Dairy, packaging with armored welds

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One of the strengths of the FP027 is the flow-pack seal, which protects the cheeses from external damage and increases their shelf-life

FP02 is the Tecno Pack wrapping machine used by Qualità Leone. Horizontal and multi-axis, it packs cheese in a modified atmosphere.

Bavarian or Swiss Emmental, Maasdam, Gouda, Pecorino, Ricotta salata, Rosa Camuna, Monte Veronese, Asiago: From foreign cheeses to Italian cheeses, as well as typical ones of the Villafranca area and the Lessini Mountains, these are just some of the more than 120 portioned cheeses that the FP027 flow-pack is able to pack.

One of the four machines Tecno Pack dedicates to the dairy sector is suitable for packaging cheese in bulk by transferring it directly to the packaging film, avoiding the problems of transport on conveyor thanks to the bottom-mounted reel.

The FP027 flow-pack machine allows to handle up to 100 packs/min

Flow-pack with bottom-mounted reel

FP027 is manufactured at the Tecno Pack plant in Schio, near Vicenza. But it can be seen at work at the plant of Qualità Leone, a historic company that in Villafranca di Verona took its first steps in small and medium-sized retail trade in 1966. A family-run company, it is not only specialized in the packaging of medium-dry cheeses but also in producing its own specialities, such as Rigatel del Castel and Roverella.

Tecno Pack and Qualità Leone met in 2011 at Cibus Tec 2011, and they immediately decided to work together. In the FP027, the most varied forms of cheese, all perfectly aligned on the loading belt, are first detected by a barrier photocell, which, by sending signals to the front camera, allows to understand which forms are in phase and which are not. In the rare case of an anomaly, the machine stops, triggers an alarm or skips the faulty package.

This control system, made possible thanks to seven different motors, also controls the sealing accuracy. The flow-pack is modular: Instead of a single large loading conveyor, the machine can be fitted with two, four, or six belts coupled with an automatic cutting line, thus allowing the feeding of several pieces of cheese at the same time, for a quicker process. This technology can satisfy the needs of manufacturers who handle small quantities of various formats, as well as those of the large and medium industry, which, on the contrary, needs less formats and large quantities.

The FP027 can handle different types of packages: From paper-film, with a transparent window in the middle showing the product, to simpler films. The use of a single film for many radial sections of the cheese pieces may result in an excess of film on the package. Next to being inaesthetic, a wrong sealing results in gas leaks, thus reducing the shelf-life of the product. But the FP027 can handle this problem thanks to its double reel holder so that, if necessary, it changes quickly from one to the other.

With the FP027 it is possible to pack in modified atmosphere and with any type of film

Multi-functionality and increased shelf-life

The machine can pack fresh, not portioned, products, which are subject to a physiological loss in the first ten days of life. With the insertion in the cold chain, in fact, FP027 reduces the loss by around 70%. And one of the first cheeses to experience this innovation with success has been the Rigatel del Castel of Qualità Leone.

This versatility allows to switch quickly from one type of cheese to another, and from cheese cubes to the whole shape with output of up to 100 pieces/minute. Cheeses, concentrations of mixtures of gases, films: FP027 also works with those used abroad.

In fact, Tecno Pack focuses heavily on exports, and with specialized service centres and competent technicians, it offers the same continuity of service to foreign companies. FP027 guarantees armored welding, helping to increase the shelf-life of cheese, which has gone from 90 to 120 days in the numerous tests carried out by Leone on some cheeses including the Sardinian Pecorino cheese.

 

Dida

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One of the strengths of the FP027 is the flow-pack seal, which protects the cheeses from external damage and increases their shelf-life

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The FP027 flow-pack machine allows to handle up to 100 packs/min

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With the FP027 it is possible to pack in modified atmosphere and with any type of film