PATENT PENDING AND US 7,323,643 PATENT ISSUED
• Maintains continuous product flow
• Cuts labour costs by up to 50%
• Eliminates production fluctuations
• Precision weighing – constant throughput
• Handles whole fillets or small pieces
• Simple to operate
• Economic to use – fast payback times
• Improved quality – less product handling
• Hygienic – easy to clean
A major advance in fish processing, the Valka RapidFeed infeed control and dispersion machine is a tried and tested solution which revolutionises the infeed and handling of fresh products to an IQF freezer.
Capable of handling anything from whole fillets to small pieces, the Valka RapidFeed can reduce the number of workers required to feed product into an IQF freezer with a capacity of 1000 kg/per hour from 4-6 to as few as two, depending on the size of pieces being processed, and cut the number of workers required to feed an IQF freezer with a capacity of 2500 kg/hour to as few as four.
By maintaining a constant flow of product to each worker, the Valka RapidFeed also virtually eliminates fluctuations in production, which in a traditional system may be as much as 20-30% of the maximum capacity of the freezer, or 300 kg per hour on a 1,000kg batch.
Simple in concept, ingenious in design, the Valka RapidFeed consists of two product dispersers separated by a revolving weighing unit. The first disperser is equipped with a product sensor which maintains a continuous quantity of product in the unit by selectively starting and stopping an infeed device, so ensuring a continuous flow of pieces onto the weighing unit. The second then distributes them evenly onto a conveyor, thereby ensuring that the amount of worker time spent in re-arranging product before it enters the freezer is kept to an absolute minimum.
Simple to operate, the Valka RapidFeed is controlled by a Marel M3000 computer, which comes with a user-friendly interface enabling production parameters to be altered using a few simple keystrokes. At the same time, the system can be easily linked to production control software, providing precision throughput control and a wide range of real-time data on every phase of the production process.
Labour saving, highly efficient and ergonomically designed for optimum hygiene and ease of access during washdown, the Valka RapidFeed requires virtually no worker training to operate it, and offers IQF processors precision production control, improved quality due to less manual handling of delicate product, and rapid payback times, all major steps on the road to higher profits.