Food & Drink Process & Packaging Issue 25 2019 | Page 17

As well as its speed and accuracy, the linear design of the CCW-R-112 ensures gentle product handling, with the low drop heights particularly beneficial for fragile ingredients like alphabet pasta shapes. Employees at HACO also appreciate the machine’s fully enclosed hygienic design, which curbs the amount of dust that is generated and protects the lightweight product from air turbulence. Product changes are carried out speedily by selecting from up to 200 pre-sets. All feeder troughs and hoppers have quick- release mechanisms for tool-free removal and replacement. Once the ingredients are in the bag, soup powder is added using auger fillers. The sealed pre-printed bags are then conveyed for quality control in the Ishida X-ray, which is able to handle the commonly-used aluminium-coated bags. HACO AG places great importance on foreign body detection, less on account of the company’s in-house processes and more to monitor the raw products. The Ishida IX-GA’s Genetic Algorithm technology, which uses image data analysis over a number of generations, was adapted specifically to match the requirements of HACO AG in order to carefully check the product against the entire spectrum of potential foreign bodies including glass, metal, stone or plastic. operate within 90 seconds. Adjustments HACO AG’s new packing line is working can be made on the machine without in a two-shift mode and is living up interrupting production. A data log to the customer’s high expectations. collects valuable visual and numerical Output has been increased considerably, information to demonstrate that while simultaneously reducing product production and packing processes are giveaway. Product safety has also been properly and correctly performed. further optimised. www.ishidaeurope.com The sachets pass through the X-ray inspection system in two lanes at a belt speed of up to 60 metres a minute. In this particular application, faulty packs are not rejected using the standard methods of a swivel arm or a compressed air nozzle, because the flat bags are transported horizontally on the conveyor belt. Itech AG therefore designed a special retractable belt rejection mechanism. If a contaminated sachet needs to be removed from the process, the conveyor belt quickly retracts at the outlet and the bag falls through a slit at the transfer point to the downstream conveyor belt. The easy-to-use IX-GA features an automatic set-up function and is ready to FDPP - www.fdpp.co.uk 17