CHINOOK™ - Fresh and Frozen Pies

The Project

There is a lot to be said for heritage and experience. Our customer, a national leader in the production of baked goods, is the owner of three Langen cartoners averaging in age at nearly 20 years. Recently, they concluded that the time had come to improve the overall efficiency, increase production and lower their operating costs through a cartoner upgrade. Selecting a stainless steel, ergonomically-designed CHINOOK™ cartoner to replace a legacy B1 cartoner, the CHINOOK™ will carton anywhere from 25 to 35 fresh and frozen pie varieties over the different seasons throughout the year.

The product itself presents some unique handling challenges. To some extent the pies themselves are delicate to begin with, and although they are already placed in a pie plate upon arrival at the CHINOOK™, the uppermost part of the crust can be somewhat exposed beyond the top edge of the pie plate. From a product handling point of view the pies must be transported at up to 140 pies per minute in such a manner that they are not damaged, particularly the crust. To overcome this Langen decided to use a lugless Benchmark infeed that is placed in-line with the CHINOOK. The pies are gently swept from the infeed to the adjustable bucket conveyor where they are finally pushed into the cartons.

The other handling challenge was the varying types of cartons. The majority of cartons have a window for an attractive product presentation to consumers; and their premium line of pies uses an appropriately higher-grade of carton. The CHINOOK's two-head feeder uses a pre-break system to ensure that the entire range of cartons are fully erected and squarely placed in the chain lugs to create a perfectly formed carton. The cartons are carried on lugs, rather than dragged over a chain, to preserve the graphics appearance contributing to an overall positive consumer perception of the brand.

Changeover time was a very important consideration. The large number of SKUs included 5 different sizes of pies (ranging from 6 to 12") and varying types of cartons. The CHINOOK™ was a natural choice because of its 3D tool-less changeover performed by integrated hand wheels with digital readouts. The pre-sized carton templates, totalling seven, contribute to a total changeover time of about 9 minutes.

Because this is a food environment there are certain requirements that must be met. As a standard the CHINOOK™ is built using stainless steel and where necessary anodized aluminium. Although a wash-down configuration is available, it is not a requirement. Yet, there are hygienic features such as tapered surfaces and bevelled edges, separated compartments for electrical and servo motor drives, and a fall-through design. Looking into the CHINOOK™ product path area, it is surprising how open the structure is with comfortable access to all areas and parts.

Installation Elements

• One stainless steel CHINOOK™ horizontal, end-load cartoner.



• In-line Benchmark infeed.



• Seven pre-sized carton templates.



• Full safety guarding with lock-out key features.

Product

• Fresh and frozen fruit pies. .

Product Configuration

• One pie per carton; up to 35 SKUs.



• Pie size range: 6, 8, 9, 10 and 12” diameters.