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.

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.

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.

A new instrument for analysis of sweet whey reports fat, solids, density, salts/minerals, lactose and protein in 60 seconds.

Fortress Technology introduced its new FM software for Fortress metal detectors. This software has been developed to be compatible with all previously manufactured detectors and can be field installed on the company’s Phantom and Stealth models.

The USDA approved Meyer Klean-In-Place II Rotary Airlock Feeder is a special purpose valve suited for dairy and other food applications.

The Mettler Toledo Safeline Certus XR X-ray inspection system was designed specifically to offer an effective and highly efficient solution for cost-effective production line X-ray inspection of small packaged products.

Schneider Packaging Equipment Co. introduced its horizontal case packer (HCP) for sleeves of cups and lids, including the new environmentally friendly Styrofoam replacement cups.

Ross introduced a new line of Model 42C cylindrical ribbon blenders designed to mix dry powders, wet granulations and paste-like materials with densities up to 100 pounds/cubic feet.