Technology Sourcebook - Food Engineering

	AC motor brakes Featuring a simple design with fewer moving parts for stop/hold applications, Warner’s Unibrakes AC spring-applied motor brakes have an external manual release lever that allows a driven load to be moved without energizing the motor; the lever resets automatically when the brake is re-energized.

Acrylic flow meters Dakota Instrument’s ACR clear acrylic flow meters have direct reading dual scales.

	Agitation systems retrofitting Lee Industries retrofits existing equipment with a new agitation system.

	Asset management suite Designed to maintain, document and manage pH and dissolved oxygen sensors, Mettler-Toledo Ingold’s iSense asset management suite maximizes ISM technology and allows the application of plant-wide maintenance concepts with pre-calibrated sensors.

Automatic case sealer Utilizing pressure-sensitive tape and rugged side belts to move boxes through for a high-quality seal, EZ-Tek’s SB-2/FC fully automatic case sealer features an infeed indexing gate, adjustable leg extensions and easy box size change.

Bacon spiral oven Designed for use with fully and partially cooked bacon products, Stein’s GCO GyroCompact spiral oven has a small footprint but provides high-production volume.

	Barcode scanner Accu-Sort’s AV6010 camera-based bar-code scanner combines a camera, illumination, decoder and power supplies in a single unit integrated by an internal Ethernet network.

	Battery charger Designed for use with GRIP2 and GRIP3 model barcode reader handles, Pepperl+Fuchs’s ODZ-MAH-CHARGER can be mounted to a wall or countertop.

	Bread volume measurement Stable Micro Systems’ Volscan laser-based profiler automatically measures the volume of bread. It works by mounting the loaf at each end; software records parameters including flour weight, bread type and shape.

	Coated casings Vector’s Enhance impermeable coated casings reduce the risk of contamination, purge, breaks, nicks or flaking while providing flavor and aroma.

	Conductivity switches Suitable for most applications that involve checking a conductive liquid in a tank, Hawk’s Gladiator conductivity switches include high- or low-level alarms, constant level control, pump control and empty tank detection.

	Diaphragm metering pump Capable of pumping up to 42 gallons/hour, Omega’s PHP-800 series diaphragm metering pump can handle output pressures up to 175 psi.

	EtherCAT sensor Intended for data transmissions and communication in industrial settings where high speeds are necessary for complete factory automation, MTS’s Temposonics R-Series EtherCAT sensor is a high-speed networking solution based on industrial Ethernet technology.

	Filling machines Intended for use over vertical form, fill and seal machines, Hinds-Bock’s SP-64 and SP-160 PIC filling machines feature a long-reach positive shut-off spout with an adjustable blow-off feature to maintain a clean seal zone and accurate fills.

	Filling weigh systems Now NTEP-certified legal for trade, NBE’s hang weigh, base weigh and check weigh design filling weigh systems provide accurate, repeatable results.

	Flexible screw conveyors Designed to convey a range of dry solids, including products requiring sanitary handling, Cyclonaire’s FlexFlite flexible screw conveyors use steel augers and flexible tubes up to 100 ft. long to move materials at rates up to 3,600 lbs./hr.

Floor toppings Made of polyurethane-modified concrete, Tnemec’s Ultra-Tread floor topping is resistant to hot water washdowns, hot steam cleaning and hot fry oils and liquids.

Gable-top filling machine Intended for use with half-gal. milk and juice products, Evergreen Packaging’s EH extended long-life gable-top filling machine fills up to 140 cartons/min.

	Grate magnets Eriez’s ProGrade series grate magnets remove ferrous contamination from dry, free-flowing granular or powdery products such as sugar, feeds and grains.

	High-shear mixer Ross’s benchtop high-shear LCI-V rotor/stator mixer has a 1 hp variable speed drive for operation up to 10,000 rpm, and comes with four stator heads—slotted, square hole, fine screen and round hole.

High-speed adhesive gun Nordson’s e.dot+ high-speed hot melt adhesive electric gun for precision adhesive applications is designed for use in high-end gluing applications requiring small dots or beads of adhesive.

	Horizontal bagging Using a rotary sealing head to ensure straight, even seals, WeighPack’s Zippy Bagger automatic horizontal bagging machine is designed for use with pre-made laminate or polyethylene wicket bags.

Hot fill lines

Designed for a variety of food and bakery products such as soups, sauces, stew, cheese and peanut butter, Hinds-Bock’s hot fill lines feature heated filling machines with insulated hoppers, jacketed and insulated hoppers that accept plant-supplied hot water, and self-contained hot oil heat systems with multi-zone control to heat the entire filling flow path, maintaining +/-1° at temperatures up to 210˚F.

	Impact doors A semi-flexible, full-thickness door, Aleco’s FD-175 Impac-Dor has a rubber sub-frame and full-height reinforced spine.

In-line mixers Meeting clean-in-place and sterilize-in-place requirements, Silverson’s Ultra Sanitary in-line mixers also comply with FDA and cGMP standards, and are 3A (TPV)- and EHEDG-certified.

Inductive measuring sensors Designed to detect metallic objects at ranges up to 16mm, Baumer’s linearized AlphaProx non-contact inductive analog proximity sensors can detect changes in position, distance, thickness, weight or pressure in a range of industrial measuring applications.

