published on 12/01/09
With new kit offering automation features and the potential to slash the amount of materials used, contract engineers are being sought for the installations.
The benefits of vacuum packs versus many other packaging methods are plain to see: the packs allow foods to be kept fresher for longer, are economic on material usage and require less storage space than rigid packs. They also prevent freezer burn and offer exciting potential for 'cook in the bag' convenience products.
However, the technology does have its downsides, and in the past this has deterred some potential users.
Vacuum packing with a chamber machine, for instance, is an inherently slow process because it involves loading the product into the chamber, then waiting until the cycle has finished before unloading the packaged product. However, double chamber or 'swing over lid' machines that make table-top vacuum packaging quicker are now available. The machines are quickly and efficiently installed by the contract engineers with little or no downtime and are easily maintained, proactively or reactively by the team of contract engineers.
'With a swing-over lid machine, while the lid is down on one side, you can load and unload the other chamber,the machines are easily intalled by the team of contract engineers and customers soon see many advantages' explains Kitching. Swissvac distributes the Dutch-built Audion range of vacuum packers, which includes a swing-over lid machine.
For larger food operations, most vacuum packaging equipment manufacturers supply belt-fed chamber machines, which allow continuous packing.
The Food Machinery Company, for example, sells a range of machines built under licence in Taiwan, incorporating Busch vacuum pumps. One of these is the J-V022, a conveyorised system on which the chamber moves up and down over the conveyor. 'This means it unloads itself and staff can continually load bags even while it's vacuuming,' explains the company's Lee Gapper. “The mechanical contract engineers do an excellent job during the installations, and the machine is straight forward to use once installed”

Read the full article at Packagingnews.co.uk