Baking & Snack - July 2021 - 84

WEIGHING & SCALING
such as nuts or popcorn, " he said. " Instead, most brands
use a dedicated weigher for each product type, running
these lines for a long period of time before making the
switch to a new category. "
Using several weighers for different product
types
that are headed into the same package means that
changeover times become imperative to maintaining
the speed of a production line. This can be done in two
ways, Mr. Mitra said: via hygienically designed hardware
and through digitally enabled system integration.
" With the option to select from a list of pre-set weighing
parameters, smart software eliminates the need to
shut down production while operators manually adjust
equipment settings, " he said, providing the example
of the integration between the TNA intelli-weigh
and TNA robag packaging solution as a digitally
enabled changeover process. " Using seamless data
pairing, changes to the weighing settings are automatically
shared with the bagger, and vice versa, ensuring
both systems are optimized for the new product
type at the touch of a button. "
At Mettler-Toledo, product changeover reby
ensuring
duces
time
minimal
changes
to
the checkweigher.
" The checkweigher can automatically learn how to inspect
a package by means of a set-up mode, " Mr. Griffen
said, noting that the equipment can have barcode scanners,
cameras and network connectivity to automate
product changeovers. " For machines that require mechanical
adjustments on product changeovers, those
Digitally enabled
changeover
processes use data
pairing to provide
accurate changes
to the weighing
settings.
TNA
Mettler-Toledo. The load cells offer a throughput of up to
800 ppm and are approved for washdown applications.
At the touch of a button
Improved weighing systems become even more important
when considering snacks that combine a variety
of items in a single package, such as trail mixes. While
the components within the package can have different
weights, the tolerance and accuracy of the technology
must be able to maintain specific weight limits.
" Intelligent feedback control - a common feature in
the latest weighing systems - harnesses data gathered
from encoders placed throughout the line to determine
optimal feedline speed, hopper open‐close patterns and
even the performance of up- and downstream components
to deliver repeatable, precisely weighed bags every
time, " Mr. Mitra said.
However, it remains common practice to allow
changeovers to guide the weighing process of packages
that include various-sized snacks.
" In our experience, we've found that snack producers
don't typically use the same weighing equipment
to package products with such widely varying weights,
84 Baking & Snack July 2021 / www.bakingbusiness.com
adjustments can be digitized as part of the product's
'recipe' and the HMI will guide the operator to make adjustments
quickly. "
Heat and Control's weighers come equipped with
quick disconnect feeder pans and hoppers to make
cleaning and changeover faster and simpler. The transition
chutes have an easy removal design.
" Our HMI is very intuitive and individual product
presets are used for automatic changeover from one
product to the next, " said Jeff Almond, industry manager
of snack food packaging, Heat and Control. " We also
provide automatic film splicing to reduce changeover
time and for ergonomic film roll and former change.
Our entire packaging cell from scale to automatic case
packer can be changed over very quickly for improved
line efficiency. "
Tracing with automation
Aside from improving accuracy and speed, smart
technology equipment provides bakers with increased
traceability opportunities, which can help to lower the
risk for recalls as well as for product giveaway. Systems
such as Mettler-Toledo's have the ability to report on
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