The Weight-Batcher comprises the firm’s Screw Feeder Weigher which is linked to packing stations where operators place product into trays.
Ishida’s Torsten Giese told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “The enhanced Weigh-Batcher can now use up to 20 work-stations compared with only up to 12 in the old version.”
According to a company statement: “User trials have shown that, on average, an operator can pick six trays per minute meaning that for a configuration of eight packing stations the Weigh-Batcher delivers 48 filled trays per minute with typically just 1% give-away per tray.”
The over-mounted Screw Feeder has been designed to handle sticky, difficult-to-handle fresh products.
Pool hoppers
Rotating metal spirals are said to provide a powerful controlled and automatic product feed to the pool hoppers.
Each accurately weighed portion is conveyed by a belt diverter system to the next available packing station. The Weigh-Batcher is said to optimise the interplay between packing station and worker using software to maximise the speed and efficiency of the system.
After each portion arrives at its packing station, an operator transfers the product to a tray, styling and manipulating it as required by the retailer and to ensure the product does not interfere with subsequent packing.
Completed trays are placed on an ‘out’ belt for sealing, labelling and quality control. After the filled and styled tray has left the work station, it automatically informs the system triggering the sending of another portion to be packed.
Fast speeds and minimal product give-away means the new system can reduce labour by up to 60% compared with a manual operation, said the company.
Constant work speed
Giese added: “We can now offer software to time the batches arriving at the stations to ensure consistent work speed. With the old model the operator controlled the speed by pressing a ‘ready’ button . Now operators finish a tray at a given time, based on their capabilities and the average speed, to allow a consistent operating speed for all stations.”
The new batcher can handle more than one target weight at a time. For example, it can fill 500g and 800g trays, with the option of prioritising the 500g tray. This means that if a weighment is too heavy for a 500g tray, the screw feeder weigher can discharge the ‘overweight’ portion to a station for 800g packs rather than having to recycle it, helping to maximise packing efficiency.
The Weigh-Batcher is available globally and the price depends on configuration.