Bizerba presents the latest slicing technology at the IFFA 2010

The first intelligent slicing machine – slices, weighs, regulates and saves money.
Modern surfaces with self-cleaning lotus effect – harder, smoother, more temperature-resistant and easier to clean than comparable materials

Balingen, April 2010 – From 08 to 13 May 2010 the technology provider Bizerba presents the latest slicing technology at hall 6.0, stand C60 at the leading international trade fair for the meat industry, the IFFA 2010 (International Trade Fair for Processing, Packaging and Sales in the Meat Industry) in Frankfurt.

The first intelligent slicing machine A 510

The integrated weighing function of the A 510 slicing machine is a world first: Meat, sausages and cheese are weighed and sliced in exact portions according to the defined weight. Thereby the Bizerba software constantly compares the total weight of the slices with the predefined weight and regulates the thickness of the slices during the slicing process in order to precisely meet the predefined weight limit. Even naturally grown products such as ham can be cut exactly to a predefined weight. Thus the demands of various customers for fixed-weight packages can be met with minimal give-away, even when slicing uncalibrated products.

„Due to the very short control cycle of cutting and weighing the give-away is significantly reduced and the operator can in many instances record enormous savings. By the processing of uncalibrated products there is an average off-cut of 10 %, which is added to the packages free of charge. By using the weighing function during the slicing process, this give-away can be eliminated,” explains Andreas Gmelin, the Director of Food Processing at Bizerba. “In the case of products with a kilo price of 11 Euros and a volume of 10 tons per month, the operator saves up to 11,000 Euros per month. Yearly savings would amount to approx. 130,000 Euros, meaning an extra 130,000 Euro in company profit.”
As is customary in the IT business Bizerba initially delivers its intelligent weighing software as a free demo version together with the slicing machine. Following expiry of the test phase, customers who wish to continue using the software will have to pay a licensing fee.

The integration of weighing into the slicing and portioning process considerably accelerates the production process. “Due to its combination of slicing and weighing and the resulting savings in time, the A 510 is especially attractive for larger meat, sausage and cheese producing companies. Manufacturing companies can employ this machine as an attractive alternative for the processing of product launches or small charges. The product change takes considerably less than one minute,” Gmelin adds.

The form of the product to be sliced, the number of slices and portions, the thickness, the interspacing and the fanning of the slices, the packaging of the slices and numerous other options can be defined and determined through the menu in advance.

„At Bizerba we are focussed on developing an A 510 that is easy to operate, clean and maintain,” Gmelin explains. The colour touch screen with LCD display is clearly laid out and in a self-explanatory manner. The machine’s ergonomics ensure convenient operation, since the low tray and the well-conceived height of the conveyor belt make working with the machine easy. The blade of the A 510 can be sharpened directly on the machine without having to firstly remove the blade. What is more, the slicing machine can be cleaned with a minimum of effort in a few short steps. The blade does not have to removed for cleaning, a fact, which not only makes the cleaning process much easier, but also significantly safer.

To round off the performance characteristics, Bizerba Leasing offers customised financing. The Bizerba Service recommends a maintenance contract for the slicing machines with maintenance intervals being indicated on the machines’ displays. Bizerba offers further products which can be combined with the A 510: From the practical cleaning foam to the compact GLM-E labelling machine for flexible price and variable weight product labelling.

Self-cleaning surfaces with lotus effect

Self-cleaning surfaces are gaining more and more in economic importance. In order to employ the so-called water- and stain-resistant lotus effect in slicing machines, Bizerba uses a compound consisting of ceramic elements and polytetrafluorethylene, also called Teflon, to treat the surfaces of the VS12 slicing machine. This compound is 30 times harder and up to 100 percent smoother than conventional anodised aluminium and extremely temperature resistant.

Thanks to the new surface treatment the blades are better protected, stay sharp longer and are more abrasive-resistant. “This special coating is very useful for our customers, since the new surface coating also reduces clotting and smearing of the blades. Thus, a prevalent problem is solved: the cutting of particularly thin slices with clotted blades was not possible without ruining the slices in the process,” Andreas Gmelin, the Director of Food Processing at Bizerba explains.

Due to the small amounts of crust, cleaning is very easy and can be easily carried out with a minimum of effort. Also observed over a longer period of time the material demonstrates the most minimal of effects from contact with cleaning agents, for this reason parts of the slicing machine can be easily and without an afterthought cleaned in the dishwasher. The entire ergonomics of Bizerba slicing machines are designed to allow for access and cleaning of the supposedly hardest-to-reach corners of the machine. This helps customers to save significant amounts of time in day-to-day production.
And this is how the lotus effect works: Due to the surface tension of water, water drops tend to minimise their surface in spherical form. When in contact with other surfaces they are affected by adhesive forces. The cause of the self-cleaning effect is the water-repellent double-layer structure of the surface. “In this way the contact area and the adhesive force between surface and particles on the surface and water drops are reduced to such an extent that a self-cleaning effect is triggered,” Gmelin explains.

There are no concerns when it comes to the handling of foodstuffs: The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) examines every product with regard to its suitability for use in foodstuffs. All components used in the new surface conform to FDA regulations.

About Bizerba:

Bizerba is a worldwide operating technology company offering professional system solutions for weighing, labelling, information and food field engineering in the sectors of retail, the food and manufacturing industries and logistics. Sector-specific hard and software, high-performing network compatible management systems as well as a wide range of labels and consumables as well as business services ensure the transparent control of integrated business processes and a high level of availability of Bizerba-specific service features.

Worldwide, Bizerba has a presence in over 120 countries with investments in 41companies in 23 countries and subsidiaries in 56 countries. Company turnover in 2008 stood at around 433 million euro. The company’s headquarters – with around 3100 employees – is in Balingen; further manufacturing plants are located in Meßkirch, Bochum, Vienna (Austria), Pfäffikon (Switzerland), Mailand (Italy), Shanghai (China), Forest Hill (USA) und San Louis Potosi (Mexico).

Bizerba GmbH & Co. KG
Claudia Gross
Director Global Marketing and Communication
Wilhelm-Kraut-Straße 64
D-72336 Balingen
Germany
Telephone +49 7433 12-33 00
Fax +49 7433 12-5 33 00
E-mail: claudia.gross@bizerba.com

nic.pr
network integrated communication
Patrick Schroeder
Coburger Straße 3
53113 Bonn
Telefon +49 228 620 43 84
Telefax +49 228 620 44 75
email: patrick.schroeder@nic-pr.de

This release was published on openPR.