The Raptor series features a caseweigher option to weight check larger items up to 25kg , with a heavy duty option for 50kg packages .
Inline checkweighers can be used to maintain batch-to-batch consistency . Widely used on commercial bakery , meat and prepared food production lines , automated inline checkweighing allows for individual pieces that are off target weight to be removed and reworked , Connecting to upstream portioning equipment , the new Raptor Inline Checkweigher also provides corrective feedback to upstream portioning equipment .
With the UK market value of “ free-from ” products now worth a substantial £ 3.17bn Fortress anticipates that inline weighing will inevitably become more commonplace .
Free-from products typically use expensive ingredients in the manufacturing process ; some costing two to three times more than conventional flour products . Additionally , for people with coeliac disease , the internationally-agreed ( FDA ) maximum level of gluten considered safe is legally 20 parts per million ( ppm ) or less of gluten . Only foods that meet this level can be labelled ‘ gluten free ’. Placing even greater regulatory pressure on producers to adhere to weight specifications .
PRIORITISING FOOD SAFETY Although automated checkweighing is not as tightly regulated currently as HACCP inspection equipment , many processors now recognise the essential role these systems play in the wider quality control program . Particularly in the sectors where food ingredient costs increased by as much as 40 percent in 2022 .
Daniel Shail concludes : “ A checkweigher should not just be regarded as a regulatory necessity . Although these machines are integral to meeting consumer expectations , checkweighers play an equally critical role in prioritising food safety and reducing giveaway . It is always good practice to regularly revisit operational processes and practices and examine all food waste risks .”
The standard end-of-line Raptor checkweigher is available in four belt widths - 100mm , 200mm , 300mm and 400mm – and can verify the weight of products up to 8kg . For bulk applications , e . g . pet food , ingredients , grains and other large items , the Raptor Caseweigher can weigh up to 25kg , with a heavy duty version available up to 50kg . Fortress can also integrate its new Raptor Checkweigher with a metal detector or x-ray machine , and has even created numerous smallfootprint multi-aperture , multi-lane combination systems .
To download a free copy of the new Checkweighing Compliance Essentials whitepaper , visit https :// fortresstechnology . com / white-papers /
Free-from products typically use expensive ingredients , placing even greater regulatory pressure on producers to adhere to weight specifications .
52 FDPP - www . fdpp . co . uk