Load carriers for pre-pack food

Traditionally plastic containers are used for the intermediate storage or in-house transportation of these packs. Loading and unloading by hand requires a lot of manpower while handling the open packs creates hygiene risks.

The CSB-Hang & Move eliminates this through the use of a load carrier, called the Gondola, into which the filled trays are inserted and then ejected from. The process can be carried out semi- or fully-automatically.

The loading and unloading technology of the gondolas offers speed and efficiency gains: at every station, up to 120 packs can be loaded and unloaded in one minute. Combined with complementary conveyor systems, this creates a transport, storage and sorting system that reduces manpower requirements.

For further processing, such as sealing, the trays are simply pushed out, and the Gondola is ready for the next load. As a result, considerably fewer staff are required and utilisation of the packaging machine’s capacities is improved.

In addition, work steps can be more easily separated. For example, filling and sealing operations can work independently of each other and in this way achieve much higher outputs.

The system offers improved hygienic conditions of sensitive meat products, while the gondolas have IDs for traceability.

“The CSB-Hang & Move is the key to handling a wide variety of pre-packed products in an efficient manner,” says Max Studer, managing director, CSB-Automation. “This is confirmed by reactions from the relevant customer segment. In the USA, for example, we and our partners from mechanical engineering are currently introducing a solution with 11 loading stations and eight unloading stations as well as the required conveyor systems. In this project, too, process steps in production and packaging are completely decoupled in order to achieve better plant utilisation in both areas.”