AS the business celebrates the 50th anniversary of its invention of multihead weighing technology, Ishida has revealed it is launching its 11th generation model.
The manufacturer said the new CCW-AS range has been designed to offer the ‘highest weighing performance’ to further increase Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), particularly for challenging products such as sticky items.
“The launch of our first multihead weigher in December 1972 was undoubtedly a game changer for food packing, and in the years since then we have continually raised the bar in terms of the machines’ capabilities in areas such as speed, accuracy and the type of products they can handle,” said Steve Jones, marketing director of Ishida Europe. “The Ishida CCW-AS range is the next stage in this journey which builds on the unique customer benefits delivered by previous Ishida ranges with enhancements founded on Ishida’s unmatched breadth of global customer and application experience.”
The AS weigher is said to provide ‘significant increases’ in productivity and ‘enhanced’ hygienic design, while also addressing environmental concerns.
Performance enhancements include product transportation to the weigh hoppers with both increased control and power of all feeders.
Each feeder channel boasts an integrated optical feedback system that uses sensors to monitor product depth in real time. This, Ishida explained, allows both the feed amplitude and time to be independently adjusted on each vibrator.
An advanced vision monitoring system with multiple cameras can be positioned at the top of the weigher to monitor the product feed. Live camera footage can be viewed from the 16 inch colour touch screen HMI operator screen.
A slanted weigh drive unit cover and main body frame are said to enhance cleaning efficiency.
Ishida added that the CCW-AS delivers a 20% reduction in energy consumption compared to previous models, while noise levels have also been reduced.
The CCW-AS range will be available in a range of sizes, with models offering between 10 and 36 heads and hopper sizes from 0.05 to 7 litres.
Ishida is also launching what the firm describes as a ‘top of the range’ X-ray inspection system that incorporates new sensor and image processing technology.
The Ishida IX-PD is said to be capable of detecting both low-density and very small size foreign bodies with ‘excellent’ accuracy.
Combined with Ishida’s Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Dual Energy technologies, the manufacturer revealed the new machine produces an ‘ultra-high’ resolution and clearer image than conventional X-ray systems. This allows the IX-PD to offer ‘enhanced detection’ for items including bones in fish fillets and also minute foreign bodies such as stainless steel wires. The model can also detect foreign bodies in applications where products are overlapping or standing up in a pack.
Ishida added that, in tests, the IX-PD demonstrated ‘near 100%’ detection rates for bones in a variety of products including chicken, diced meat, and sausages.
“We understand the importance that businesses today place on quality and the rigorous standards that they employ throughout their operations; however, even the smallest error can have serious consequences for a company’s or brand’s image, particularly in today’s social media world,” said Sibtain Naqvi, Ishida Europe’s X-ray product manager. “This was the driving force behind the development of our new IX-PD, which represents a real step-change in X-ray inspection systems. Its new technology delivers the best ever sensitivity to give manufacturers complete confidence in the effectiveness of their quality control procedures.”
The IX-PD will be available in two sizes, with options of 360mm and 450mm widths.
A further new addition to the Ishida Europe portfolio is a vertical form fill seal (VFFS) bagmaker. Described as delivering 30% increase in speed compared to previous models, the INSPIRA Boxmotion can operate in both continuous and intermittent motion modes. This enables it to handle a variety of both product and pack formats, including the introduction of recyclable film and paper packs, while maintaining ‘excellent’ seal quality and integrity, Ishida added.
Box motion technology enables the sealing jaw motion to operate in both vertical and in/out horizontal planes. Ishida explained this means more uniform pressure is applied over the entire area of the jaws.
The INSPIRA Box Motion features a splice table light-bar for ‘easier and faster’ automatic film splicing. Capable of completing a film splice cycle in just 20 seconds, Ishida explained this allows operators to manage more machines per head.
Switching between continuous and intermittent motion can be carried out through pre-settings on the machine with no change parts or operator intervention required.
The bagmaker’s open structure allows easy access to components such as the forming tube, film spindle, and tension roller. A menu-driven Human Machine Interface (HMI) screen provides performance data and diagnostics, with multi-level password access to ensure data integrity.
“The snacks market is being driven by ongoing product and packaging developments, and remains fiercely competitive,” said Andrew Green, snacks business unit manager, Ishida Europe. “Our new INSPIRA Box Motion has been designed to allow manufacturers to continually adapt to the latest market trends while offering a new level of automation and efficiency.
“This minimises the chance of human error and helps to consistently produce quality bags while cutting costs and increasing profitability.”