	Industrial PC B&R’s APC620 industrial PC uses a Windows XP-embedded system platform with a real-time extension.

	Laboratory circulator Suitable for heating and cooling applications from -10˚C to 80˚C, Thermo Fisher Scientific’s stainless steel HAAKE EZ Cool 80 unit is intended for external applications such as analytical instrumentation, jacketed reactors and rotary evaporators, and can be used to replace tap water cooling in small lab applications.

	Large line flow meter McCrometer’s Multi-Mag L series flow meter has electromagnetic, multi-point sensing technology for large line sizes, a smart programmable signal converter and noise-immune cable.

Large tube housing Suitable for use with spices, powders, flour, starches or pet food where sticking, galling and product bridging are prevalent, Industrial Magnetics’ new LTH (large tube housing), incorporates a strong 3-in. diameter magnetic circuit for gravity/free-flow applications.

	Load locking system Lantech’s Pallet-Grip load locking system for its straddle stretch wrapping systems captures any style of pallet in heights from 4 to 6 in. high, and completely wraps to the top of the load.

Multiple-deep systems Westfalia’s multiple-deep automated storage and retrieval systems have a smaller building footprint to maximize storage space.

Oxygen measurement OxySense’s MAP 1000 system provides non-invasive, real-time oxygen monitoring for modified atmosphere processing in batch process and form, fill and seal MAP machines.

Plug-in weigh scale modules Allen-Bradley-compatible, Hardy’s single- and dual-scale weigh modules read weight data from load cells and communicate the data and status information over the I/O backplane to the Allen-Bradley processor.

	Polyurethane flooring Designed for applications where wet processing or high-temperature cleaning takes place, Dur-A-Flex’s Poly-Crete polyurethane resinous floor systems are zero VOC-rated and credited in the LEED program for rapid renewable material content as low-emission products.

	Polyurethane flooring A heavy-duty polyurethane flooring system designed for food and beverage processing plants, Sani-Crete resists impact, abrasion, chemical attack and thermal shock.

Polyurethane-coated bearings Carter’s polyurethane-coated non-marking bearings reduce noise, improve traction and decrease wear on cam tracks.

Portable sanitary mixers USDA-approved for meat and poultry products, Sharpe’s paint-free M5 portable mixers create high flow with low shear for mixing liquids from 50 to 5,000 gals.

Pouch packing system KHS’s Innopack CMP pouch packing systems process at outputs from 60 to 250 pouches/min. with pouch sizes from 90mm wide and 100mm high to 200mm wide and 250mm high.

	Power distribution cabinet Customizable to fit a variety of applications, Staco’s FirstLine OC power distribution cabinet reduces installation time by providing maintenance bypass, branch circuit distribution and voltage transformation in a single cabinet.

	Pressure transducers CE-compliant millivolt output units for industrial applications, Omegadyne’s PX35 series industrial pressure transducers have an FM-intrinsically safe rating standard.

Recycled PET content resins Containing up to 20% post-consumer recycled PET, Invista’s Polyclear Conserve PET polyester polymer features above average color and clarity.

	Replacement vacuum cups Vi-Cas’s replacement vacuum cups handle round, oval and other hard-to-grip shapes with either smooth or textured surfaces, and fit a range of vacuum equipment, including lifters, manipulators, pick-and-place systems, packaging, label applicators and robotic end-of-arm tooling.

	Roller drive Providing an energy-efficient solution for a range of material handling applications, Interroll’s high-torque EC110 24 VDC roller drive features a high-performance motor and gear box, combined with elastic decoupling for quiet, smoother operation.

	Safety mat system Omron’s UMQ series safety mats have an IP67 quick-disconnect cable connector that allows last-minute cable length changes in the field; the cable is not attached until the end of the installation process, reducing the potential for cable damage during installation.

	Seamless flooring Dex-O-Tex’s Tek-Crete seamless flooring resists impact and corrosion in aggressive chemical environments, and stands up to daily cleaning with industrial cleaners.

	Seamless flooring Formulated for tough food and beverage environments, Stonhard’s Stonclad GR seamless flooring contains recycled glass aggregate and environmentally friendly liquids.

	Snack bagmaker Designed for snack foods, Ishida’s Atlas-202 flexible bagmaker produces pillow, hem-seal, gusseted and flat-bottom bags.

	Sorter controls FKI’s UniSort sliding shoe and linear belt sorter controls provide automated calibration, monitoring and diagnostic testing, including tracking alignment, divert precision, shoe assignment and switch mechanism testing, to manage sortation systems.

Temperature-monitoring labels Designed for use on shipped perishable items, PakSense’s Ultra standard configuration temperature-monitoring labels are pre-programmed with standard temperature range specifications for various applications.

Temporary panel covers Grace Engineered Products’ TempCovers temporary panel covers meet OSHA standards and provide safe access to an electrical panel being serviced by a qualified worker.

	Urethane mortars Garon’s Mortarthane HF trowel-applied urethane mortar withstands aggressive chemical and thermal attack, and provides abrasion resistance for sure footing in wet environments.

VOC-compliant topcoats Tennant’s reformulated WearGuard CRU 250 chemical-resistant urethane topcoats meet the volatile organic compound requirements of the Ozone Transport Commission and the Chemicals Control Branch of Environment Canada.

Vehicle/inventory tracking

Sky-Trax’s Total-T