process development throughout their worldwide operations.

Indeed, its expertise and track record of delivering customer satisfaction ensures repeat business and Schenck Process has built its business on establishing long standing relationships with its clients.

Schenck Process Pneumatic conveying system.

“We can draw on the expertise from the full Group to solve specific problems for clients. We can take a solution that has been developed and used inAmericaand apply it inGermany, for example. We are very customer specific but can call on capabilities that many competitors would not have access to,” points out Paul Markwell, Marketing Manager of Schenck Process UK.

Innovation

Schenck Process is committed to continual investment in innovate R&D. One of the Group’s major breakthroughs in the food industry has entailed the development of a dense phase pneumatic conveying solution for moving sugar over long distances whilst still maintaining the crystal shine. The Schenck Process pneumatic conveying system also offers health and safety benefits over traditional mechanical handling methods by eliminating dust in the work environment and with it, the associated risks.

Schenck Process is currently upgrading its filtration range, originally developed by Mac Process in the US, and adapting it for the European market which will be CE and ATEX compliant. This product development process, which will result in lower running costs and easier maintenance for customers, is expected to be completed in January 2013.

“Customers are looking to the longer term and investing in systems that will last, have low maintenance and will help reduce future operating costs. So it is not just capital cost but the lifecycle cost that is important,” says Martin Thomson.

Matcon is a market leading organisation who specialise in providing “Lean” solutions for the handling and processing of powders, granules, tablets and other materials using Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) technology. We have the capability to provide total IBC solutions, from single component level through to complete turnkey installations; from concept development, testing and design through to manufacture, installation and training.

Matcon has a worldwide presence and diverse customer portfolio, encompassing both national and multi-national companies.

The application of Matcon’s modular approach to Formulation, Mixing and Packaging is widely recognised by customers to offer excellent benefits to them in achieving their pursuit of a ‘Lean’ Manufacturing Facility, resulting in increased productivity, process efficiency, flexibility and profitability.

Today, the food sector faces many challenges with recipe changes and ever increasing product portfolios, ethnic demands, allergens and more stringent regulations. By applying our ‘Lean’ principles and IBC technology, you can transform how you manufacture your products.  An agile production facility will reward you with an instant return on investment as finished goods inventory will be drastically reduced or made redundant.

At Gulfood 2013, Matcon will exhibit a scale down model of a full, modern production plant with operational mini-equipment, as supplied to a customer inAsia. The model displays solutions for Raw Material Dispensing, Automatic Batch Formulation, IBC Mixing and Packing. All processes are decoupled using Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs), with ultimate flexibility and processing security being provided by an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) traceability system.

Visit us on the PPMA Pavilion (Stand S-E31) to find out how we can revolutionise your powder process and packing operations by applying “Lean” solutions or visit our website www.matconibc.com.

Goplasticpallets.com will unveil its HyRack® pallet for the first time on stand 19K127 at IMHX 2013 at the NEC Birmingham, March 19-22.

Jim Hardisty, Managing Director of Goplasticpallets.com, said: “This year we gained sole UK distribution rights to the popular HyRack® pallet, when IPS acquired the moulds and machinery. We have a great partnership with Belgian pallet manufacturer IPS and can rely on them to produce exceptional quality products as their technical knowledge and injection moulding expertise is second to none. The HyRack® pallet is a welcome addition to our range of heavy duty plastic pallets.”

Well known for its enhanced racking performance and durability, the HyRack® pallet is a reliable workhorse; it has a static load capacity of 7,000kg, a dynamic load capacity of 2,000kg and is capable of supporting up to 1,000kg in beam and edge racking systems, making it the racking pallet of choice for a diverse range of industries.

Moulded as a single piece measuring 1200mm (L) x 1000mm (W), the HyRack® pallet’s open flow-through top deck has no internal cavities where mould, dust and other contaminants can collect and is easily cleaned. The design also incorporates lead in ramps on the internal edge of the base runners, rounded block sections, optional edge lips and anti-skid plugs and can be personalised through moulded-in logos or screen printing.

The pallet’s rigid base offers easy four-way access for fork lifts and pallet trucks and due to its rigidity and solid structure it is well suited to conveyor systems and other automated handling operations.

The HyRack® pallet is available from stock as a six runner cruciform base version in recycled black and will feature on the stand with a selection of other products including pool pallets, export pallets and a variety of different plastic containers from the GoBox range.

For further information call Goplasticpallets.com on 01323 744057.

