Schönberg, Germany – S+S Separation and Sorting Technology is inviting visitors to POWTECH 2007 (hall seven, stand 7-420), to take a closer look at its range of ‘hygienic design’ metal separators which are specifically designed for handling bulk materials in the food industry.
Almi, an Austrian company with its headquarters located near Linz, is one of the leading manufacturers of quality flavourings and additives for sausage, meat, ham and fish products. S+S ‘hygienic design’ metal separators are utilised throughout the entire Almi production process. The company’s continued expansion both at home and abroad culminated in 2006 in the building of brand new production premises. This state-of-the-art production facility is set over 18,000m² and incorporates all the latest equipment to enhance product quality and increase customer satisfaction. The new factory meets all IFS, ISO 9001 and HACCP standards. Numerous certificates testify to Almi’s consistently high product-quality.
THE LATEST BULK MATERIAL HANDLING TECHNOLOGY
The new plant utilises the latest in bulk material handling technology which was designed, supplied and installed by engineering company Johann Daxner. Daxner specialises in providing integrated solutions for machinery and plant in numerous industries which process bulk materials. S+S Separation and Sorting Technology, as partners of Daxner, supplied IFS and HACCP compliant metal detectors and separators for inspecting products on the milling, mixing, filling, bagging and small component lines. Metal separators from the RAPID 5000 range were installed at the big bag filling station.
IFS CONFORMITY
For Almi it was particularly important to choose metal detection systems that fulfilled all the requirements of HACCP and IFS. RAPID 5000 metal separators detect and remove magnetic and non-magnetic metal contaminants and even metal inclusions from free-falling bulk materials. The contaminants are removed by means of a fast-reacting reject flap (the ‘quick flap system’) with minimal loss of good material. The modular design concept means that the machines can be easily adapted for different drop heights by removing or adding intermediary pieces.
One of the main reasons for installing S+S machines was their ‘hygienic design’; they are specially designed and constructed to meet the exacting hygiene standards of the food industry. The circular design of the reject mechanism eliminates sharp edges and crevices, preventing product build-up and blockages, even with non free-flowing flavourings, and thereby avoiding longer term product deposits and the resulting mould formation. The ‘easy clean’ construction of the reject device means it is straightforward to access for cleaning and maintenance. The RAPID 5000 metal detection systems are certified for ATEX Zone 20 because flammable dust is created during the filling / bagging process.
ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING AND METAL SEPARATORS
A particular challenge of this application was the intrinsic conductivity (product effect), of individual flavourings, which varies greatly. To consistently obtain optimal scanning sensitivity machine parameters must be adapted to the different product mixes. The higher level Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system signals the machine parameters for each batch to the metal separator via an Ethernet interface.
Another feature that distinguishes the S+S machines is their high level of detection accuracy. The GENIUS controller and operating unit utilises digital signal processing technology and ensures that the detector head is finely tuned to operate at optimum efficiency. Even particularly difficult, highly-conductive spices and flavourings can be tuned out, and optimum scanning sensitivities achieved.
The time and data of every event can be retraced via the control system’s integral logbook function. All data for viewing, recording and traceability can be transmitted from the controller and operating unit to the ERP system. Analysis of the rejected material provides important information on the source of contamination (supplier, machine wear and tear etc). For this reason Almi chose to set up an additional station specifically to examine rejected material.
Robert Leeb, Production Manager at Almi is delighted with the results, stating that "S+S’ RAPID 5000 metal separators meet all our exacting standards and play a vital part in our complex quality management system."
