A wrapping machine for wrapping trayed food products includes a plurality of pneumatic components that are actuatable by delivery of pressurized air to the pneumatic components. A pneumatic arrangement produces pressurized air for actuating the pneumatic components. The pneumatic arrangement is configured to reduce moisture in the pressurized air.

A system for packaging a food product including a conveying system for supporting and moving the food product. The system includes a detection device for collecting data related to the shape of the food product while the food product is supported by the conveying system. The system also includes a film dispensing device for dispensing one of a plurality of different films. A controller configured to direct the film dispensing device to select one of the plurality of films for dispensing. The system also includes a wrapping device for wrapping the food product in the selected film.

A method and apparatus for packaging patties or other similarly shaped items into a flexible pouch. The method comprising the steps of stacking a plurality of patties by a stacker, the patties stacked on top of one another, lowering the plurality of patties into a flexible pouch, vacuuming the air out of the flexible pouch to seal the pouch, the vacuum creating an air tight seal and forming a pair of frangible or solid seals in the pouch, the frangible seals positioned adjacent to the plurality of patties. The apparatus for packaging patties into a flexible pouch, the apparatus comprising a stacker, a patty holder, a vacuum is further positioned adjacent to the patty holder, the vacuum operable to remove the air from the flexible pouch. A frangible seal creator is also provided operable to create a frangible seal on the flexible pouch.

The invention relates to a method and a device for the production of portions from at least one continuous strand of a food product, in particular for the production of meatballs. The machine comprises: an extrusion device which can deliver a continuous strand in a vertical direction, and a portioning device that includes at least one cutting system. The cutting system comprises cutting elements (30) which can be moved transversely to the vertical direction between an open position, in which the strand passes between the cutting elements, and a closed position for cutting the strand and forming portions of the food product. In addition, each cutting system comprises ejection means (5) for ejecting the forming portions downwards from the cutting elements. The ejection means include at least one lower channel (5, 105) that is fluidly connected to a compressed fluid such that compressed fluid can be injected into the lower channel when the lower channel is in a closed position. The lower channel is formed in a body of the corresponding cutting element.

A tray for receiving sausages is provided. The tray includes cells which are adapted to substantially match the shape of sausages or other soft materials. The tray may be vacuum sealed to cause a relatively uniform top surface suitable for stacking. The tray may be sealed without pre-freezing the sausages and without causing significant deformation to said sausages upon thawing. The tray may be loaded in an automated manner without the use of robotic arms placing individual sausages into the tray.

A station includes one or more loading positions; feeder to feed empty boxes to loading positions; loading robot with gripper to take groupings of frozen food and transfer them to the boxes; scale to automatically weigh the boxes; and dispenser to automatically deposit individual units of frozen food in the loaded boxes. The conditioning station is controlled for slightly downward loading of the boxes so that at the end of the loading by means of the loading robot it is not necessary to remove any individual unit of frozen food from the box, as well as so that, after depositing by the dispenser, the weight of the loaded box is equal to or greater than a predetermined set point within a predetermined tolerance. It enables the loading to be automated and the weight of the boxes of frozen food to be optimised.

The invention relates to a food processing line, in particular having at least one slicing machine, a sorting and conveying path and/or a packaging machine, said food processing line comprising a sensor apparatus for determining irregularities in the operating procedure and a point in time of the determined irregularity, at least one camera in order, during operation, to continuously record images of at least one region of the food processing line in which a cause of an irregularity can be present, and a central data processing device that, during operation, receives data from the sensor apparatus and from the at least one camera and that is configured and set up to select the images that are relevant for determining a cause of the irregularities from the images recorded by the camera. The invention furthermore relates to a corresponding method of operating a food processing line.

A method of cutting a meat portion to make a plurality of meat slices according to exemplary aspects includes cutting the meat portion in a planar spiral pattern, thereby creating an elongated strip, wherein the planar spiral pattern comprises a curve on a two-dimensional plane coincident with a substantially planar surface of the meat portion.

Methods, devices and computer program products automatically package an object, such as, for example, whole muscle meat pieces, in a covering material, such as, for example, netting. The devices include a loading chute having a ceiling or door having at least a portion configured to open and close and a floor underlying and in cooperating alignment with the ceiling. The ceiling and floor are configured to cooperate to encase a product chamber with an axially extending open channel therebetween. At least one of the floor and ceiling reciprocates in a substantially vertical direction between a first loading position corresponding to when the ceiling is open and a second operative position corresponding to when the ceiling is closed.

The present invention relates to Packaging machine (1) having a deep-drawing-(2), filling-(7) and/or sealing station (19) to produce a package made from a lower-(8) and an upper (14) film web, wherein, in the filling station (7), a packaging item (16) is placed on the lower film web (8) on an L-board (5) comprising a base (5) and a flap (5) foldable connected to the base and folding means (10) to pivot the flap (5) from an initial flat to a folded position and hold-down means (17) which maintains the flap (5) in the folded position.