Forklift manufacturer and material handling specialist Toyota Material Handling has introduced the new BT Reflex O-series multi-function reach truck designed to work in both indoor and outdoor applications, providing increased flexibility for customers in a wide variety of applications.

The company says that the new reach truck model shares many of the advanced features of Toyota’s class-leading BT Reflex standard R-series model, including the Transitional Lift Control system for what is descibed as ‘fast but secure’ working at height, the powerful AC motors, 360 degrees steering and the advanced driver cab with the ‘Totalview’ concept.

However the main difference with the BT Reflex O-series can be seen at ground level, where the traditional wheel and gearbox configuration has been changed to allow effective work on outdoor surfaces.

The O-series truck can work on uneven or rough ground owing to a high ground clearance of 145mm and the treaded super-elastic tyres mean secure grip on wet or loose surfaces or worn asphalt. The heavy-duty gearbox is adapted to suit the revised drive-wheel configuration and three-wheel braking completes the package, to ensure safety and reliability.

Other features of the truck series include a range of all-weather protection options, including a fully enclosed cab with large clear-screen windows for enhanced visibility as well as door, heater and fan to allow indoor/outdoor operations. Powerful working lights make the truck fully functional even in darker environments.

“We are constantly looking for ways to improve our products and services and drive down our customers’ costs in materials handling. Our aim is to offer them the peace of mind they need to focus on their business. The BT Reflex O-series provides a flexible solution which can help customers to load, unload and store goods, both indoors and outdoors,” explained Tony Wallis, sales and marketing director for Toyota Material Handling UK.

“At the same time this new model continues to offer top-level handling performance when working as a traditional reach truck in the racking systems.”

The BT Reflex O-series (RRE160R) is available with a 1600kg capacity and lift heights up to 7.5 metres.

As the country’s largest grower, packer and shipper of organic produce, Earthbound Farm is recognized as an innovative industry leader. In April 2012, they installed four Adept ClamPAC ™ robotic systems from Adept Technology to case pack clamshells. This new technology gave them the dexterity and throughput they needed to automate what had been a manual operation. It also allowed them to design a new, more environmentally friendly clamshell that requires very gentle handling. Earthbound has been so satisfied with their first four ClamPAC systems, they purchased four more.

“We explored several suppliers offering robotic systems. Adept was the only one we found that had a product that could withstand our rigorous sanitation routine,” said Joe Torquato, Director of Engineering at Earthbound Farm. “Our new robotic packaging systems improve the consistency of our throughput, which helps position us for continued growth. The technology is gentle and accurate; it reduces product damage and enhances the presentation of our clamshells in the case. It helps improve our work environment by eliminating a highly repetitive task. The labor cost savings gives us the ability to make this change that has widespread benefits.”

ClamPAC is the first fully integrated robotic solution in the world to be pre-engineered to case pack clamshells. Adept’s packaging solutions group makes customer-specific modifications to the standardized modular system before delivery. This approach is designed to reduce the customer’s total cost of ownership by minimizing integration complexity and deployment time while providing the flexibility, dexterity and speed of a world-class robotic solution.

“Food processors like to find a single source supplier that handles the entire process,” noted Torquato. “Adept took on that accountability. They handled everything including our empty boxes. They learned all our SKUs and became very intimate with our process. They set the systems up to handle our clamshells and each case packing configuration. They integrated their systems with our plant control network so we can control the operation remotely and gather data for reporting purposes. The integration went very smoothly.”

“Our robotic case packing systems consistently handle the clamshells more gently than laborers did and much more gently than our old drop door case packers. Transitioning to the Adept systems gave us the gentle handing we needed to redesign our clamshells,” said Torquato. “We used to have a shrink band on the clamshell, which we wanted to eliminate to take PVC out of the environment. Our new patented clamshells feature a lid that’s sonically welded to the tub. The Adept system is gentle enough to lift the clamshell by its lid and not break the easy-open perforation.”

One component of ClamPAC that contributes to the system’s gentle handling at high speeds is the design of its SoftPIC™ grippers. Selected specifically for each customer’s range of products, SoftPIC grippers are made of soft silicon that conforms to the shape of the clamshell and provides a direct vacuum path to the product. For lines that handle multiple clamshell sizes or designs, the SoftPIC grippers can be changed in less than two minutes.

“The ClamPAC systems nest the flanges of the clamshells during case packing. This keeps the clamshells in a better position so they are less prone to damage during transportation. It also allows us to put the same number of clamshells into a smaller box, which reduces packaging materials,” explained Torquato.

