Baking & Snack - July 2021 - 88

WEIGHING & SCALING
" Our software intuitively guides the user to
set up inspection in accordance with Handbook
133 - Checking the Net Contents of Packaged
Goods, " Mr. Griffen said. " Additionally, an abundance
of diagnostic information can be collected
for first fault analysis and downtime reduction. "
Checkweighers can provide reports specifically
tailored to the needs of the user,
such as batches or production
intervals.
The Heat and Control system
categorizes advisories
into key performance indicators
(KPIs), which are
then consolidated on a single
dashboard that tracks
the frequency KPIs are triggered
within a certain period, Mr. Farver said.
" The KPI dashboard is meant to drive discussions
on how to improve performance, to
improve quality and to reduce waste, " he said.
" Snack manufacturers can create a work order
to reduce the number of times the advisor is
triggered and thus improve that KPI. "
Checkweighers can
gather data and automatically
learn how to
inspect a package.
Mettler-Toledo
Then, that data can be synchronized with information
from existing systems to be transferred to MES, ERP or
Cloud applications for further storage and analytics.
" Heat and Control provides a Packaging Machine
Data Concentrator that pulls the plant packaging data
to one location and then serves it up to our customers'
MES system through OPC-UA, Ethernet IP or Modbus
IP, " Mr. Farver said. " Many times, customers want to
share data to a long-term historian so that they are not
locked into a single MES solution, giving them flexibility
in that space. We also can send packaging data through
the PMDC to that historian. "
Mettler-Toledo systems include this kind of data
transferal directly on its checkweighers, where a range of
industrial protocols can be found, including EtherNet/
IP, PROFINET and OPC UA. They are compatible with
ProdX, Mettler-Toledo's data management software,
which in turn connects to other inspection devices, including
MT metal detectors, X-ray and vision inspection
systems, Mr. Griffen said.
" With advancements in inter-system communication
and internet connectivity, the latest control and monitoring
systems make it easy to upload line performance
data to any MES and ERP platform, " Mr. Mitra said. " As
a result, manufacturers can set accurate, deliverable production
targets based on information specific to their
unique operations, rather than on estimates or general
industry projections. "
With communication literally at the fingertips of the
user, integration of innovative technology into a pre-existing
production line is as simple as these systems make
a changeover: no more than the touch of a button.
*
SANITARY DESIGN SMOOTHS OUT CLEANING
Hygienically designed hardware can
streamline changeovers and minimize
downtime, even when packaging
snacks of varying weights.
" When it comes to improving
cleanliness during the weighing and
packaging process, the construction
material of the equipment is key, "
said Anurag Mitra, product marketing
manager of packaging, TNA
Solutions.
Weighing and scaling equipment
is most commonly constructed
today using stainless steel to withstand
aggressive fats, oils and flavors.
The metal is also less likely to
develop scratches and other surface
imperfections that could potentially
house bacteria.
Another consideration for sanitary
88 Baking & Snack July 2021 / www.bakingbusiness.com
design and ensuring food safety is
in the physical design of the equipment
itself.
" Leading food processing equipment
manufacturers are continually
searching for ways to make components
easier to clean and sanitize,
by constructing systems with as
few moving parts as possible or
specially bonded seams to limit dirt
accumulation, " Mr. Mitra said.
This can include what he called
" seemingly simple design elements, "
such as the polygon-shaped
weighing buckets of the TNA intelliweigh
omega series.
Heat and Control's Ishida systems
also use physical design for sanitization.
" The
parts are easily removed
for cleaning, and the sloped design
ensures there are no ledges
or crevices for bacteria and debris
build up, " said Jeff Almond, industry
manager of snack food packaging,
Heat and Control.
At Mettler-Toledo, sloped surfaces
and stainless steel conveyors
mitigate hygienic risk, said Adam
Griffen, checkweigher and vision
product manager, Mettler-Toledo.
" For example, avoiding areas
where food can get trapped in the
conveyor by means of product
zones and providing a welded design
rather than a bolted assembly, "
he said. " Additionally, proper processing
and supply chain provides
traceability and compliance for food
contact materials. "
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