Food & Drink Raising the goodness
Wholegrain goodness is lifted to a relaxing height at Warburtons thanks to a Tecmach pallet lift
The Enfield depot of family baker Warburtons recently faced a dilemma common within the food industry: how to efficiently process heavy batches of raw ingredients by reducing manual handling whilst removing the risk of serious injury for the workforce. The solution lifted their production methods to new heights.
Ingredients are generally delivered in 25 kg sacks which have to be lifted safely and comfortably to the working feed height. For instance feeding the flavouring hopper for drinks or crisps production or in the case of seeded bread, the mixing sieve. Mixed seeds containing, linseed, millet, poppy, sunflower and sesame seeds may taste absolutely delicious, however they do settle in transit and become self sorted by size and weight. To ensure consistency it is necessary to manually process the sacks, thus guaranteeing an even mix resulting in each of the millions of loaves baked being the same. This process also assures the quality of the ingredients.
Time-saving solution
Loading for the process takes place just above waist level. Through installation of a Tecmach pallet lift, the operator was able to stop the lift anywhere between the closed and fully open height of the lift. When off-loading pallets a layer at a time, the operator could move the lift up so that each layer was easily accessible. This meant that the bottom layer on the pallet was as easy to lift off as the top layer. This made the process easily a one-man operation. Efficient and time-saving, whilst at the same time eliminating the injury risks associated with repeated lifting. The Tecmach low-profile pallet lift table, with a closed height of 80 mm, can be supplied in flat top or “U” format in situations when Euro-Pallets are to be used. A range of platform sizes means that whatever pallet is used there is a scissor lift to match. Taking loads of up-to two tonnes, it is possible to keep
the top layer of product at the optimum height for say filling hopper. The height can be controlled via a pushbutton or foot control station, alternatively the lift can be supplied with semi or fully automatic lifting as each layer is cleared. For the food industry, the lifts can be supplied in a number of finishes including white epoxy paint and can be manufactured in part or full stainless steel construction. Whilst the hydraulic system is filled with food quality oil and fitted with fine filters to prevent contaminating the oil with fine particles such as flour. Installing the Tecmach pallet lift offers a multitude of benefits. Firstly one-man operation where the operator can work continuously. Secondly, increased efficiency because more bags are processed in less time, freeing labour up for other operations. Then there is also a benefit of significantly reducing the risk of work related injury such as housemaid’s knee, tennis elbow or back problems. For more information contact Tecmach on tel: 01727 860355 or visit:
www.tecmach.co.uk
Food processing sensor
Micro-Epsilon has launched a new version of its optoNCDT 1402 laser sensor. The new optoNCDT 1402SC sensor has a stainless steel housing and is protected to IP69K, making it ideal for food processing and other harsh process manufacturing applications.
The new sensor is available in eight models with measuring ranges from 5mm up to 600mm. The sensor benefits from an extremely robust, compact and lightweight (83g) design, enabling machine builders and OEMs to easily integrate the sensor into their existing systems.
The housing for the SC version is made from V4A steel and so complies with all food industry requirements. Like all optoNCDT 1402 sensors, the SC version has an integral controller that automatically compensates in real time for difficult-to-measure surfaces such as shiny metal, gloss paint finishes and black rubber. This real time surface compensation (RTSC) feature enables OEMs and machine builders to more accurately measure a variety of object parameters, including thickness, roundness, position, deflection, tilt, displacement and vibration. Chris Jones, managing director at Micro-Epsilon (UK) comments: “The optoNCDT 1402SC sensor is unique in terms of offering the customer a high performance, cost effective laser displacement sensor for harsh environments. An adjustable measuring rate up to 1.5kHz, linearity of 0.18 per cent and resolution of 0.01 per cent, combined with its high protection rating, means the 1402SC can easily cope with fast, inline production systems, food and beverage processing, assembly and quality inspection tasks.” Contact Micro-Epsilon on tel: 0151 355 6070
www.solidsandbulk.co.uk August 2010 • Solids & Bulk Handling 31
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