Page 86 - AMEFT Journal 2021-4

The lardons reach the plastic hoppers via vibratory feeders
The lardons reach the plastic hoppers via vibratory feeders
Micarna Filler close up
Micarna’s automatic filling system fills 16 Thermoform pockets
PROCESSING & PACKAGING
Ishida: Sticky meat no longer a challenge
Founded in Kyoto, Japan, in 1893, Ishida is a global company which offers sophisticated automated pack- ing line for sticky diced meat. Incorpo- rating two Ishida 12-head Fresh Food Weighers that combine to operate as four separate machines, Ishida has met the key challenge of managing the limited space available at Swiss meat processing company Micarna.
Micarna had been asked by super- market chain Migros to deliver a new product - fresh cooked lardons, strips of ham and chicken for adding to sal- ads- to a challenging deadline. To give the product a longer shelf life, the
(Source: Ishida)
fresh diced meat is packed in sterile conditions in a cleanroom at Micarna’s production facility in Bazenheid in the canton of St. Gallen. Cleanrooms are generally made as small as possible to reduce maintenance costs and floor space, and to minimize the risk of con- tamination. As a result, the new pack- ing system had to fit into a space of only 10.5 m x 2.2 m with a low ceiling height of just 2.8 m.
The filling process for the new pack- ing system was of particular concern, as Micarna’s Technical Project Manag- er Patrick Nyffenegger explains: “The low headroom was a major issue, be-
(Source: Ishida)
cause it ruled out a standard circular weigher. There was very little room for product feed and distribution, and the cleaning processes also had to be taken into consideration.”
The solution, devised by Itech AG which represents Ishida in Switzerland, involves the conveying of the fresh diced meat from the slicer to a cross- head feeder. When the system stops, the meat can be buffered in the feeder without the need to interrupt the cut- ting process. A mobile elevator is used for transferring the chunks of meat to a pivoting conveyor that supplies two crosshead feeders. From there, the
(Source: Ishida)
(Source: Ishida)
86 AMEFT 4 2021
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