Food Engineering articles from May 2002

Food Engineering archives from May 2002

Mix Proof Valves.
May 1, 2002... Sudmo offers the most widely used leak-free PMO Mix Proof Valves in the food and dairy industries. They provide for secure separation of incompatible fluids in a wide variety of applications. Plants that utilize mix proof technology estimate an...

Single Seat & Aseptic Valves.
May 1, 2002... Available in a variety of types, Sudmo Single Seat Valves feature advanced, hygienic valve technology for a variety of sanitary and aseptic applications. Easy to maintain, Sudmo single seat valves contain a maintenance-free actuator which holds...

Long Stroke Valves.
May 1, 2002... Sudmo Long Stroke Valves are specially designed for high viscosity media and fluids with high solid content or poor flow characteristics. The new valves are available in a variety of body styles including shut-off, change-over, tank outlet and...

Regulating Valve.
May 1, 2002... The Sudmo Regulating Valve has an electromagnetic positioner for applications that require accurate control of temperature, pressure and flow. Its features include a sensing system for continuously measuring the actual value of the valve stroke...

Flow Diversion Device.
May 1, 2002... For milk HTST pasteurization systems, the rugged Sudmo Flow Diversion Device assures that product reaches legal pasteurization temperature before allowing forward flow. Common applications include HTST flow diversion and use as a divert, or...

Russell Crowe is too heavy? Alert the media! (Editor's Note).
May 1, 2002... PAMELA ANDERSON TOO THIN? RUSSELL Crowe too heavy? What does this have to do with food manufacturing anyway, you are probably asking right about now. I have to tell you, at first, I was laughing out loud when a press release containing...

Tropicana Products, Inc. (Plant Openings & Expansions).
May 1, 2002... A modern mechanical room and pipe bridge is being designed for Tropicana Products, Inc. The Stellar Group is building this new 22,000-sq. ft. facility to upgrade Tropicana's refrigeration capacity and distribution requirements to existing...

Cargill, Inc. (Plant Openings & Expansions).
May 1, 2002... Cargill, Inc. is building a new plant in Ohio which will make a wide variety of soy protein products. The plant will open this fall.

Baluff, Inc. (Plant Openings & Expansions).
May 1, 2002... Baluff, Inc. recently expanded its U.S. headquarters in Florence, KY by 45 percent, adding a total of 58,000 square feet to its product design, manufacturing and warehousing capabilities. Completed in January 2002, this million-dollar expansion...

System detects meat contamination regardless of origin. (Manufacturing News).
May 1, 2002... EMERGE INTERACTIVE, INC., A SEBASTION, FLA.-based company providing individual-animal tracking, food safety and supply-procurement services to the beef industry, has overcome the final hurdle in demonstrating the efficacy of its VerifEYE[TM]...

Automation market growth driven by software and service. (Manufacturing News).
May 1, 2002... THE WORLDWIDE MARKET FOR AUTOMATION products and services for process industries, worth over $44 billion last year, is expected to grow at about 5 percent over the next five years, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study. The food &...

2002 calender. (Manufacturing News).
May 1, 2002... May 13-16 19th Annual Aseptic Processing and Packaging Workshop West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University. (765) 494-7231. www.foodsci.purdue.edu 13-17 Refrigeration Technology, American Institute for Baking, Manhattan, KS....

FDA fights terrorism with three-part plan. (Manufacturing News).
May 1, 2002... AFTER SEPTEMBER 11, FDA HAS BEEN developing a three-part strategy to thwart food terrorism; anticipation, deterrence, and response. "Protecting so many vital products against a determined enemy is a considerable challenge," said FDA Deputy...

Steve Schlegel, vice president/ director, corporate development of Hixson Architects/Engineers is the new chairman of the International Association of Food Industry Suppliers (IAFIS) board of directors. (Industry & People).
May 1, 2002... Steve Schlegel, vice president/ director, corporate development of Hixson Architects/Engineers is the new chairman of the International Association of Food Industry Suppliers (IAFIS) board of directors. Along with Schlegel, the 2002-2003 IAFIS...

Stellar Group. (Industry & People).
May 1, 2002... The Jackson, FL-based Stellar Group promoted Ron Foster, Jr. to executive vice president. All sales, marketing, design, engineering and construction and refrigeration operations will report to Foster.

Mettler-Toledo, Inc. (Industry & People).
May 1, 2002... Columbus, OH-based Mettler-Toledo, Inc. acquired Automation Services, a Lexington, KY-based software solutions provider of vehicle-scale applications in U.S. and Canada.

Triple/S Dynamics and Wright Machinery. (Industry & People).
May 1, 2002... Triple/S Dynamics and Wright Machinery have formed an alliance which will enable the companies to combine their products to provide customers with complete packaging systems designed for gentle product handling. These systems include...

Land O'Lakes, Inc. (Industry & People).
May 1, 2002... Land O'Lakes, Inc. hired Gary Corbett to head its Fluid Milk Supply Division. Previously, Corbett served in leadership positions with Dean Foods, Inc. including vice president for dairy and governance.

