FDBusiness.com

Ishida Europe has launched a new generation of its market-leading QX-1100 tray sealer, combined with a brand new concept for the market.

Among its many advanced features, the new two-lane QX-1100-SDL (Split Dual Lane) has the capability to operate each lane independently at different speeds, enabling companies to run two separate tray sizes, pack weights or products at the same time in one machine footprint.

The QX-1100-SDL forms a central part of Ishida’s recently introduced Flex Line flexible tray packing system which enables a variety of individual units, including tray denesters, multihead weighers, fillers, foreign body detection systems, checkweighers, seal testers, label inspection and end-of-line handling modules, to be easily integrated to meet the precise packing requirements of individual companies.

The machine has been specifically designed for the fresh food industry, delivering high speeds (up to 15 cycles per minute with MAP), maximum hygiene and high-quality pack and product presentation.

The QX-1100-SDL features an open design to allow easy access for cleaning and maintenance. In particular, self-draining curved surfaces, the absence of exposed cables or motors and easy-to-remove belts and conveyors allow a fast and comprehensive wash-down. Quick-release belts and conveyors also minimise downtime for product changeovers.

The intelligent control includes auto-set features along with complete servo-driven motion for accurate and consistent tray handling at high speeds in order to maximise product throughput. The servo-controlled film drive ensures smooth handling of the film and accurate printing for integrated coding systems, while a maximum film reel diameter of 450mm – nearly double the standard reel – delivers longer production runs.

Product quality features include the ability to disable a sealing head in the event of a sealing head error. This allows the traysealer to continue running and automatically adjusts the tray feed to suit. The smart belt system will alert operators to out-of-spec packs or mis-placed products or trays, enabling corrective action to be taken with no damage to product or sealing tool. An integrated gas mixing system creates MAP packs, while a gas analyser within the tool samples the gas at every cycle and automatically stops the system if the wrong mix is detected.