Page 50 - Packaging News May-June 2021

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FOOD PACKAGING www.packagingnews.com.au | May-June 2021
Integrating equipment up and down stream with the weigher helps to reduce waste and increase productivity.”
Weighing it up
Weighing is an essential component, if not the heart, of processing and packaging. Heat and Control’s business team manager packaging, Robert Marguccio, writes about four key things that count when weighing.
EIGHING is a crucial part of any food or beverage production line. With this equipment it is imperative that performance and reliability remains at opti- mal levels, in order to protect brand names, reputation and ensure product quality while
optimising profitability.
Ishida built the very first multi-
head weigher in the early ‘70s, and it was designed to weigh whole capsi- cums. Since then, there have been many technical developments and learnings that have led to this equip- ment being able to portion out faster and more accurately, while also tak- ing into consideration the specific characteristics of each product.
In consideration of computer com- bination weighing (CCW), i.e. multi- head weighing, these four important factors need to be considered when weighing anything from food and non-food consumer goods to pharma- ceutical products.
1ACCURATE EFFICIENCY Multihead weighing technology has advanced significantly, offering
greater efficiency due to software improvements, faster digital filtering an, anti-floor vibration, faster pro- cessing, and precise feeder control.
New algorithms calculate three optimal weight combinations, dou- ble-check them, and then select the one nearest to the target weight all in a single cycle, minimising error dis- charges, while enhancing accuracy and consistency. Fast data transmis- sion enables the weigher to respond quickly to control inputs, while enhanced automatic filters and faster filtering of the weigh signal from the load cells speeds up stabilisation. Because of the reduced settling time, more heads are now available for inclusion in the combination calcula- tion, increasing the range of weight options and improving accuracy.
2WEIGHING EXPERTISE
To properly understand the multi- head weighing function and the fac- tors involved in the weigher decision making process, it is important to also include and understand the product characteristics, attention to detail of the process, multihead weigher choices along with up and downstream associated equipment. Configurations should be available to address a wide variety of elements or challenges such as product integrity, capacity, and speed, including prod- uct feed/flow rates, package sizes, and packaging format.
For example, when a system require- ment is to maintain product integrity of a fragile product (meaning, mini- mise breakage), the overall system stack-up height should be addressed along with each transition point, including infeed to scale, scale to ver- tical form fill seal, and discharge, in order to minimise breakage. Key weigher features need to also be included such as specially designed hoppers along with reduced hopper angles, which enable the product to slide rather than fall through the weigher. Further, by slowing down the speed of each weighment as it passes through the weigher, breakages are significantly reduced.
Weigher selection is also critical when one needs features such as a robust design capable of operating in harsh environments and tough prod- ucts by providing resistance to wear and water ingress and improved hygiene and accessibility.
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Today’s automation also shifts much of the complicated decision making away from the operators so they can focus on productivity and quality of the finished product. Unscheduled downtime due to deci- sion making error can have signifi- cant impacts on performance. If auto- mated adjustments are made in the packaging room as they occur with- out noticeable effects on operation, total line performance is improved.
Partnering with a company with experience is important as this saves money in the long term. There is no need to “reinvent the wheel” when experience through a large global install base is at hand. Being able to also integrate equipment up and down stream with the weigher also helps to reduce waste, giveaway and increase productivity and profitabil- ity. This total integration enables an
INTEGRATION AND AUTOMATION
Machine networking, communi- cation, and data management, cou- pled with automation, has become key to increasing total line perfor- mance. Processors now want more data and information, and modern systems are engineered to work and to communicate together, making it easier to obtain accurate production details in real time and to make quick calculated decisions, offering com- pounding benefits.