Quality inspection

At Anuga FoodTec 2018, Eagle Product Inspection displayed the Tall PRO XSDV, which inspects tall rigid containers. Suitable for the inspection of high-speed can, jar, bottle and composite lines, as well as other upright container formats, the Tall PRO XSDV features dual-side view detection. This capability allows users to analyze and process two images for each container to better detect hard-to-find contaminants such as glass shards, metal fragments, mineral stone, some plastic and rubber compounds and calcified bone, it says. The Tall PRO XSDV uses Eagle’s proprietary SimulTask PRO imaging software with its ability to simultaneously perform inline product integrity checks, such as fill level inspection, mass measurement, cap detection and alignment in addition to contaminant detection, it adds.

Eagle Product Inspection
6005 Benjamin Road
Tampa, Fl
33634
877/379-1670
eaglepi.com

It’s in the bag

DS Smith-Rapak announced the release of its newest bag-in-box machine: the Autokap 1700 Series bag-in-box liquid packaging filler. The small footprint, fully automatic filling machine stabilizes the bag in a fixed position during the filling process and supports fresh and stable liquids at hot- and cold-fill temperatures, the company says. The equipment also features a fixed fill head, a departure from the Autokap 1200 series machine in which the bag raises and lowers during the filling process. Because of the fixed positioning of the bag, the cap gripper and fill nozzle raise and lower to fill and recap the bag, thus reducing product splash and strain on the bag spout seal while increasing the throughput and efficiency of customers’ bag-in-box lines, according to the company. Additionally, the Autokap accepts bags into the machine spout and utilizes a servo system for the bag infeed systems to allow for smooth, precise bag positioning, it adds.

DS Smith-Rapak
1201 Windham Parkway
Romeoville, Il 60446
630/296-2000
dssmith.com/rapak

Juicing it right

The Dynatrol division of Automation Products Inc. offers density systems designed to accurately measure °Brix, Baumé and other concentrations of liquids and slurries for vegetable and fruit juices, juice drinks and concentrated juices. The Dynatrol Density Cell, model CL-10HY, achieves exceptional accuracy over a wide range of process changes in ambient temperature, pressure, viscosity or flow. The cells also are weather-tight and explosion-proof with no motors, bearings, spindles or moving parts to maintain, it says. The company’s Series 2000 Digital Density Converter incorporates an on-board microcontroller that is pre-programmed for simple calibration. The converter arrives ready to use on various applications and features a two-line LCD that displays temperature, density, product frequency and status. It also has a 4-20MA standard output and a RS-232 two-way communication.

Automation Products Inc., Dynatrol Division
3030 Maxroy St.
Houston, TX
800/231-2062
dynatrolusa.com

A one-way PET keg

Petainer recently unveiled the petainerKeg Hybrid as part of its global keg family of products. The one-way Hybrid keg offers universal filling, trusted handling, safety and sustainability benefits for beer, wine, hard cider, cold-brew coffee and kombucha, the company says. The petainerKeg Hybrid provides compatibility with existing systems and a lower total cost of ownership than other packaging formats because it can be filled, sent and recycled when it is empty, cutting out costly return logistics and washing processes, according to the company. Only minimal investment or adjustments to filling lines are required because the keg has been designed to be filled on existing manual, semi- or fully automatic lines. The keg, which is 10 percent the weight of a traditional steel keg, provides superior handling and stacking because of its ergonomically designed top and bottom chimes, making handling at the filling plant and on-trade easier, it adds. Like other products in the petainerKeg range, Hybrid can be used with universal coupling systems. Once empty, the keg can be depressurized and disassembled as the chimes unclip from the keg body, enabling all parts to be recycled as part of the waste stream. Because the petainerKeg Hybrid is blown from a heavier weight preform, its thicker keg wall improves carbon dioxide and oxygen gas barrier properties, helping to protect the quality and freshness of the product for at least nine months, the company says. Available in 20 liters with 30 liters soon to be available, petainerKeg Hybrid can withstand an operating pressure of 3.10bar (45psi), with maximum operating pressure of 4.14bar (60 psi), it adds.

Petainer
P.O. Box 36
Tavistock House (North), Tavistock Square
London, England WC1H 9HR
+011/44-0-7468-860541
petainer.com

Marvelous mixing

Charles Ross & Son Co. offers a new 500-gallon multi-shaft mixer, which is ideal for processing medium- to high-viscosity applications to accommodate as many as several hundred thousand centipoise including many slurries, pastes, gels and suspensions, the company says. The VersaMix, model VMC-500, is equipped with a custom combination of independently driven agitators. The anchor agitator with helical flights and the screw auger agitator work in tandem to promote efficient product turnover while bringing air pockets to the surface. In addition, two saw-tooth high-speed disperser blades impart shear for fast powder wet-out and thorough deagglomeration. The VMC-500 also features special air casters for convenient mobility of the mix vessel, PLC recipe controls with data acquisition capabilities as well as a purged explosion-proof operator station.

Charles Ross & Son Co.
710 Old Willets Path
Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788
800/243-7677
mixers.com

CIP process cleaning

At Anuga FoodTec 2018, Jürgen Löhrke GmbH presented the LOEHRKE Mini-CIP, which enables reliable hygienic clean-in-place (CIP) equipment for small plants, lines, tanks, special tanks and hoses used for loading and unloading transport containers, the company says. It also showcased automated hygienic concepts for bottling in combination with pulsed light, which enables the user to fill microbiologically sophisticated drinks.

Jürgen Löhrke GmbH
Siemser Landstr 127, 23569
Lübeck, Germany 23569
+011/49-451-29307-0
loehrke.com

Expanding mobile solutions

CX North America Inc. announced new digital document creation functionality for its CX North America Driver Mobile App. The next-generation mobile app, designed to enhance visibility and enable faster communication from booking to proof of delivery, now allows drivers to create and electronically send instant, high-quality bill of lading documents in PDF format for immediate invoicing, the company says. After a delivery is made and the bill of lading is signed, drivers are able to take a photo of the document with their smartphone camera to begin the PDF creation process. Designed to optimize photos taken in low-light conditions, the mobile app processes the image and adjusts for contrast, clarity and orientation, it adds. The driver can crop the photo and remove any unwanted background. The app then automatically converts the file to a formally acceptable electronic format, transforming the image from a photo of a document to a viable Proof of Delivery that instantaneously can be sent to the dispatcher, saving both drivers and carriers time and money by enabling faster billing.

CX North America Inc.
3033 N. Clark St.
Chicago, Il 60657
888/270-0482
cxnamerica.com