HACO, a Swiss manufacturer of convenience products, has installed a new packing line comprising customised multihead weigher and X-ray inspection system from Ishida for instant dried soups.
Image: The Ishida’s Xray inspection system. Photo: courtesy of Ishida Europe Ltd.
Ishida’s Swiss agent Itech has supplied the Ishida linear multihead weigher and IX-GA X-ray inspection system for the new line installed at HACO’s plant in Gümligen.
The 12-head linear weigher is capable of processing the soup ingredients at a speed of up to 170 weighments per minute with a weighing accuracy of 0.1g, while the X-ray system featuring Ishida’s patented Genetic Algorithm technology can detect foreign bodies with a very low density and a size of as little as 0.5mm.
The Genetic Algorithm technology makes use of image data analysis over a number of generations.
Isida said that the technology was adapted specifically to match the requirements of HACO to ensure product check against the entire spectrum of potential foreign bodies including glass, metal, stone or plastic.
“The main reason for HACO AG’s investment in the new line at its plant in Gümligen was the desire for greater flexibility during end-of-line packing to meet growing retail demand for shelf-ready transportation containers,” Ishida said in a statement.
The linear multihead weigher is designed for the high-performance handling of free-flowing products with small target weights.
Soup powder is added using auger fillers once the ingredients are in the bag. The sealed pre-printed bags will then be conveyed in the Ishida X-ray for quality control. The Ishida X-ray will also handle the commonly-used aluminium-coated bags.
The Japanese firm said: “The Ishida IX-GA’s Genetic Algorithm technology, which uses image data analysis over a number of generations, was adapted specifically to match the requirements of HACO AG in order to carefully check the product against the entire spectrum of potential foreign bodies including glass, metal, stone or plastic.”
The easy-to-use IX-GA, which features an automatic set-up function, is ready to operate within 90 seconds.
Ishida is engaged in manufacturing packing machinery. It supplies machinery to industries including food processing, farms and ports; retail; non-food; logistics; and medical and pharmaceutical.