June 22, 2009

Adjustment to its latest CCW-R multi-head weighers has enabled Ishida Europe to help German poultry processor Emsland Frischgeflügel GmbH increase capacity and reduce product giveaway by automating the difficult process of weighing fresh chicken wings.

Emsland Frischgeflügel in northern Germany specialises in the processing of chicken legs, wings and breasts, and chicken wings are packed into trays and supplied to various discounters and retailers in Germany and the rest of Europe.

Wings were previously counted and weighed by hand using scales - a slow and time consuming process.

Ishida Europe two 14-head weighers from the CCW-R series utilise the combination weighing principle by assembling partial weighments from any of the 14 weigh hoppers of each machine to meet the target weight of every weighment consistently and as accurately as possible.

The automated weigher is equipped with a non-standard device - the addition of small wheels to the weighers between the radial feeders and the pool hoppers, on which the wings glide smoothly and consistently.

Conveyor belts bring the wings to the top of each machine where they are fed to the top of the weighers via discharge chutes, and the radial feeders are equipped with a self-regulating vibration system to ensure an even product flow.

The accurately weighed product - in target weights up to 1,000 grammes - is forwarded through a chute to a conveyor belt leading to the filling and sealing station.

Each packing line achieves an output of 25 to 30 trays per minute, while product giveaway has been radically reduced.