Page 44 - Food & Drink Magazine March 2021

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Plastic pallets gain global prominence
With industry becoming more aware of environmental issues and operational hygiene and sustainability, Ozcor national marketing manager Alan Morgan explains why plastic pallets are gaining ground on wooden counterparts.
PLASTIC pallets have taken on a new prominence in the global conversation about alternative options for the movement of goods in industry and around the world. Hygiene, reusability and durability play into the economic and operational formulation and give viability to the argument that plastic pallets are a better alternative to wood.
Many countries are openly discouraging the use of single
use disposable wooden export pallets due to the fact they can potentially transfer pests all around the world, putting destination countries at risk, particularly agricultural industries. Examples of
this include introduced
pest contamination and diseases in Australia which decimated banana plantations and apple orchards.
Unlike wood, plastic material
is not porous and does not absorb contaminated moisture and is therefore unable to nurture dangerous bacteria in a sponge like cellular structure. Plastic pallets can be easily cleaned to remove surface grime and harmful contaminants.
In the food and pharmaceutical processing industries, plastic pallets are playing an important role in making sure pathogens and
other harmful contaminants are mitigated. Feedback from the food industry says plastic pallets provide long service life and reusability in extreme operational conditions.
Ozkor specialises in the design and manufacture of plastic pallets for a wide range of industrial applications and count many of Australia’s major food processors and retailers among its customers. ✷
Splash zone
Using robots in areas where they come into contact with water can degrade their mechanics. igus GmbH has developed a solution.
DAMP and wet environments can quickly degrade the mechanics of a robot. This prompted igus to launch a low-cost automation innovation on the market, which can easily and cost-effectively implement simple tasks and at the same time be allowed to come into contact with splash water.
igus GmbH head of automation technology Alexander Mühlens says,
“From discussions with customers, we learned that many users are looking for an economically affordable solution that can also be used in splash water environments, for example, when emulsions have to be removed.”
The new robolink makes use of the advantages of two materials: stainless steel and
high-performance polymers. For the first time in an igus robot, the joining links are made of V2 or V4 stainless steel and the joints of the proven lubrication-free tribo-polymers.
The user does not need an expensive additional covering, because the absence of lubrication in the joints means that no grease can be washed out and escape into the environment.
The new robolink meets protection class IP44 at least, and is therefore resistant to splash water. It can carry up to three kilograms, has a range of 790 millimetres with five axes and can make 7 picks a minute. Thanks to the use of motors with encoders of protection class IP65, the robot can also be easily used for outdoor inspection. ✷
44 | Food&Drink business | March 2021 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au