Feature Production machinery Can opener speeds up food processing
Manufacturers and processors of both solid and pulp food can now gain from a new automatic can opening machine being introduced to the UK market by specialist packaging equipment suppliers, Glenvale Packaging
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he Kaltenbach (k-ma process) system, available exclusively in this country through Glenvale, is said to bring the benefits of accu-
racy, speed of throughput and versatil- ity to a wide range of processors using bulk food ingredients. Significantly, the development overcomes many of the accepted drawbacks associated with using products in larger volumes. “Importantly, the k-ma process unit enables operators to take full advan- tage of ingredients supplied in canned format with its ability to handle cans from 2 – 10kg in weight,” comments Garry Coleman, partner at Glenvale Packaging. “This method of ingredient supply is regarded as the optimum approach by an increasing element of the food production and processing industry, particularly those involved in shorter run or lower volume opera- tions. It replaces, for example, conven-
tional 1,000 litre tanks, which can pre- sent significant considerations relating both to handling and to the need for the full volume of ingredients to be used quickly once open.
“The k-ma CEM-600-NT which we are now supplying – the first unit of its type available in the UK – addresses these issues head-on and combines handling, opening and disposal of cans into a single self-contained opera- tion,” adds Coleman. With a footprint of just 1.6 x 1.0m, including a 400mm feed chute, the design can be readily installed within or adjacent to a production facility, and only requires connection to standard power, water and air supplies. The unit receives cans via a roller conveyor feed into a dedicated can opening station for lid removal. This is followed immedi- ately by a tilting operation where a com- bined compressed air and water blast
The Kaltenbach (k- ma process) auto- matic can opening machine, being introduced to the UK market by specialist packaging equip- ment suppliers Glenvale Packaging, requires a footprint of just 1.6m x 1.0m
Glenvale Packaging T: 01933 673677
www.glenvale-
pkg.co.uk Enter 318
process ensures all contents are removed. The empty cans are then transferred to a can compression facility before being ejected for efficient dis- posal off-site, while the emptied ingre- dients are discharged through an outlet for onward handling and processing. The unit requires minimal operator involvement and offers the additional benefits of quick cleaning and low energy consumption. The design also helps to ensure maintenance costs are kept to a minimum while the majority of industry standard can sizes can be handled without a change to the set-up. The system has already been widely proven across Europe with products of both a liquid and highly viscous nature.
Fast CNC bridge mill reduces lead times
Alex Cable, founder and president of Thorlabs became so frustrated by the time suppliers were taking to deliver equipment needed urgently for R&D projects he began manufacturing specialist equipment in his garage. Today, some 20 years later, Thorlabs is a broad-based optical technologies company, with a product portfolio that extends from simple optical and mechanical components to integrated test and mechanical systems
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long the way the 600-employee business has established manu- facturing centres in the USA, Japan, Sweden, Germany and the UK, each with its own clearly defined area of expertise. This, in the case of the Ely, Cambridgeshire, facility, encom- passes nano-positioning systems for high precision alignment applications, along with optical tables/optical bread- boards and full vibration isolation sys- tems. Each centre is responsible for sales of the entire Thorlabs range, but it is the manufacturing specialisation at Ely that lies behind the recent installa- tion of a large capacity 24hp/200- 8,000rev/min XYZ BRM 60-200 CNC bridge mill supplied by XYZ Machine Tools. This fixed bridge/moving table machine tool is equipped with a 1,600 x 5,080mm table and has a positional
Factory Equipment MARCH 2011
The use of multi- tool drilling and tapping heads adds to the versatility and performance of this XYZ BRM 60- 200 CNC bridge mill
accuracy over 300mm travel (5,080mm - X axis/1,559mm - Y axis) of ±0.025mm and a repeatability of 0.01mm. Jason Mills, general manager, Thorlabs UK says: “Our manufacturing strategy is about investing money in manufacturing equipment and processes. Thorlabs is a technology- driven business in terms of the prod- ucts it develops and brings to market, but we also take great pride in our manufacturing expertise.”
XYZ Machine Tools T: 01823 674200
xyzmachinetools.com Enter 336
The XYZ BRM 60-200 CNC bridge mill features a high torque vector driven spindle that can be serviced by an optional 24-station carousel-type toolchanger. However, the requirement at Thorlabs UK mainly involves drilling and tapping hundreds of locating holes in large scale optical tables/optical
breadboards. This is why the new machine is equipped with a tool cradle holding imperial and metric multi-tool drilling and tapping heads, each weigh- ing 15kg. This tool cradle is located on one end of the machine table, with a change of multi-tool head taking around 30 seconds under full CNC control. This compares with an older machine now restricted to ‘specials’ where, lacking a toolchanger, it takes up to two hours to manually change the tooling. The end result is that Thorlabs has taken out four days of buffer stock while a flow-based production system has replaced the previous batch-based production. This has significantly reduced work-in-progress and short- ened lead times, and eliminated several separate handling processes.
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