Redpack Adds Automatic Tomato Feeder to Flow-Wrapper

The feeder can handle tomato grades 47-52 and 52-57 and if the tomatoes are to be packed onto plastic or biodegradable trays, an automatic carton dispenser is included within the flow-wrapper configuration. It can also be used with Redpack's P325 trayless flow-wrapping machines.

11/03/09 Norwich-based Redpack Packaging Machinery is targeting tomato packagers with an automatic feeder which can be attached to its P325 flow-wrappers.

The stainless steel feeder features a bulk tomato hopper, two feeder chutes and a head control and monitoring facility.

Redpack sales and marketing manager Peter Smith said tomatoes are fed to the flow-wrapper at speeds of 60-80 tomatoes a minute.

The feeder can handle tomato grades 47-52 and 52-57 and if the tomatoes are to be packed onto plastic or biodegradable trays, an automatic carton dispenser is included within the flow-wrapper configuration. It can also be used with Redpack's P325 trayless flow-wrapping machines.

Smith said the feeder was only available to handle tomatoes, although the P325 flow-wrapper can also handle apples, kiwi fruits and plums.

Redpack has been supplying flow-wrappers to international tomato growers and packers for 30 years.

Its machines include conventional bottom seal flow-wrappers, top seal flow-wrappers, top seal flow-wrappers with film infeed, and flow and shrink machines. They are available with stainless steel or powder-coated finishes, and with either single axis drives, or fully electronic 3-axis drives with touchscreen control panel.