Food Manufacturing

Metal detectors: inspecting snacks for contaminants

Midnight cereal snacks, energy sports bars and on-the-go breakfast replacements are shaping the snacks market, with UK consumption expected to reach £3.8bn by 2016. Given this increasing demand for healthy convenience, snacks producers are turning to efficiency driven automation to deliver consumer satisfaction and maintain safe, high-quality snacks. Sarah Ketchin, managing director at Fortress Technology, explores the varied challenges of inspecting for contaminants and the options available.

26th July 2015

When is a machine not a machine? When it is partly completed

Derek Coulson* explains the differences between a machine and a partly completed machine with reference to the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, and when it is appropriate to issue a Declaration of Conformity (DoC) and a Declaration of Incorporation (DoI).

9th July 2015

Fact or fabrication: Busting the myths surrounding robotics

Pacepacker's Business Development Manager Paul Wilkinson addresses the most common preconceptions about the use of robot systems in the food and drink industry and tackles some of the most persistent myths.

9th July 2015

Robots in food processing are on the march

There have not been that many robots used in food processing industries to date but we are on the cusp of a sea change, says Chris Evans, Marketing & Operations Group Manager at Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. Automation Systems Division. Five years from now they will be very much the norm.

12th June 2015

A-Z of electrical enclosures

Selecting the right enclosure for a particular situation requires some thought, as there are several issues to consider. Chris Lloyd of Spelsberg offers this aide memoire to some of the more useful points.

12th June 2015

How to select the right grease for rolling bearings

Often overlooked by design and maintenance engineers, selecting the most suitable grease for a rolling bearing can prevent premature bearing failure, while also ensuring high reliability and optimum operating life, says Dr Steve Lacey, engineering manager at Schaeffler UK.

7th June 2015

Industry 4.0 in the Food and Beverage industry

The practical advantages that the new cyber-physical interface of Industry 4.0 brings are acknowledged by engineers across a range of industries. Jeremy Shinton, Product Manager - Business Solutions at Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. Automation Systems Division, explains how food and drink manufacturers in particular can benefit from the implementation of Industry 4.0.

20th May 2015

Under Pressure - sensors in the spotlight

Pressure sensors are used in a whole range of applications, but understanding the differences in design and operation is crucial when specifying a new sensor. These vital components can facilitate a variety of tasks from displaying process information and performing control functions to operating alarms. Kieran Bennett, of process control specialist Bürkert, looks at the range of sensors available, the different technologies used in their design and how the application affects the specification.

19th May 2015

Cyber-security: a journey, not a destination

Cyber-security has been a hot topic since the Stuxnet incident of a few years ago. Previously it was thought that securing the "˜top end' of an organisation was adequate, but this incident and others like it completely changed the security landscape and highlighted vulnerabilities in the de-facto automation architecture that previously had not been considered. Chris Evans, Marketing & Operations Group Manager at Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. Automation Systems Division, explains.

1st May 2015

How accurate are your radiometric readings?

A thermal imaging camera only reads the electromagnetic radiation it receives in a specific range of wavelengths. To display this reading the camera makes several calculations to convert data into actual temperature and one that is vitally important is emissivity.

28th April 2015

Technical Articles