Wolfertschwenden, 13. March 2017 - At interpack in Hall 5 (E23), MULTIVAC will be presenting the B 325, a still very young and successful chamber belt machine for packing food products in film pouches. For the first time this machine can be seen in conjunction with the new compact SE 320 shrink tank for producing shrink packs.
The compact B 325, which is easy to operate and has an extremely high output, was shown at IFFA in May 2016 - and already many machines are successfully in use worldwide. MULTIVAC customers particularly appreciate its high production volume of up to three cycles per minute and the excellent pack quality. With its chamber size of 1,000 x 630 x 180 mm (W x D x H), this model is particularly suitable for the automated packing of large batches of processed meat and sausage, ham, bacon and fresh meat. The B 325 is also used currently for producing maturation and transportation packs for cheese blocks and catering cuts, such as for example beef fillets and haunches. The simple and quick adjustment of the sealing height to the product by means of the optional manual height adjustment has been well received by customers. This allows the appropriate sealing height for the particular product to be set simply, quickly and without tools. The chamber is equipped at the front and back with two plug-in sealing bars, each 1,000 mm long, and the machine can be loaded from both sides.
For interpack the machine will be extended to a complete shrink packaging line with the new MULTIVAC SE 320 shrink tank. The shrinking unit can be combined with small chamber belt machines such as the B 210 as well as with the B 325 and B 310, and even with MULTIVAC thermoforming packaging machines, and it is also possible to use it with comparable machines from other manufacturers. The exhibited line with the B 325 and SE 320 is characterised by its attractive price, small space requirement (only 3,905 x 1,465 mm) and simple handling.
The synchronisation of the MULTIVAC components ensures that the packaging procedure runs smoothly. The products or batches, which can weigh up to 80 kg, are conveyed on an automatic infeed conveyor from the chamber belt machine or thermoforming packaging machine into the shrink tank, which contains 360 litres of water. The conveyor dips into the water, which is heated up to 93 °C, and the temperature can be individually adjusted to the particular product. After a brief dipping time, which can also be freely adjusted, the shrunk packs are transported out on a conveyor. As an option, the line can also be complemented with a MULTIVAC TE 115 drying tunnel for drying the products.
Due to its brief dipping time and low heat input on the packs, the shrinking process is designed to be extremely gentle on delicate food products, which means that the pack quality is very high. Since the shrink bags are shrunk tightly around the product like a second skin during the dipping procedure, the shelf life of the food is extended considerably, and the leaching out of liquid in the case of fresh meat for example is prevented.
The compact shrink tank, which has a length of only 1.1 metres, offers optimised energy consumption thanks to very good insulation, and of course it meets MULTIVAC's high standards in regard to hygiene aspects. Servicing and cleaning of the SE 320 are simple and quick to carry out, since the light conveyor can be easily removed or tilted in the machine by one person, when cleaning the water container for example.
