Provisur Technologies' new Formax Free Movement System (FMS) is a compact and hygienic handling system for sliced products designed for a high level of flexibility.

The FMS utilizes free-floating movers that ride along an electromagnetic surface to enable smooth and seamless product handling. The movers on the FMS tabletop can be programmed with any type of motion profile including rotation and synchronized travel in any direction. It enables portion handling control and is designed for complex product applications that require a high level of flexibility. It can handle high-volume slicing lines, adult snack pack lines, sandwich lines, twin stacks, multiple packs and more. 

Electromagnetic tiles are at the core of the machine’s technology, along with the transport units known as “movers.” The movers hover over flat surfaces without any physical contact and require no guiding elements such as rails or conveyor belts. They glide the portions from slicer to packager. Patented loading and offloading technology ensure a smooth transfer of portions from mover to downstream equipment and is designed for high-speed operation.

The electromagnetic technology of the FMS reportedly eliminates the need for extra components such turning stations, buffers, inliners or overlappers. As the movers have the ability to move anywhere on the work surface, this simplifies the pickup of sliced products for transportation. Once the product moves from the slicer to the mover, the system establishes a buffer to accommodate the loading pauses necessary for reloading new products into the slicer. During these pauses, the buffer unloads to maintain a continuous product flow to the packaging machine. 

The system can be adapted to process new applications, and existing machines already in use can also be retrofitted with the FMS.