Front end station
CMC-Kuhnke released its new front end station, which now includes automated top wall thickness (step) and mid wall thickness (body) measurements to go along with its can height and dome depth measurements. The FES-2000 automatically rotates the can as it measures 360-degrees around the circumference of the can, and measurements display on a touch screen. Out-of-spec limits are flagged in red, allowing line personnel to take corrective measures. With an integrated microprocessor, the front end station eliminates the need for a personal computer and potential downtime for computer-related problems. Data can be transferred directly into the company’s Visionary QC or other data acquisition software.

• CMC-Kuhnke Inc., 1060 Broadway, Albany, N.Y. 12204; 800/689-0661; cmc-kuhnke.com.

Table-top beverage dispenser
Jenlis Inc. has introduced the HOPR, a table-top beverage dispenser that the company says provides an easy way to increase beverage sales and give patrons a fun new way to enjoy a variety of cold beverages. The HOPR features a Super Chill Rod, which runs down the center of the device and keeps beverages cold 40 percent longer than ice, Jenlis says. To provide easy access to all consumers, the HOPR swivels 360 degrees and comes with a cover to keep beverages fresh. The 96-ounce HOPR holds 30 to 50 percent more than a standard pitcher, the company says.

• Jenlis Inc., 902 East Second St., Suite 350, Winona, Minn. 55987; 877/356-6455; hoprs.com.

Displacement pumps
Flowtech Div featured its line of strainers and displacement pumps at Process Expo in July in Chicago. The company’s model 54 and 55 Y-Strainers and L-Strainers have a tight tolerance mating fit to prevent fluid bypass and can be cleaned without being removed, the company says. The L design allows for 90-degree flow between inlet and outlet, and the Y design can be mounted horizontally or vertically and rotated 360-degrees around the piping. Flowtech’s Unibloc PD positive displacement pump can be mounted in horizontal or vertical throughput and features streamlined inlet and outlet ports for smooth and low shear product flow, the company says.

• Flowtech Div, 1701 Spinks Drive SE,

Marietta, Ga. 30067; 770/218-8900; flowtechdiv.com.

Boiler controllers
Spirax Sarco Inc. released its Electronic Steam Boiler Controllers, a line designed for simple installation with a unique enclosure design that allows chassis, panel and rail mounting, the company says. The front panel key pad and software menus allow the user to carry out commissioning. The line of boiler controllers features an infrared intercontroller communication capability and remote RS485 read-only access to controller settings and parameters. National Standards organizations in the United States and Europe have approved the line of boiler controllers, Spirax Sarco says.

• Spirax Sarco Inc., 1150 Northpoint Blvd., Blythewood, S.C. 29016; 800/575-0394; spiraxsarco.com.

Quick bottle switch changeover system
Sidel Group launched its Bottle Switch quick format changeover system. With an initial goal to improve blow molder flexibility, the company seeks to achieve mold changeover times of under a minute for faster product changeover times on the filler and reducing machine downtime. By reducing changeover time, customers can avoid investing in storage silos and intermediate palletization. A semi-automatic solution places the required blowing station in front of the operator, and easier unlocking of the mold support units ensures automatic opening and the operator can change the mold, tool free. The system is available with options for the most recent generations of SBO universal blow molders and will be available by the end of 2010 for all SBO Series2 and Combi machines, the company says.

• Sidel Inc., 5600 Sun Court NW, Norcross, Ga. 30092; 770/449-8058; sidel.com.

Wastewater treatment
Siemens offers custom solutions for food and beverage wastewater treatment systems. The company’s processes complement one another to ensure treatment requirements are met, the company says. Siemens offers screens, primary clarifiers and dissolved air flotation systems to remove gross solids, suspended fats, oils and greases. To account for residual solids produced in the treatment process, Siemens offers equipment and services, including the Cannibal Sludge Reduction Process, which the company says can reduce biosolids up to 90 percent. Siemens’s membrane bioreactors, membrane filtration, reverse osmosis and multimedia filters also can aid a beverage company in increasing water reuse, the company says.

• Siemens Water Technologies Corp.,10 Technology Center Drive, Lowell, Mass. 01851; 800/466-7873; siemens.com/water.

Miniature-scale process system
Armfield Ltd. launched its FT174X modular miniature-scale HTST/UHT process system and featured its FT104X counter-pressure filling station at Process Expo in Chicago in July. The FT174X can be configured to fit different processes and applications, and its tubular and plate heat exchangers are controlled by a 20 cm. color touch screen control panel. It can integrate an in-line homogenizer and has options for a sterile filler, chilling unit and mixing tanks for complete miniature-scale production lines. The FT104X counter-pressure filling station integrates with the FT102X carbonator/filler/capper, a laboratory-scale system for carbonating and filling beverages.

• Armfield Inc., 436 W. Commodore Blvd. #2, Jackson, N.J. 08527; 732/928-3332; explorearmfield.com.

On-site generator
MIOX Corp. launched its Vault on-site generator, which the company says is designed for high efficiency, ease of maintenance, low lifecycle cost, durability and reliability. Using only salt, water and power, Vault safely generates a chlorine-based solution for beverage water treatment applications on-site, the company says. Clean-in-place technology is used to clean the interior surfaces of beverage production equipment without disassembly and eliminates four- and five-step processes with a rapid, non-thermal three-step process. MIOX uses a 9 pH chlor-oxygen-based disinfectant and eliminates energy required for thermal processes.

• MIOX Corp., 5601 Balloon Fiesta Parkway NE, Albuquerque, N.M. 87113; 888/646-9426; miox.com.

End-of-line robotics
Schneider Packaging Equipment Co. Inc. will exhibit its product line for end-of-line case packaging and palletizing at Pack Expo 2010 in Chicago. The company will focus on lower total cost of ownership, smaller footprint, rapid changeover, energy savings and sustainable operations with high overall operating efficiency through its vision-guided robotic packaging cell. The latest addition to the Robox Vi series uses a FANUC Robotics Delta spider robot to demonstrate advanced vision and robotic abilities for descrambling and packing, the company says. Compared to traditional robots, Schneider’s systems use less space and operate at higher speeds, it says. The company’s end-of-line solutions can be tailored to each user and have the ability to pack combo packs as well as sort, count, orient, align, pack, close, label and palletize efficiently.

• Schneider Packaging Equipment Co. Inc., 5370 Guy Young Road, P.O. Box 890, Brewerton, N.Y. 13029; 315/676-3035; schneiderequip.com.

Chemical test strips
LaMotte Co. offers a line of testing equipment for the food and beverage industry. Chemically-treated paper strips can test iodine, QAC and chlorine levels. The company also offers a Salt Waterproof Pockettester, which can measure sodium chloride in water. LaMotte’s Smart3 colorimeter measures 80 preprogrammed calibrations for LaMotte reagent systems, and data can be downloaded via USB.

• LaMotte Co., 802 Washington Ave., Chestertown, Md. 21620; 410/778-3100; lamotte.com.

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