REALISING THE POTENTIAL OF AUTOMATING FOOD PRODUCTION

Automation of food processing operations has long been an important goal but it has become even more of a focus over the last two years.

Interfood Technology has been supplying food processing equipment for almost 25 years, from stand-alone machines to fully integrated lines. As such the company understands the importance of automation and its vital significance in contributing to an effective production flow.

One of the manufacturers with whom Interfood partners is Weber, a company that manufactures complete line solutions for sliced meat and cheese production and packaging, all backed by Interfood’s industry knowledge and expertise. Part of the art of automation is using technology with which everybody is familiar. This is illustrated in Weber’s ‘oneControl’, an intuitive (HMI) operating system which employs web technologies recognisable from smartphones through which several components of a line can be controlled.

Robots enhance performance

In the food industry robots have often been employed in more simplistic tasks such as crate packing and palletising but increasingly they have been used to replace people in direct food contact applications. Gripper technology has improved significantly, enabling robots to undertake even the most intricate of picking processes. The Weber PickRobot allows high capacity automation of slicing applications.