Speed, Accuracy, Reliability and Flexibility – Ishida Weighers Tick All the Boxes for Frozen Vegetable Packing

The five Ishida weighers at the Pinguin Foods UK site in Kings Lynn include an advanced 24 head CCW-R multihead weigher with three litre hoppers for mixed vegetables and four 5 litre hopper 14-head models for single varieties, which include carrots, peas, sweet corn, beans, broccoli and cauliflower. On the lines where the Ishidas have been installed, along with new colour sorters which check for and reject substandard vegetables, overall weighing accuracies are now running at under 0.7% deviation from the target weight compared to around 1.8% previously.

The Ishidas are handling pack sizes of between 125g and 2.5kg, including mixed vegetables of two, three and four varieties on the 24 head mix weigher. In addition, the weighers can be used for special pack requirements. For example, one weigher in ‘double dump’ format is being used to pack 10kg boxes, where it has effectively doubled speed and greatly improved accuracy over the previous method.

While the Ishidas were selected initially for their speed, their superior accuracy and reliability have been equally valuable benefits. ‘We have had no problems with the weighers since their installation,’ confirms Packing Hall Manager Steve Walton. ‘Another major advantage is their flexibility; we can easily switch product from line to line depending on requirements, something that was not possible with our previous volumetric and older multihead models’.

Part of this flexibility is thanks to the ease of changeover on the Ishida weighers. Product specifications including target weight are preprogrammed into the easy-to-use remote control unit for changeover at the touch of a button. The waterproof construction of each model and easy to remove change parts also mean clean down can be carried out quickly and efficiently. The weighers are in operation 24 hours a day, five days a week, with additional weekend working during busy seasons such as the run up to Christmas.

Typical speeds currently are around 75 packs per minute for a 1kg pack, well within the weigher’s capabilities of 90 packs per minute.

The DACS-W checkweighers feature Ishida’s unique DSP (Digital Signal Processing) chip which permits accurate signal processing under a wide range of weighing conditions, together with an Ishida built load cell that delivers high sensitivity, response and accuracy.

Pinguin Foods first proved the effectiveness of Ishida weighers with the installation of one model, and this led to them being adopted over four more lines. Now the company is planning to convert its final line to include Ishida equipment.