The first four ClamPAC systems at Earthbound Farm are case packing 5 oz clamshells filled with an assortment of washed lettuces into six- and eight-count cases. “ClamPAC tracks the box coming into the system and actually begins to fill it while it’s still in motion. That’s one way the system achieves its very high speeds while maintaining such gentle handling,” said Torquato.

Earthbound Farm operates two production shifts and one sanitation shift a day, six or seven days a week. Electing to operate under the same high sanitation standards as dairy, meat and poultry plants, their sanitation routine is rigorous. “Adept’s robotic packaging systems are designed with sanitation in mind, which supports an efficient sanitation process and leads to a clean, safe product,” said Will Daniels, Senior Vice President of Operations and Organic Integrity at Earthbound Farm.

“The Adept ClamPAC systems have been very successful,” concluded Torquato. “We wanted an integrated, turnkey system that would be easy to start up. We wanted the systems to be easy for our technicians to operate. And we wanted to achieve significant speeds and experience exceptional uptime. The Adept systems have delivered.”

The Samuk fork lift truck brand is set to live on thanks to its purchase by a new company headed by David Cooper and Tony Rooney.

Cooper, whose materials handling credentials are proven at the helm of Cooper Specialised Vehicles, and Rooney – former sales & marketing director at Briggs Equipment UK – have purchased ownership of the company from Sir Neville Bowman-Shaw, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

The purchase of the Samuk brand coincides with a change of manufacturing partner. Previously, Samuk trucks were manufactured in China by Hangcha; henceforth, they will be built by another large Chinese manufacturer, Maximal (Sino-American Zhejiang Maximal Forklift Co Ltd). However, they will remain branded as Samuk trucks in the UK as before.

David Cooper, speaking exclusively with SHD last week about the relaunch of the business, confirmed the first trucks have left the Maximal plant and are currently in transit to the UK, adding: “After taking ownership of Samuk, we reviewed our manufacturing partner and have chosen Maximal. We are very excited about the quality of the product, and we will be looking to take a more personal approach in the UK rather than chasing volume sales.

“Our focus will be on delivering exceptional service levels to our customers. We also aim to hold on to the best of Samuk’s existing dealers, as well as recruiting new ones to build on our geographic coverage.”

The new holding company, co-owned by Rooney and Cooper, will be operationally independent from Cooper SH, and will initially keep Samuk’s base at Peterborough. “Sir Neville has retained a small shareholding in the new company,” confirmed Rooney, “and will be retained as a consultant in a technical capacity.”

The new range of IC and electric Samuk trucks will be launched to its dealers in late November, and cover power pallet trucks up to 5t counterbalance vehicles.

The company will retain its significant presence in Hall 20 of IMHX 2013 – which takes place on March 19th – 22nd – where it will be launching its new trucks to customers, as well as looking to bolster its dealer network.

Savoye (the logistics solutions division of the Legris Industries Group) is launching a new generation of 100 per cent electrical conveyors in November 2013. The new generation of conveyors are smart, fully scalable and connected on site, with no prior configuration required. Designed to bring to life the ‘plug and play’ principle, Savoye’s new range also brings the benefits of reduced energy consumption in the warehouse.

A revolution for light load handling

Savoye’s new range of conveyors has been specially designed for the handling of light loads (up to 32kg) and is a major step forward for the business. An investment in excess of one million Euros, two years of research and development, input from an eco-design specialist and six months of pre-market testing have been involved in the development of the new conveyor. This new product launch represents a sizeable investment for what Savoye considers the backbone of any automated installation.

Fully scalable plug and play architecture

Innovation based on a fully scalable architecture. The conveyor is made up of various standard elements^[1], which are 100 per cent independent and are connected directly to the site via a plug and play mode. Each element has its own mechanical structures, electrical distribution and control unit: delivered ready to be installed and interconnected.

Smart conveyors which adapt to required volumes

No need for prior configuration or programmable PLCs. Conveyor control becomes completely de-centralised with the new solution from Savoye. Each conveyor section has an individual electronic card, which allows elements to adapt their performance in accordance with carton flow. Furthermore, each element adapts itself to the flow to be conveyed and to the volume of activity.

Each conveyor section is able to accelerate automatically to catch the loads downstream and reduce unwanted ‘gaps’ in traffic. They can also accumulate boxes in a defined zone, without pressure and without disrupting flows. This feature offers increased fluidity and an increased ability to react in the event of an incident on the line.

