You can’t run your plant without it. Compressed air opens and closes pneumatic valves, evacuates product lines and conveys packages. Make sure it is clean and uncontaminated.
As dairies use more flexible packages, the equipment that handles cases and pallets might have to change. We asked two executives how plant managers can make their operations more efficient.
September 10, 2014
When Dairy Foods surveyed its readers, we found that 35% of dairies plan to purchase new conveyors or palletizers. In the same study, dairy processors also reported they are increasing their use of plastics and flexible packaging (such as pouches) and using less metal and glass.
Robotic automation equipment is common in the auto industry, but the wet conditions in dairy plants have created a need for equipment standards to comply with strict food safety and hygiene rules. Here is what we have done so far.
Traditional applications for robot-based automation in food processing have been basic pick-and-place packing operations. On the processing side, dairy plants contain many applications that are repetitive or labor-intensive. These are perfect candidates for robot-based automation.
Waiting for test results can slow down dairy processing. Faster testing methods cut wait time from minutes to seconds. In-line analyzers deliver information in real time.
Speed, accuracy and consistency are three metrics that managers of dairy processing plants should be measuring. An on-site dairy laboratory can play an important role in achieving high values in each of those metrics.
A new generation of portion-control cup sealers enables low-cost, tamper-evident, sealed packaging for dairy start-ups and larger operations.
August 4, 2014
Retailers are asking dairy food and beverage processors to package their products in packaging that is tamper-evident. Besides providing a measure of food safety, a sealed cup prolongs product quality and shelf life on retail shelves.