Weighing and packing solutions company Ishida has announced its new IX-EN-2493-Compact machine for flow wrapped packs, which can fit into existing lines with speeds of up to 120 metres per minute.
The company says the key to achieving these high speeds is the IX-EN-2493-Compact’s split conveyor design. Traditional X-ray systems have a single conveyor with protective curtains that contain the X-ray beam within the machine.
However, these curtains can interfere with the movement of lightweight flow wrapped packs, causing them to be destabilized and creating product jams. With the Ishida solution, the curtains are raised above the conveyor to avoid impeding the movement of the packs. The X-ray beam is projected through the pack as it passes over the gap in the conveyor, where it is captured within two large metal plates to ensure any X-ray emissions are contained within the machine.
Apparently, the IX-EN-2493-Compact features Ishida’s Genetic Algorithm (GA) technology that enables operators to optimize the X-ray inspection process for greater sensitivity to specific foreign bodies. The machine can detect items including steel, aluminium, glass, stones, dense rubber, and Teflon, and identify quality issues such as broken or misshapen items.
The Ishida X-ray system also has two separate bins for foreign bodies and quality issues, which can both be accessed from one side of the conveyor, aiming to minimize the overall footprint of the machine.
“Our new compact X-ray inspection system enables manufacturers to check primary packs, whereas before the fast speed of line prevented inspection at this stage,” explained Glen Oxborough, quality inspection control sales specialist, Ishida Europe. “Prior to this, therefore, the only effective solution was to carry out the inspection in the secondary packaging, either when the packs were part of a multipack or in their outer case ready for onward delivery.
“However, this meant that if a sub-standard pack was detected, the entire pack or box would need to be rejected, leading to unnecessary and expensive product and packaging waste.”
As part of our Finalist Interview series for the Sustainability Awards last year, we spoke to Syntegon about its paper-ON-form retrofit kit for cold-sealable paper packaging on existing horizontal flow wrapping machines, which apparently enables customers to run paper material on the company’s new and existing horizontal form-fill-and-seal wrappers.
More recently, Aptar Closures revealed its SimpliCycle line of fully recyclable flow control valves for applications such as condiments and sauces, aiming to achieve mechanical recyclability while ensuring hygienic and precise product dispensing. The valves are made from low-density thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), which causes them to float and separate from PET during the sorting process, meaning they can then be recycled in the polypropylene and polyethylene stream.
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