Gainco, Inc. (Industry & People).
May 1, 2002... Gainco, Inc. promoted Eugene H. Parets from general manager to executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Copackers lead charge to Prisma; both sides shoulder the risk and reap the rewards when package clicks with consumers. (Food Packaging).
May 1, 2002... IF THE ROLLOUT OF THE TETRA PAK'S PRISMA ASEPTIC carton is any indication, the future of beverage packaging rests firmly in the hands of America's copackers. A grown-up version of the Tetra Brik, Prisma is an octagonally shaped, grippable...

Package converts microwave into baking oven. (Food Packaging).
May 1, 2002... MICROWAVE OVENS TRADITIONALLY HAVE BEEN THE ENEMIES of baked goods, turning them soft and doughy and anything but golden brown. Graphic Packaging Corp. (GPC) devised microwave-friendly packaging that addresses those problems. GPC's...

Bioterrorism unofficial theme of Food Safety Summit: silver lining to terrorist attacks is greater cooperation among those who keep the nation's food supply secure. (Regulatory Watch).
May 1, 2002... THE SHOCK WAVES FROM SEPTEMBER 11 continue to be felt in the food industry. The federal government has signaled its intent to increase its regulatory role in the nation's food supply, a trend food processors are accepting-as long manufacturers...

Processors urged to develop clear recall plans. (Regulatory Watch).
May 1, 2002... Government food safety regulators are placing more responsibilities on processors for keeping consumers informed when problems occur, a move likely to result in more public recall announcements. FDA has announced it will begin automatically...

Mega-million dollar price tag for food safety. (Regulatory Watch).
May 1, 2002... A CAREFUL READING OF THE USDA budget reveals an increased food industry regulation component. USDA's FY2003 budget request for food safety provides $905 million to fund 7,600 inspectors, veterinarians and other food safety officials who...

Automated powder unloading system speeds blending: bulk bag discharger hits the sweet spot for chocolate powder producer. (Field Reports).
May 1, 2002... A NEW AUTOMATED BULK BAG DISCHARGER from Flexicon is providing sweet results for Cleveland-based Forbes Chocolate's blending process. The discharger, feeding a flexible screw conveyor, introduces one-quarter to one-third more main ingredient...

Pump replacement eases flow and saves dough; bakery overcomes diverse product viscosities and entrained air challenges with a new positive displacement pump. (Field Reports).
May 1, 2002... BAKERY DOUGH IS INHERENTLY difficult to pump as it typically contains entrained air. Recently a Bimbo baking facility in central Mexico needed to replace a pump that was discontinued and not meeting required flow rates. In addition to...

The essential guide to manufacturing software; new robust manufacturing software is designed to manage food business, but food manufacturers still have to integrate software from diverse vendors to create a viable plant system.
May 1, 2002... At its highest level, software for food manufacturers is designed to coordinate all the flows of goods, services, and money as they move through the supply chain. The organization and optimization of these flows into a food company and out to...

Recipes for integration: consensus is building in the food industry for standardized integration solutions between the front office and the shop floor.
May 1, 2002... Top-down systems integration is automation's Holy Grail, and manufacturing companies continue to invest heavily in the integration effort. Executing these projects can be daunting, whether the firm is a single-site food processor or a...

Safety in bulk. (Technology Update).
May 1, 2002... Almost four years have passed since a grain-dust explosion at the world's largest grain elevator near Wichita, Kan., claimed the lives of seven men and injured 10 more. A National Academy of Science expert panel investigating the DeBruce Grain...

Getting more out of plant scheduling: while both planning and execution processes are certain to occasionally fail, the key is to have a scheduling process that can quickly react to changes. (Managing Software).
May 1, 2002... SCHEDULING MAY BE THE OLDEST PROFESSION, at least in a food plant, but it is one of the most difficult to understand and manage. It's a little like the weather, everyone complains about it, but it's hard to make it better. The plant...

Three-seat configuration. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... New additions to the control valve product line from Jordan Valve are the 1 1/2-inch and 2-inch DN40-DN-50 Mark 78 valves with integral flanges. Combined with the company's existing control valve offerings, this new configuration will add...

Four-way selector valve. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Nu-Con Equipment's compact 4-way Selector Valve diverts or converges the flow of pneumatically conveyed powders and pellets in dilute and dense phase pressure or vacuum systems. Solid piping provides higher pressure and temperature ratings and...

Tray packer. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... A-B-C Packaging Machine Corporation introduced the A-B-C model 170 tray packer for rigid and semi-rigid containers including glass and plastic bottles and jars, chipboard and shrink-wrapped cartons and composite, paperboard and aseptic...

Electromagnetic conveyors. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Key Technology added three new models to its Impulse line of electromagnetic conveyors. They are suitable for product mixing lines, ingredient feeding, scale feeding and other applications where accurate control and precise metering is...

Ball valves. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... R&M Energy Systems introduced Hercules Ball Valves designed to ensure leak-free performance in food processing applications. Manufactured to specific standards, these valves come in a variety of compact body styles and materials of...