Installation, reconfiguration, re-use: simplicity at each stage of its lifecycle

The new range responds to an essential requirement for the customer: having a system which is operational as quickly as possible! Installation time is reduced by approximately 40 per cent compared to other similar types of solution. This time saving is partly due to its innovative mechanical design. The conveyors are manufactured with a reduced number of components (fewer parts used and fewer references). All the connector engineering, cables, etc. are integrated into reversible spars which act as a guide, ready to be connected. From its implementation, each element (whose card has been configured) can thus be tested. The line’s configuration has changed? The card’s parameterisation can be modified, at any time and remotely. Finally, if the installation is extended or the site moves, all the components can be re-integrated whatever the new configuration. The installation can develop quickly and easily according to the requirements, activity peaks and warehouse configuration. It can also be connected to conveyors from the previous generation.

A high performance range from an energy point of view

The Savoye range has been developed internally with advice from an eco-design consultancy. The desire was to get closer to the market trend for an ‘all electric’ conveyor solution that did not require a compressed air supply. The new range is 100 per cent electric, with motors directly integrated into the rollers. This innovation allows a considerable energy saving. When the conveyors are not in use, the motors stop automatically; only the elements which need to work are running. As a load progresses, the modules are successively turned on and off. This also enables a significant noise reduction generated by an installation.

The range also offers an ‘eco mode’ operation. If the activity level is properly controlled and there is no risk of saturation, this function allows conveying without acceleration and automatic energy recovery on braking.

Everyday maintenance made easier

Maintenance can be easily anticipated and planned with the Savoye range.  The electronic cards in each element of the conveyor carry out an automatic audit of the condition of parts to be replaced and feed back the fault indicators via graphs based on component wear thresholds. Whether an electronic card needs to be changed or an electrical box needs to be replaced: all of these operations are carried out simply by unscrewing and unplugging the hardware.

Electronic cards are configured in three turns of a screwdriver and a remote transfer or using an SD memory card.

Finally, because of the limited number of components required for their design and operation, the conveyors enable you to reduce the spare parts stock and take advantage of the space.

