Young, passionate and demanding - these are the qualities that have characterised Farmer's Snack since it was founded in 1971. The company relies on MULTIPOND's expertise to expand its production. Two additional MP-20-1000-400-H-S5 multihead weighers were purchased in order to guarantee even more precise mixing ratios for nut and dried fruit mixes.
Innovative product development has always been the uncompromising recipe for the company's success and is reflected today in technologically sophisticated products. In the new production facility opened in 2011, the high quality standards can now be met even more effectively. The company employs around 130 people in total. The company's great success and the targeted growth of more than 20 per cent necessitated a further expansion of production.
Background to the decision
The decision to purchase the two MULTIPOND scales was based on the company's extensive experience in the field of Nuts and dried fruit and the technical advantages. In addition to being able to guarantee certain mixing ratios, the scale manufacturer was also impressed by the fact that its developments are easier to clean and can be operated with extremely low maintenance requirements.
Thanks to a multihead weigher from MULTIPOND that was installed more than 20 years ago and is still running smoothly, Farmer's Snack was able to convince itself of the reliability and longevity of the machines. ‘We have never had any problems with the machine, it still runs just as well today as it did on the first day,„ explains Boie Karstens, Managing Director for Technology at Farmer's Snack.
Fully automated process
Mixtures of up to three components are weighed and packaged fully automatically on the two lines. The products range from different types of nuts to very sticky dried fruit. With a nominal filling weight of 60 to 250 grams, up to 90 bags per minute are weighed and packaged. The give-away here is less than 0.1 grams.
The three different products are fed to the weighing system via vibrating chutes. Once at the top of the weigher, the products are first conveyed via the radially arranged dosing chutes into the storage hoppers and then into the weighing hoppers below. The system works according to the Subset combination principle. After the weighing process, the partial portion is discharged into the intermediate hoppers below via special swivelling hoppers. The use of intermediate hoppers increases the number of possible combinations enormously, which is ultimately the basis for maximum accuracy and speeds.
A computer then determines the combination from the partial quantities that corresponds to or comes closest to the nominal filling weight to be achieved. Finally, the finished portions are delivered to the collecting container, which transfers them to the downstream packaging machine. One system runs in combination with a conventional flow-wrapping machine, while the second system runs in combination with a Doy-Pack bag machine works.
„MULTIPOND provided us with advice and support for the entire project right from the start. They did an excellent job planning all the interfaces. The experts“ enormous wealth of experience contributed significantly to the optimised design of the entire lines," says Boie Karstens also highly satisfied.
Convenient handling
All product-carrying parts can be removed quickly and without tools and have been precisely matched to the requirements of the products to be weighed in order to ensure a high level of safety. perfect product flow to ensure the highest quality. The extremely sticky dried fruit in particular played a major role in the design of the machines.
Depending on the season, the systems run in two or three shifts and process around 20 tonnes of product per day. Boie Karstens emphasises that „the short changeover and cleaning times of the two multihead weighers play an important role here, especially as the weighers are switched on and run without any complaints.“
The two multihead weighers are controlled and operated via a user-friendly Colour touch screen monitor. „Simple and fast operation of the weighing systems was an extremely important criterion for us. Our employees quickly became familiar with the handling and operation of the machines,“ summarises Boie Karstens.
Multipond at Anuga FoodTec 2018: Hall 7.1, Stand C88/D89
