TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
Mettler-Toledo offers advanced conveyorised inspection systems Mettler-Toledo Instruments (Shanghai) Co Ltd has been producing a wide range of conveyorised metal detection systems from its Shanghai facility, specifically for Asian manufacturers. Mettler-Toledo’s Series 40, MB, 60 and 70 Conveyorised Metal Detection systems developed from the Group’s Western designs are produced locally in Asia, to its European quality standards. The Series 40 conveyor is suitable for use on metal detectors inspecting light packaged products at the end of the production line. It is available with fixed or variable speed drives as required by the manufacturers’ productivity needs. Developed for use in wet and harsh manufacturing environments, the Series MB is sealed to Ingress Protection
Rating (IP) 65 standard, preventing ingress of water and other chemicals that can damage the conveyor motor. Its modular polyethylene conveyor belt has also been engineered to withstand high-pressure, hightemperature cleaning regimes, ensuring a sterile environment while reducing maintenance. The Series 60 and Series 70 systems are ideally suited for the inspection of medium to large packaged dry products. The systems’ length and height can be designed according to the size of the pack for optimum inspection. All conveyor systems have a fullywelded construction with a casing design that eliminates dirt traps to meet brand owners’ hygiene requirements.
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Modern Food Processing | November 2012
Silicone antifoams destabilise beer bubbles The chemical reactions of proteins and enzymes of barley grains & hops may give beers their distinct flavours. But as the world’s thirst for beer grows, large and small breweries are also looking to chemistry to help maintain peak productivity. “While carbon dioxide bubbles can create a distinguishing ‘head’ on a glass of beer, too much foam can create problems,” said Don Buchalski, Global Marketing Manager, XIAMETER brand, Dow Corning. He further added, “Boilovers during the brewing process can hinder production in what is a competitive industry. One solution could be to add silicone antifoams in the brewing process.” Silicone antifoams destabilise and collapse the bubbles, helping brewers to reduce loss and avoid having to stop production to clean up spills. The antifoams are removed along with the silica used for haze stabilisation in the filtration process before packaging.
Easy to deploy and maintain robots aid flexibility Synerlink, the integrator of the packaging machine manufacturer Arcil, has come out with end-of-line robotic solutions under the Aprium-Technology brand that feature Adept Quattro robots from Adept Technology. Used to gently stack cups of yoghurts and other food products at high speeds prior to multi-packing or case packing, the flexible Quattro robots are easy to deploy and maintain. Charles Antoine Freiher, Business Unit Manager, Aprium-Technology, said, “Compared to pneumatic stacking systems, robots have more flexibility to handle a wide variety of product sizes and stacking configurations with little downtime for changeovers. We selected Quattro because of its payload, speed and connectivity. The fact that Adept’s programming language is open and OMAC-compatible makes it easy to integrate and maintain Quattro.” The Quattro robot’s end-of-arm tooling used to handle the yoghurt cups is Adept’s proprietary SoftPIC gripping technology. These SoftPIC grippers are made of soft silicone that conforms to the shape of the product to provide a strong vacuum path, which enables the robots to handle the products gently and reliably at high speeds.
LINPAC Packaging unveils super-lightweight trays Europe’s leading multi-material packaging manufacturer, LINPAC Packaging launched superlightweight mono-material tray for meat and poultry. The novel Rfresh Elite range of rPET trays use a sealant on their flanges to create a secure seal with the lidding film, thus removing the industry standard laminated PE base film. The patent-pending trays are 100 per cent recyclable at the end of their service life. The new Rfresh Elite trays have been developed in conjunction with LINPAC Packaging’s lightweighting programme, which was established to reduce significantly the overall weight and carbon footprint of some trays, while ensuring excellent performance and functionality levels.