Innovator   

Volume 2, 2004   Issue 21

Move It!

Delivering the fastest travel rates of any comparable conveyor, our new FastBack® 260E brings all the advantages of horizontal motion conveying to producers of products requiring high transfer speeds.

The 260E is ideal for frozen french fries and vegetables, snacks and baked products, and even cut lettuce and fresh vegetables. In the case of potato chips, its high-performance design doubles product throughput, transferring product at 40 ft/min (12m/min) compared to 20 ft/min (6m/min) on competitive conveyors.

	260E has the world's most simple drive… remove it in minutes!

While its higher throughput increases productivity and overall packaging line efficiency, the FastBack 260E still provides quieter, less damaging and far cleaner conveying than vibratory conveyors. The hallmark of FastBack's gentle horizontal motion is that it reduces build-up in the conveyor pan, dramatically reduces product breakage and damage, and eliminates product segregation and "sifting" of product where smaller pieces settle to the bottom of the pan.

Many new and innovative design features further separate the FastBack 260E from the competition:

• Single side access to the drive components allows tight side-to-side conveyor installations.
• Unitized drive assembly can be quickly changed without removal of the pan or top cover.
• Different pan widths/lengths can be used with the same drive, assuring that the conveyors will not become obsolete.
• Fewer moving parts reduce maintenance and downtime, and spare parts inventory.
• New robust drive design supports 30% higher pan weight capacity, allowing longer pans to be used with only a single drive.
• New drive can be retrofitted to an existing FastBack pan, increasing throughput without the cost of a completely new conveyor!

Faster & Simpler Ishida R Weigher!

Ishida's new CCW-R multihead weigher combines high-tech advancements with unique and user-friendly operator controls to maximize the performance of your packaging line.

• Speeds up to 180 weighments per minute
• Control unit with Windows XP® operating system and e-mail capabilities
• Capability for full integration and monitoring of other equipment on the line through single panel operator interface
• Automatic timing settings that optimize productivity and reduce operator inputs
• Greater production efficiency
• Unbeatable Ishida weighing accuracy
• Reduced energy consumption
• Waterproof and sanitary construction models available

Faster digital filtering and new calculation methods prevent missed cycles and increase weighing speeds and accuracy. New feeder controls stabilize product flow across the top of the weigher for higher production efficiency. Engineering innovation has refined the performance of feeder drives to such higher degrees that energy consumption has actually been reduced by almost 50% over earlier models.

Windows XP® operating system lets you operate & monitor other line equipment from one control unit.

The improved operator control unit runs with Windows XP, allowing e-mail communication from the panel. Product photographs in the operating presets, taken with a built-in camera, simplify operator setup for the next production run. Simply select the product from the menu, and its preset operating parameters are there. And if you have questions during setup, Ishida's unique "System Assistant" tutorial can guide you with easy-to-follow procedures.

Ishida also advances system integration capabilities with the new CCW-R, allowing control of the Ishida weigher, bagmaker and checkweigher on a line from any one of these individual machine's control panels. Single panel interface of the line can even be extended to include other manufacturer's equipment!

For higher productivity and the industry's most innovative, user-friendly and efficient operator controls, contact us about packaging systems from Heat and Control/Ishida.

Twin Drum Spiral Oven Doubles Your Cooking Control

Heat and Control's Twin Drum Spiral Oven with round enclosures is the only twin spiral cooking system that gives food processors complete and independent control of each drum's cooking environment, so that they can follow precise recipes to produce consistently uniform quality products.

Unlike twin spiral ovens in a divided single enclosure, our new system features separate enclosures for each spiral to allow maximum temperature and moisture control. Unique features include:

• True Two Zone™ Control
  Independent cooking control for each spiral conveyor
• Rapid, Uniform Cooking
  Uniform airflow across the belt & from top-to-bottom improves performance
• Superior Sanitation
  Cylindrical enclosures eliminate hard-to-clean corners

Competitive designs with one housing for both spirals are not as effective since temperature and moisture tend to seek equilibrium across the barrier that divides the two chambers. Such designs limit the ability to fully control the cooking environment, resulting in a compromised cooking process. Heat and Control's all round design provides distinctive benefits. Uniform airflow ensures minimal temperature gradients across the belt, and from top to bottom. This consistency generates higher yields, faster cook times and higher throughputs because there's no need to overcook in order to ensure that all products are fully-cooked.

Cylindrical enclosures and an automated CIP system reduce the time & cost of sanitation.

