UK-based packaging solutions provider Proseal has designed and installed a blueberry punnets packing system for berry and stone fruit providers Berry Gardens to increase the production speed and accuracy as well as reduce product waste.
The operations of the machine have also been made more ergonomical and user-friendly.
The machine comes with a Proseal GT3 tray sealer that enables a production delivery of 210 packs per minute.
The packing process of blueberries is difficult owing to their small size which makes them jump out of the trays during packing. The Proseal machine comes with a twin lane conveyor which uses a continuous motion chain and peg system that helps in packs to be streamed seamlessly into the tray sealer, increasing the pre-sealing tray accuracy.
The distance between the packs and sealing heads has been reduced which also helps in reducing wastage of the punnets.
The feed conveyor is a three-tier packing system and trays have to be grouped into rows of seven. Boxes with unsealed punnets are delivered to packing stations along the top conveyor which are then sent to a rack next to the middle twin lane conveyor where the packs are sealed.
Handling the machine has also become easier for the operators as they don't need to twist and turn during the packing operations. The machine has been manufactured keeping in mind the hygiene standards of the food industry and comes with full wash-down protection.
An improved 'Free-Lift' tool loading system enables faster transfer of pre-heated tool sets to Proseal's auto tool connection which helps to carry out tool changes in around three minutes.
