Breakthrough in Automated Retort Loading - 50 Percent Increased Throughput for Small Cans

Jun 21, 2011

One pet food company automatically loads into a retort basket 3,000 212 X 107 sized cans per minute, up from 2,000.

Covington, LA - Allpax Products, a division of ProMach and a market leader in retort technology and retort room automation, announced today the successful development of the fastest retort basket loading system in the world - in excess of 10 sweeps per minute and basket changeover in less than 20 seconds.

"Food and pet food processors can potentially add a filler line and the new 400X Hyper-Loader and significantly boost throughput," said Greg Jacob, vice president and general manager, Allpax. "The productivity improvements should more than outweigh the capital investment for a solid ROI."

The Hyper-Loader technology of more than 10 sweeps per minute, up from 6 to 7 for a standard Allpax automated loader, and a reduction of basket changeover time from 30 seconds to less than 20 came out of an application where a pet food processor upgraded its kitchen. With the upgrade came more cans per minute than the automated loader could handle. The Allpax solution raised the throughput of 212 X 107 sized cans from 2,000 to 3,000 per minute, a 50 percent increase.

The Allpax Hyper-Loader technology breakthrough is based in part on:

  • Servo carriage control for precise and fast positioning
  • Container pattern pre-stage area to allow for continuous sweeping
  • A Slip sheet squaring area to ensure accurate placement
  • A VFD control on all conveyor motors to optimize efficiency and flexibility
  • A smart hydraulic product elevator for precision placement
  • Proportional hydraulic valve control to optimize elevator positioning speeds
  • Flexibility to run multiple container sizes rapidly with easily installed change parts

At only four feet longer than a standard Allpax automated loader, the Hyper-Loader offers essentially the same footprint and should present few issues in retrofit applications. For information on Allpax's Hyper-Loader, production retorts, R&D retorts, control systems, automation, refurbished retorts, and products and services for older canneries relying on vertical retorts, call 1-888-893-9277 and visit www.allpax.com.

About Allpax

Supporting the highest levels of product safety and regulatory compliance, Allpax manufactures processing and sterilization solutions for the food, beverage, pet food, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries, including autoclaves, retort room components, fully automated retort rooms, and product handling equipment that supports retort room automation. Allpax is a product brand of ProMach, a global leader in packaging line solutions. As part of the ProMach Product Handling business line, Allpax helps our packaging customers protect and grow the reputation and trust of their consumers. ProMach is performance, and the proof is in every package. Learn more about Allpax at www.Allpax.com and more about ProMach at ProMachBuilt.com.

Media Contact
John Eklund | 1-704-944-5340

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