Ishida offers solutions to meat packing challenges
The effective packing of meat and poultry products brings a number of challenges. At IFFA, Ishida Europe will demonstrate its ability to devise tailored solutions appropriate to a variety of protein applications, utilising models from its market-leading weighing, batching, grading, traysealing, X-ray inspection and leak detection equipment to create fully-integrated packing lines.
Three dedicated lines will be demonstrated – for the precise and fast pick-and-place packing of cut-ups into trays; for the efficient styling into trays; and for the weighing and automatic filling of convenience products, such as breaded or diced meat and poultry pieces. In addition, Ishida will show its high speed Flexgrader and its semi-automatic QX-300-Flex traysealer as further examples of its wide-ranging capabilities in meat packing solutions.
The grading and packing line utilises Ishida’s advanced IX-G2 dual energy X-ray system for the detection of even small bones and bone fragments in meat and poultry. Inspected fillets are then packed into trays using the company’s unique RobotGrader, which combines weighing and pick and place technologies to grade products of varying piece weight and place them into a fixed weight pack. The filled trays are subsequently sealed by Ishida’s mid-range QX-775-Flex tray sealer before undergoing a final X-ray inspection.
For the weighing and styling of sticky meat and poultry products, Ishida’s innovative Screwfeeder weigher is combined with an 8-station Rotobatcher, a system that can deliver speeds of 55 trays per minute with an average giveaway of only 1%.
The Screwfeeder weigher utilises the familiar circular layout but incorporates rotating corkscrews to replace the traditionally-used radial feeders. The screws provide a powerful, controlled and fully automatic product feed to the hoppers. Accurately weighed product is then despatched to the packing stations on the batching table, where an operator transfers it to a tray, styles the product and transfers the tray to an Ishida traysealer. The sealed trays pass through the company’s advanced weigh-price-labeller with integrated metal detector. Trays are then tested for leaks in a sealtester, which also incorporates a vision system for the label.
For convenience products, an Ishida multihead weigher is being shown linked to an integrated tray denesting and filling system and Ishida’s top-of-the-range QX-1100-SDL (Split Dual Lane) tray sealer. The SDL model operates each lane independently, enabling food companies to run two separate tray sizes, pack weights, or products, at the same time at different speeds and in only one machine footprint.
At IFFA, one side of the QX-1100-SDL will be demonstrated packing protruding skinpack trays while the other will handle MAP trays with CO2. The CO2-containing trays will then be checkweighed, followed by leak detection using Ishida’s brand new AirScan, which uses advanced laser technology to detect the smallest leaks in trays packed in a modified atmosphere.
The Ishida Flexgrader uses Ishida’s proven high performance weighing system to provide a high speed operation with excellent accuracy that is able to grade product to a variety of different specifications. Grading can be carried out to specified weights, minimum weight or number per pack. It can also deliver target batching with tolerances and priorities.
The entry-level semi-automatic QX-300-Flex traysealer is ideal for low volume production runs, using the right balance of sealing pressure and temperature to ensure excellent pack appearance and seal integrity. Sealing tools are available for outside cut, MAP, skinpack and shrink film applications.
Visitors are also invited test the Ishida X-ray system and the Ishida AirScan with a selection of meat and poultry available on the stand.
