Read More on:
Send to KindleCrown Candy receives royal wrapper
An overhead dispenser feeds cellophane downward to a conveyor-level forming box that forms the single web of cellophane into a tube shape and awaits the candies. As bon bons reach the wrapping station a pusher arm advances the candies into the tube-shaped cellophane. Once a piece of candy is in the tube it is oriented to assure proper film cutoff points. A series of three rotary heat-seal bars fin-seal the film edges under the candy’s flat bottom as candies and tube continue through the machine. After fin-sealing a single-head crimper simultaneously crimp-seals and cuts the ends of each bon bon’s wrapper.
The continuous wrapping/sealing process delivers individually wrapped candies to the outfeed conveyor. From there the candy is manually counted and sorted by color before being packed into either a 32-count polyvinyl chloride tub or an 82-count corrugated counter display.
The precision of the process greatly pleases Brooking. “The old machine tended to fold the material too tightly when it wrapped and it would pick a piece of candy up and turn it every which way” he explains. “But the Delta Wrapper has belts on its infeed system that hold each piece of candy in place. That ensures that the fold of the wrapper gets on the bottom.” Brooking declines to specify the cellophane’s mil thickness adding that Crown will soon switch to a laminated film.
Simplified changeover
In addition to not being able to accommodate the larger bon bons Crown’s previous wrapper required laborious and time-consuming changeovers between products. Brooking says that adjusting the lugs on the old wrapper’s infeed conveyor to accommodate a different candy size had to be done by hand. But the Delta Wrapper handles changeover via touchscreen software. All timing functions can be programmed by pushing a few buttons and selecting the appropriate preprogrammed selection while sizing adjustments may need to be made manually on the forming box says the company.
Brooking wanted his new machine to be equipped with servo motors pointing out “They completely control the whole unit.
“I could put 40 different items through the machine if I wanted and with the touchscreen I can make the necessary wrapper changes in a few minutes” Brooking says. The difference in sizes can be significant from Crown’s smaller bon bons to its 6” pecan logs.
With servo motors and drives adjustments can be made by changing the instructions the PC controller sends to the drive. Such changes can even be done from the HMI screen. That saves a lot of time compared to non-servo-controlled equipment which requires manual adjustment.
Additionally the machine’s compact footprint allows Crown to run an extra–long infeed conveyor into the wrapper without using more floor space than before. This permits the bon bons to be fed manually by as many as three workers saving Crown the expense of an automatic feeder. Brooking also appreciates the wrapper’s no-product/no-wrap feature which he says saves a lot of film.
The coconut bon bons are available in club specialty and discount stores nationwide retailing from 33¢ to 50¢ each with a one-year shelf life. Brooking says sales have met expectations and he’s thankful for the smooth launch of the new product.
“It’s a wrapper that thinks” sums up Brooking. “It’s the key machine for us right now.”
Comments(0)
Add new comment