Gary Sweeney, managing director of leading conveying and materials handling specialist Exmac Automation explains how a recently completed upgrade of a palletising system for a major logistics company has significantly improved flexibility at a multiple packaging facility in Cambridgeshire. Automating packaging processes that had been previously handled manually can create significant improvements in flow line efficiency while also reducing pack damage caused by manual handling, so when Exmac Automation was invited to tender for the upgrade of a busy packaging plant, the initial project review was vital in understanding and resolving its existing limitations.
The customer’s site receives cans and pouches of cat and dog food from a nearby processing plant, removes them from trays and, using a combination of manual and semi-automated systems, places them into packaging machines before they are shrink wrapped – typically into cases of four boxes. From this stage, three quarters of production had previously been manually palletised and the balance palletised using an existing robot. To aid rigidity when stacking, most pallets would then be fitted with cardboard corner boards held in place with masking tape applied by hand. Pallets were then transferred onto an automatic stretch wrapper by fork lift truck and transported to the dispatch yard.
Labour intensive hand-stacking and hand-packing at many stages meant that product and packaging could be accidentally damaged, so the main objective of the project review was to make the operation more cost-effective and create a ‘one-touch’ system that ensured pallets were manually handled as little as possible from production to distribution.
Also important was the need to integrate the new system with technology already on site, including an ABB robot and a conveying line, which rationalised equipment, controlled costs and avoided major staff re-training.
Exmac was one of a number of specialist companies invited to improve the efficiency of both the palletising and delivery-to-dispatch systems, by automating the existing process. The contract was awarded on a combination of cost, the fact that Exmac was UK-based, and that our logistics design team understood the customer’s objectives and introduced ideas that the customer hadn’t thought of!
Following a number of layout development phases focused on throughput, available space and, as always, financial considerations, the customer accepted a fully-automated Exmac system that integrated all palletising, corner board fitting, stretch wrapping and delivery-to-dispatch functions.
Our parent company MacDonald Humfrey Automation (MHA) provided the control systems, created complex software to integrate existing and new equipment, and developed universal software to manage the system’s diverse functions.
Product is now delivered in cartons where three lines feed into a new Exmac -designed and installed palletisation area comprising two robots (one existing, one new), conveyor systems – one we supplied plus one FOC from another customer
site – the corner board machine and a shrink wrapping machine.
The Exmac materials handling solution featured one of our clutched UB500 case conveyor systems to collect product from the packing lines and deliver it, on three Exmac conveyor systems, into a twin-robot cell that was specifically
designed to enable two robots to palletise the throughput from all three lines.
To insert pallets, two separate pallet destackers are installed, one for Chep pallets and one for Euro pallets. These automatically deliver pallets into each zone of the new robot cell and into the existing robot cell.
The robots use unique vacuum grippers able to handle cases in various arrangements to suit eight different layer patterns for both Euro and Chep pallets. This enables the customer to respond quickly to demands for any product. The gripper is also designed with a hinged side vacuum to collect loose trays that are fitted to certain products to prevent them slipping from the case assembly.
One customer had requested that after pouches are put into cartons and sealed, batches of eight cartons be loaded onto its own purpose designed trays. To accommodate this special requirement we sourced a new robot gripper design and re-programmed the software to enable it to introduce the special trays. Fortunately, through our relationship with MHA, we were able to deal with these additional changes efficiently, and the system is now fully integrated withinthe operation.
At the final palletising stage a cardboard layer pad has to be fitted between certain layers on each pallet. The layer pads are delivered into the robot cell on a trolley system, where outboard suction cups on the robots’ gripper pick a single pad and position it accurately onto the pallet stack. Full pallets leave the robot cells on a series of Exmac chain and roller conveyors and are fed onto the main outfeed line. At this point pallets are checked to confirm they are
fully loaded and any ‘short’ pallets are automatically diverted to a secondary outfeed lane.
Next, we introduced a bar code reader to identify each pallet’s product type before transferring it by conveyor to a corner board fit machine. This receives information from the bar code reader, first to confirm whether or not the pallet requires corners and then to identify the size of pallet and type of corners required. If corners are to be fitted the pallet moves into the corner board machine and stops in its pre-determined position, where the corner boards are located and a banding tape fitted to secure them.
Pallets then leave the machine to await a routing decision on a turntable that will either deliver them into the existing stretch wrapper or re-route them onto a conveyor for delivery to a new stretch wrapper. As pallets leave the wrapper
they are again identified by the bar code reader, this time to download data for a three-face label applicator, which prints and applies a unique label to three sides of each pallet, enabling retailers and large supermarket customers to
identify the content. Pallets are then dispatched to an unload station.
The key to the success of the new palletisation area was identifying a significant problem with the previous layout during our project review. While the existing system automated the pouch lines it prevented the canned product line delivering pallets to the wrapper. We resolved this problem at the layout planning stage by developing an extension of the canned product conveyor line to merge with the pouch product conveyors before they reached the wrapping machines, enabling canned produce to also be automatically wrapped and labelled.

Food safety scares present a massive threat to food manufacturers not only in terms of the financial impact, but the damaging effect they can have on a company’s brand. It is therefore little surprise that hygiene and food safety are cited as a primary concern by food manufacturers.

In food processing environments, it is essential that hygiene policies concentrate not only on the safety of the premises and staff training, but the use of suitable equipment for the storing and handling of food.

As the UK’s leading independent supplier of plastic pallets and containers Goplasticpallets.com understands the needs of food manufacturers for robust storage that meets the industry’s stringent hygiene standards.

Goplasticpallets.com’s GoBox 1210 BBC bulk storage box is the perfect choice for applications where cleanliness and hygiene are of prime importance including food processing, vegetable harvesting, meat handling and fats and oils. The box is so diverse it has even been used for collecting waste chocolate from Mars bars to use on pig farms!

Optimium hygiene is guaranteed due to the smooth, sealed surfaces and curved corners of the box which prevent impurities accumulating and means it can be easily washed and steam cleaned time and time again. A strong, solid base and side walls offer superior strength and durability giving the box an estimated service life of up to 10 years.

Despite the considerable footprint of the GoBox 1210 BBC, which measures 1200mm (L) x 1000mm (W) x 760mm (H), it remains incredibly light at just 38.5kg but offers an internal capacity of up to 616 litres – ideal for storing and recycling food waste.

The bulk storage box comes in grey or blue and on three runners as standard, so it can be used in racking or stacked up to five high for the ultimate space saving solution. Options include four feet; a drop down door for easy access; lids to ensure contents is stored securely; additional colours and printing for personalisation.

For further information about Goplasticpallets.com’s GoBox 1210 BBC bulk storage box call 01323 744 057, or visit www.goplasticpallets.com.