In many ways, food production is not unlike other industrial production. High levels of production line efficiency and operator safety is a must. Compromising on quality is not an option. However, in food production, there is an additional aspect that must be taken into consideration: hygiene.
Safe food production means minimizing the risk of both contamination and bacterial growth, as well as accidents.
Baking presents specific production line challenges. For instance, baked bread must be allowed to cool before it is packaged or you get condensation inside the packaging, which could result in bacterial growth. To avoid moisture occurring during production, cooling solutions can be used to lower the temperature of the fresh bread. The preferred cleaning method is dry rather than water-based.
Instead of operators performing monotonous work lifting heavy boxes from the conveyor belt to pallets, a collaborative robot can be used to carry out this work. This robot solution works side by side with operators without exposing them to danger and makes it possible for staff to undertake new, more valuable tasks.
FlexLink is constantly developing new and innovative solutions for food production — an industry with strict requirements relating to both efficiency and hygiene.
“Naturally, hygiene and cleaning are crucial aspects of our design solutions, as is the use of new technology to improve the efficiency of the production line,” says Kai Renken, who works at FlexLink’s FoodTech division.
To improve efficiency when cleaning, FlexLink has developed solutions where cleaning is an integral part of the transporter system — this does not apply only to bakery products but to all types of foods.
“This means cleaning is performed continually on the production line, avoiding the use of other tools. The system more or less looks after itself and mold growth can be reduced by up to 80 percent,” says Kai Renken.
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This article is interesting too.