Sanitation is fully-automated, and very effective since the round oven design eliminates corners where debris can build up. The clean-in-place system is an integral part of the design, since support piping for the spiral structures also acts as piping for CIP!

Mechanically our Twin Drum Spiral Oven is the simplest of all competitive systems, with only a single fan per drum. And for additional cleaning and/or inspection, the top of the drum can actually separate from the base using jack screws to open fully and provide complete access!

Kar Nut Revs It Up!

Kar Nut Products has selected Heat and Control frying, blending and distribution equipment to increase production of their premium nut snacks.

	Kar Nut's new HeatWave fryers roast with oil curtains, improving product consistency and reducing oil usage and cleaning costs.

The Ferndale, MI snack processor will more than double production with the installation of two HeatWave® Nut Frying Systems, 45 FastBack® conveyors, 3 blending systems, and 10 Varilift™ bucket conveyors. "The benefits will be increased capacities while maintaining and elevating our product quality," according to Matt Spence, Operations Manager at Kar Nut.

"Testing at Heat and Control's Hayward facility was truly the decision maker for this project," says Spence. "Having the equipment set up as it would be in a production facility gave us the opportunity to test our products through several scenarios achieving optimal results. Heat and Control's pilot plant technologist was over-accommodating and extremely knowledgeable about frying processes, which very quickly helped us dial in the roast and color qualities we were looking for."

"We decided to purchase the HeatWaves for several reasons. First and foremost was the consistency of the finished product," he explains. "Increasing capacities while reducing labor and oil usage also made the system very attractive."

Their decision to buy FastBack product handling equipment was based on several key initiatives that Kar Nut had for planning their new facility. "The way we convey finished product to our packaging system is currently very laborious and not very gentle. The FastBack system will not only move our products efficiently," he adds, "but delivering them more gently will maintain product integrity and eliminate separation in our product mixes."

New High Performance Checkweigher

	Ishida's DACS-Z checkweigher

Ishida's new DACS-Z checkweigher delivers the speed, accuracy, and system controls that meet all of your high-performance checkweighing goals.

The unique “FBi” force-balance weigh sensor, built on Ishida's long-standing leadership in weighing technology, provides the sensitivity and stability to achieve precise weight verification at speeds up to 600 packages per minute. As an integral part of your quality control program, the DACS-Z will improve profits and promote customer satisfaction by verifying the accuracy of your package's contents.

For optimum production efficiency, a large color LCD touchscreen displays operator controls that are clear, concise, and easy to navigate, reducing the risk of operator errors. 100 presets of operating parameters can be stored in memory to minimize product changeover times, and compact flash memory allows simple off-line reporting and management of production data.

The DACS-Z's streamlined design in highly-polished stainless steel is open and accessible. It eliminates flat surfaces that accumulate debris and reduces clean-up costs. The conveyors quickly detach and install without tools to simplify sanitation and maintenance procedures.

To expand production capabilities, the Ishida DACS-Z checkweigher is available with:

• Integrated metal detector
• Feedback control to auger filler
• Automatic product rejector

Ishida Total Packaging System

• Set up and control any machine on the line from any control panel.
• Common screens are user-friendly, simplify operator training, and reduce risk of operator errors.
• Self-diagnosis of line operations increases production efficiency.
• Connect control units to the Ethernet plant network for immediate data analysis.
• E-mail statistics, machine settings, and other data using the message function.

The Ishida Total Packaging System network can be expanded to include controls for infeed equipment, metal detectors and data printers for further control and analysis of the entire packaging line's performance.

Weigh, Print & Label 100 Packs/Min

The Model WPL-5000 is ideal for poultry, meat, fish, cheese, produce and prepared meal applications, and utilizes Ishida’s state-of-the-art technology to simplify operation and maximize production efficiency.

• Maximum productivity – A print speed of 255mm/sec enables high-quality label printing at speeds in excess of 100 packs per minute.
• Accurate labeling – Ishida’s unique applicator insures precise top and bottom label placement, even onto products with curved or irregular surfaces.
• Fast changeovers – Press two keys and the printer and side guides move automatically to pre-programmed positions, so the next production run can start immediately.
• Compact design – A small footprint integrates easily into existing lines and factory layouts.
• Easy cleaning – Stainless steel construction, and conveyors that are easily removed and replaced without tools, allow fast and effective sanitation and maintenance.
• Data management – Built-in Ethernet capability allows real-time production data analysis and diagnostics from a remote location.

To learn more about high performance weigh price labeling with the Ishida WPL-5000, contact us today.

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