Proximity sensor. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Hyde Park Electronics Inc.'s new SUPERPROX Model SM300 Series extended-range ultrasonic proximity sensor combines a miniature 12mm housing and reliable detection of all materials at distances 6.35 (0.25 inches) to as far as 50.8mm (2.00 inches)...

Open hopper pump. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... seepex, Inc. has a new type of open hopper, range BTM, progressive cavity pump that can chop/cut and pump fruit, vegetables or fibrous materials simultaneously. It can shred and pump materials such as potatoes, apples and most citrus fruits...

Fluid bed cooler. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Ventilex USA offers its new fluid bed coolers with a simple transport design and drive system for conditioning a variety of dairy and food products after processing or dehumidifying, such as cheese and lactose, cereals, chocolate, breadcrumbs...

Suction diffuser. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Victaulic introduced a suction diffuser in several groove-to-flange configurations. It comes with a removable fine mesh strainer and a fine mesh sleeve. Pipe support bosses help alignment. The equipment is available in several sizes, ranging...

Control valve. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Leslie Controls, Inc. introduced the DKLO Series Control Valve for commercial, HVAC, and light industrial applications. The epoxy-coated pneumatic actuator's compact, multi-spring design delivers heavy-duty performance, according to the...

Jet mixer. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... The YTRON jet mixer from Quadro uses an impellor/stator to deliver a pure axial jet flow. Features include reduced process times, elimination of stratification in tanks, and gentle handling of shear-sensitive products. The jet mixers are...

Process metering pumps. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... American Lewa Inc. has process metering pumps designed to provide smooth output and a compact footprint. This line of monoblock metering pumps features robust construction, no torque coupling problems and requires minimum maintenance, according...

Bag discharger. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Flexicon Corporation has a new Bulk Bag Discharger to eliminate dust during untying, discharging, collapse, retying and removal of bulk bags. The design features a new bag-to-conveyor interface comprised of two sections. The uppermost...

Material transfer pumps. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Vaccon Co. Inc. offers customized material transfer pumps for transferring complex shapes and bulk materials without clogging. The internal design of the pump can be customized to meet application requirements including material composition,...

Weigher-bagmaker. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Ishida has combined its ATLAS universal bagmaker and Millenium multi-head weigher into a single snack food packaging system. It can produce large and small bags with accuracy and low film waste eliminating the need for a weigher support...

Liquid ring pump and systems. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Tuthill Vacuum Systems, Atlantic Fluidies Division, offers a 16-page instructional manual which also serves as a catalog for its line of liquid ring pumps and systems. It covers performance curves, descriptions of operation principles, and...

Solenoid valve. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Peter Paul Electronics Co. Inc. has a new completely sealed Series 50 solenoid valve designed for ultra-high purity equipment requiring all welded components. Available in two-way normally-closed configuration, the valve is produced in many AC...

Progressing cavity pump bulletin. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Moyno has a new bulletin covering its complete line of progressing cavity pumps. This six-page, full-color bulletin features photographs of each pump line and information on product design. features, benefits, performance and applications. ...

Liquid ring pump. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Waukesha Cherry-Burrell offers the 200 Series Liquid Ring Pump to handle products with entrained air and maintain its prime when other pumps become air-bound. This helps the 200LR completely empty the tanks and lines during normal process or...

Bag/box end effector. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Columbia/Okura's bag/box end effector allows a single robot to simultaneously palletize bags and boxes without changing tools. This multi-function robot arm tooling can palletize products from up to three lines at the same time while saving...

Auger filler. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery's 3500 Series Servo III Digitronic Auger Filler is used for dry fill products. A new touch-screen operator interface features improved graphic capabilities with 256 colors. Pop-up menus help adjust all filling...

Pump filler. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Hinds-Bock Corporation's new SP-01 Pump Filler is designed for flowable products with no particulates. Features include a sanitary design with a wide deposit range, recipe storage for multiple products and containers, operator interface to...

Sampling valve. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... PBM, Inc. has a new Sampling Valve for the beverage industry. The valve's minimal moving parts and ease of operation eliminate potential difficulties, according to PBM. For example the product does not become trapped, causing contamination and...

Mounted ball bearings. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Rockwell Automation's DODGE E-Z KLEEN line of mounted ball bearings are designed to withstand harsh wash down environments while helping fight against contamination from bacteria such as E.Coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus Aureus. Its...

Screening and processing equipment. (Focus on pumps and valves).
May 1, 2002... Kason Corporation offers a new condensed catalog, No. CC02, "Screening and Processing Equipment for Bulk Solid Materials and Slurries." The catalog outlines a wide range of vibratory screeners, centrifugal screeners, static sieves, fluid bed...

A thermal bullet for deli meats: packaging exposes ready-to-eat products to contamination risk, but an Oklahoma inventor is devising a variety of pasteurization options. (Engineering R&D).
May 1, 2002... PASTEURIZATION OF PACKAGED, READY-TO-EAT meats is in its infancy, but it is a safeguard that could become commonplace as processors come to grips with the high costs of product recalls. In recent years, more than 100 million pounds of turkey,...