Ishida Europe expands tray sealing portfolio with QX-900 for shelf life extension
08 Jul 2021 --- Ishida Europe has extended its range of QX Flex tray sealers by launching a model to maximize output, capacity and flexibility for medium- to high-volume production lines.
The Ishida QX-900 Flex operates at up to 15 cycles per minute with a maximum of seven impressions, delivering a top speed of 105 packs per minute. The tray sealer is capable of both seal-only and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) trays.
The machine can handle a wide variety of materials and formats, including trays made from recycled or renewable cardboard and mono-plastics, as well as skin-pack and skin-on-board variants.
The move is motivated by global demand for shelf life extension capabilities for reducing food waste, as the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates nearly a third of global food produced is wasted or lost. Moreover, consumer demand for quality assurance is a driving trend behind the line extension.
Bolstering the machine
The QX-900 Flex works both as a standalone machine or as part of a fully integrated packing line, with the control and timing of up to four filling systems and a denester, all accessible through the machine’s remote-control unit (RCU).
The QX-900 Flex works both as a standalone machine or as part of a fully integrated packing line.Careful control of the outfeed simplifies the interface with downstream equipment. A printer can also be incorporated for batch codes, barcodes, production and sell-by dates, and pricing information.
Ninety-nine individual product settings can be stored in the RCU for fast set-up, along with control of vacuum and gas levels for MAP trays. The machine’s design allows full washdown, and its smart belt system means belts can be quickly and easily removed for changeovers and cleaning.
To speed up film roll changes, the QX-900 includes a film unwind arrangement and a central fixing point for the RCU enables the machine to be operated from both sides.
Machinery automation continues to dominate the packaging machinery sector, with innovation and flexibility enhancements also coming from from Schur, Schubert and Syntegon.
Safe tooling
The QX-900 retains all the proven benefits of the Ishida Flex tray sealer range, including a ten-minute tool changeover, with a Tooling Trolley enabling the process to be carried out quickly and safely using a single operator.
The machine’s smart belt system means belts can be quickly and easily removed for changeovers and cleaning.Tooling can be specified to meet individual customer requirements, including both outside and inside film cut, the latter offering superior pack presentation, and the incorporation of peel tabs.
Options include gas mixing and gas analyzing with an automatic cut-out should the wrong mix be detected, and Ishida’s unique Head Redundancy feature that enables an impression to be isolated during production in the event of a problem. This allows the machine to continue operating until a suitable time when repairs can be undertaken.
Last year, an Ishida Europe sponsored-study found that 45 percent of UK consumers feel they are “not informed” or have a “low knowledge level” of packaging, its recyclability and the shelf life of the food they buy.
Edited by Anni Schleicher
