Wolfertschwenden, 10 January 2018 - At Anuga FoodTec 2018 MULTIVAC will be presenting its comprehensive expertise in automation and line technology with an automated traysealer line for packing sliced fresh meat. The packaging line comprises a meat portioner and Flexible Packing Unit (FPU) from TVI as well as a high-output T 800 traysealer, conveyor belt labeller and inspection solution from MULTIVAC.

The multi-functional and highly flexible GMS 520 singlecut portioning system from TVI can process all types of red meat and poultry with the minimum of personnel involvement - for every portion in any consistency, and always optimised for weight and product waste. Fillets, cutlets and steaks can be cut from small and medium-sized primals, as for example can pork sirloin steaks from frozen product (down to -3° C), or roulades and thin grill strips from large primals, as well as diced products such as goulash and many other cuts. Even meat with bone can be cut into very even slices with the GMS 520 singlecut. If the product is well tempered, slice thicknesses of 1 mm can be achieved, while the maximum slice thickness is 50 mm. The portioner ensures that the highest product quality is always achieved, even at high throughput, in terms of cutting, forming and arranging of the product. An output of up to 4 cuts per second, together with its very short changeover time, makes the GMS 520 a highly efficient portioning system, where the yield can be further increased with trim-free portioning.
After being portioned, the meat products are transferred to the multi-functional FPU 500 multitray loading module from TVI. The loading module accomplishes all the loading processes very efficiently. Trays with formats of up to 340 x 275 x 80 mm (L x W x H) can be loaded. The cycle output is on average around 40 trays per minute.

The filled trays are then transferred to the high-output T 800 traysealer, which is designed to produce MAP packs and MultiFreshTM vacuum skin packs in large batches. It enables trays to be packed with a product protrusion of up to 20 mm with a particularly attractive pack appearance. The packaging machine, which can be scaled to particular requirements, has energy-efficient drive systems, can be washed down and allows for quick die changes. Thanks to the IPC06 machine control with touchscreen, its operation is exceptionally user-friendly. The packaging machine can be operated from both sides and is available with various equipment options.

The finished packs are then labelled on a high-performance L 310 conveyor belt labeller with D labelling from MULTIVAC Marking & Inspection. A LD 210 label dispenser, which is designed to the high hygiene requirements of the food industry and has an IP69K protection rating, applies a label up to 500 mm long to the top of the tray and then down both sides, before applying it to the base of the pack. This type of labelling produces a very attractive pack, particularly on vacuum skin packs, since the label, which can be either right-angled or rounded, works like a sleeve label. At Anuga FoodTec paper labels will be used, which have a very high degree of rigidity and therefore give a particularly high-quality impression.

The fully integrated TTO 10 thermal transfer printer, which enables the labels to be printed with production data or codes, provides durable and precise printing of all the relevant pack data. Labeller adjustment units with a graphic display in the HMI control terminal, together with the machine recipe settings stored for the particular product, ensure that product changes are performed easily and quickly.