Page 90 - Food&Drink Nov-Dec 2020

MEMBER NEWS
SMC PARTNERS WITH REDARC ON AUTOMATION JOURNEY
SMC has collaborated with one of the largest employers in South Australia’s manufacturing sector, Redarc Electronics, to automate one of its assembly processes. This allowed Redarc to redeploy staff to roles that would add value to the company’s bottom line.
Mitchell Adams, manufacturing engineering team leader for Redarc said the company decided initially to automate the assembly and labelling of the Tow-Pro V3 Electric Brake controller.
“It was our first major automation project – it needed to be robust, flexible and of high quality,” Adams said. “At the same time, it had to be easy to use and low maintenance.”
According to Adams, Redarc Electronics engaged SMC to come up with a suitable solution for the pneumatic automation.
“Some companies would have put this in the too hard basket, but SMC was up for the challenge and together we worked on a solution which achieved all of our objectives,” he said.
In an installation first on local shores, SMC made use of the latest technology from its head office in Japan by implementing the first ZH10 Air Multiplier in Australia. This project also allowed SMC to showcase its compatibility with robotic applications by providing products that could work in conjunction with collaborative robots (cobots).
NEW VIRTUAL LEARNING HUB TNA CONNECTS LAUNCHES
Food processing and packaging systems specialist tna has launched a new virtual platform, tna connects. It says the platform will provide the food manufacturing community with a go-to destination for insight, innovation, and inspiration.
The new platform is to bring a host of live virtual events directly to manufacturers the world over, from sharing expert-led solutions and expertise to gaining a better understanding of the challenges facing today’s food manufacturers.
The platform launched with a series of four virtual roundtables on topics which include conveying, packaging, processing, and seasoning.
Specialists from tna, alongside senior industry leaders from leading snack brands, including Richmond Baking, Campbell’s Snacks, and World Food Products, among others, led the conversation and shared examples from real-life challenges, instalment stories and solutions.
4 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020 MACHINERY MATTERS
MATTHEWS INTRODUCES NEW HIGH-SPEED SOLARIS LASER RANGE
Matthews Australasia has launched a new Solaris laser in the Australian market. The laser is for high-speed packaging and beverage lines, and Matthews says it is the fastest laser in the marketplace.
Matthews sales manager and laser product specialist Matt Nichol said the SolarJet range includes a 100W fibre laser, which is designed to print onto beverage cans at speeds of 2000 items a minute.
“As with the rest of the Solaris lasers that Matthews represents, there is excellent technology and innovation behind this latest high-end model, including its software and scanning head technology,” Nichol said.
“The new SolarJet range delivers high- speed laser coding without compromising print quality to high-speed production lines.”