Years of preaching the advantages of open guidelines and definitions for automated packaging machines may finally be paying off for OMAC, the Organization for Machine Automation Control. Based on feedback from food manufacturers, the Ossid division of Pro Mach made PackML compliance a priority when engineering a new mid-range horizontal form/fill/seal machine designed to vacuum pack protein foods.

A beta version of the machine, which operates in the 10-15 cycles a minute range, was introduced at the recent AMI International Meat, Poultry & Seafood show in Chicago. Named the Integrity, the machine will replace an older line inherited in an acquisition. In soliciting input from prospective customers, the preference for standardized controls and components, including universal parts, came through loud and clear, according to John Eklund, marketing director for Rocky Mount, NC-based Ossid. The machine is 3A compliant and is expected to meet USDA sanitary standards.

Open controls are enhanced by the standardization of Bosch Rexroth automation components, he adds. Rockwell controls are an option.