Automation of food processing operations has long been an important goal but it has become even more of a focus over the last two years. The COVID-19 pandemic exerted tremendous pressures on the whole food supply chain as companies looked to increase production, improve efficiencies and maximise food safety, all while minimising the number of employees required to do so. And, while the effects of COVID-19 are now thankfully less intense, the food trade media is still full of reports of the serious labour shortages that the industry continues to face.
Interfood Technology has been supplying food processing equipment for almost 25 years, from stand-alone machines to fully integrated lines. As such the company understands the importance of automation and its vital significance in contributing to an effective production flow.
Whole line solutions
One of the manufacturers with whom Interfood partners is Weber, a business based in Germany which both appreciates the importance of automation and also leads the slicing and packaging machinery industry in development. The company manufactures complete line solutions for sliced meat and cheese production and packaging, all backed by Interfood’s industry knowledge and expertise. Part of the art of automation is using technology with which everybody is familiar. This is illustrated in Weber’s ‘oneControl’, an intuitive (HMI) operating system which employs web technologies recognisable from smartphones through which several components of a line can be controlled.
Robots enhance performance
With the potential afforded by Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) now starting to be realised in some food processing operations, robots are becoming an increasingly common feature. In the food industry, for many years they have often been employed in more simplistic tasks such as crate packing and palletising but increasingly they have been used to replace people in direct food contact applications. Gripper technology has improved significantly, enabling robots to undertake even the most intricate of picking processes. The Weber PickRobot allows high capacity automation of slicing applications. Available in five different options adaptable to the specific requirements of a given application – SmartPicker, single, double, triple or quad PickRobot – it can be used for all insertion and package loading tasks. The PickRobot can be integrated with Weber’s wePACK packaging machine, enabling portions to be loaded into dynamic indexing applications, which further extends performance. Almost eliminating the need for human contact, the Weber PickRobot family offers the highest performance in terms of the hygienic production of sliced goods. Solutions can include fully integral pre-slicing buffering and loading, as well as thermoforming and sorting from the conveyor into end-of-line operations.
Lightening the load
Product loading with intelligent belt systems is another area in which automation can significantly improve productivity and therefore profitability. The Weber weLOAD offers solutions ranging from infeeders for standard applications through to high end, specialist applications. A compact footprint minimises space usage, as well as enabling improved access for all areas. Developed specifically as a scalable option, the Weber weLOAD family of infeeders offers ‘Gentle Transport’ software making it ideally suited to sensitive products, often enabling full automation without the need for manual correction or monitoring. It optimises portion flow and precise infeeding accuracy, with the option of sorting systems to reject or redistribute incorrect portions.
Industry 4.0
The fourth industrial revolution continues to gather momentum, connecting devices, machinery, sensors and making ever increasing use of data analytics. Automation is key to this ongoing development, particularly in light of the labour challenges faced by the food industry. The smart factory and fully automated food processing plants are moving from concept to reality.
Innovations in Food (& Beverage) Processing & Packaging is a quarterly magazine distributed globally both in Print and Digital formats. www.innovationsfood.com. Twitter: @Innovfoodtech. Instagram: @innovationsinfoodtechnology. Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/terry-prior52
