Swedish packaging firm Tetra Pak has introduced new ice cream extrusion line for medium-capacity producers.
The new ice cream extrusion line employs an independently controlled horizontal cutter to slice the ice cream as it exits from the extruder.
Tetra Pak’s patented technology allows to maintain cutting speed regardless of the line speed and offers clean cut even at low rates of production.
Ice cream producers can program the cutter to operate at different speeds and movements and switch between multiple products on the same line such as sticks, sandwiches, cones, wafer cups, candy bars and cakes.
The line provides volume flexibility to medium-sized producers with a capacity range of 5,000 to 18,000 products per hour.
Tetra Pak product manager Elsebeth Baungaard said: “A surge in competition in the global ice cream market has increased pressure on medium-sized producers.
“They must be more agile in responding to consumer needs, producing greater varieties of products at smaller volumes, while maintaining a high-quality standard and low production costs.
“In addition, customers of the new medium capacity extrusion line will have access to our Product Development Centre in Denmark. Here they can experiment with recipes, seek advice from food technician experts and access training.”
In April, Tetra Pak announced that it is using Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality technology to speed-up issue resolution for food manufacturers.
The move will reduce machine downtime and productivity loss for the customer, and protect them against risks to food safety and quality.
In case of repairs, Tetra Pak service engineers use HoloLens headsets to rapidly diagnose and fix machine issues, even in the most remote locations.
Tetra Pak offers range of processing and packaging technologies for use with a broad array of products ranging from ice cream and cheese to fruit, vegetables and pet food.
Image: Tetra Pak’s medium-capacity extrusion line for ice cream products. Photo: courtesy of Tetra Pak International S.A.