WEIGHING & DETECTION
A bespoke solution In an interesting application which required a bespoke weighing solution, one confectionery manufacturer had need of a high-speed dual-track checkweighing solu- tion that could also be equipped with metal detectors if necessary, to check the weight of its cereal bars and other confectionery products, at high speeds. The customer needed a high-speed checkweigher that
could deliver speeds of up to 800 products per minute and which also met the requirements of the Measuring Instruments Directive - 2004/22/CE (MID) which relates to measuring devices and systems in the context of commer- cial transactions. Minebea Intec was able to meet this challenge by devel-
oping a bespoke version of its Flexus Combi checkweigher. It was able to provide a specially developed dual-track solution, which sees the two tracks able to support speeds of up to 400 pieces per minute. The multi-track engineered-to-order equipment offered
a good solution for this application, which sees products delivered on two tracks which are then processed by the checkweigher. The two tracks, which support a belt speed control unit, which enables separate activation or deacti- vation of each track. The checkweigher offers a weighing resolution of 0.1
g. Defective products are removed using compressed air which is stored in lockable reject units, to prevent unau- thorised access. The inspection solution offers four ejection options –
two after checkweighing and two after the optional metal detection stage – over a length of just 1,600 mm. The
A multiheaded success for Swizzels
Brothers Maurice and Alfred Matlow launched Matlow Bros in 1928, producing jelly-based confectionery from a small factory in East London, England. In 1933, Matlow Bros went compressed sugar sweets. The growing company re-located to a new factory in Manchester in the 1940’s where it remains today. In 1975, Matlow Bros and Swizzels merged to become Swizzels Matlow. in 1993 – a 14-head weigher for Rainbow Drops. Multipond secured the business thanks its software solution which was on the accuracy of the weighing operation. In 2012 Swizzels introduced its Squashies brand of soft gummies and once again Multipond won the contract, this time for a 28-head twin outlet weigher to weight products into small bags at speeds of up to 400 packs per minute. The low the existing factory which has restricted headroom. Squashies have been a hugely successful product line for Swizzels and Multipond has continued to support the company with weighing solutions to help it keep up with demand. Most recently, the addition of a new 36-head twin weigher has allowed packing speeds of up to 440 bags per minute to be achieved.
KennedysConfection.com
Growing demand for Swizzels products has led to a new factory being built to allow the company to produce its bestselling products in higher volumes. A new 36-head twin weigher from Multipond is due to be installed, commissioned and up and
running by the middle of 2023 in this new factory. Commenting on the company’s choice of weighing solutions, Chris Marshall, Factory Engineering Manager at Swizzels Matlow, say: “When it came to choosing weighing solutions, one of the most important criteria for us was to have a fast and easy to operate system so our employees quickly become familiar with the handling and operation of the machines.”
Kennedy’s Confection April 2023 77
“One of the main challenges was the separation of products from the continuous product fl ow on the main belt into the
machine’s two-lane infeed while ensuring a constant balance between the two lanes”
confectionery company also wanted to have the option of being able to integrate a metal detector before the check- weighing stage if additional customer requirements called for an inspection of the packaged bars. The Flexus Combi works well here because it provides a compact combination of metal detector and checkweigher in one system. As we have found out, confectionery manufacturers face
multiple pressures, due to a need to comply with some important guidelines and directives. Luckily there are modern solutions on the market that can help address all of these requirements and it seems that the adoption of modern technology can also help to reduce waste, improve way, so today there is no reason to give away more product that you need to!
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