Bacon can be one of the most difficult products to slice. Natural variations in product size and shape as well as inconsistencies with product conditioning or curing, all present challenges that Weber have overcome in the last 30 years, to be the preferred choice for UK and Irish bacon producers.
Interfood has a wealth of experience and understanding of the demands of the UK and Irish market, working with Weber and Textor to supply machines from their comprehensive range to satisfy any production requirements. From stand-alone, self-contained machines to full line solutions, incorporating the very latest in product preparation and automatic loading systems. The Textor TS700/750 is the industry standard high speed bacon slicer, which can now be combined with the Weber/Textor wePRESS 5000 bacon press, weLOAD 7500 infeeding system and wePACK 7000 Thermoformer. These are complimented with the Sparc Systems range of end of line inspection solutions and finally case/crate packing and filling from Buhmann.
Available from Interfood’s Slicing and Packaging Line Solutions Division, the bacon line is based around the Weber/Textor Power Control System and Weber One Control which enables each of the different machines within the line to communicate seamlessly, constantly optimising product flow through the line. With true line integration, each Weber touch screen can operate any of the modules and allow operators to view and monitor performance from any part of the line.
The wePRESS 5000 is the latest addition to the Weber preparation portfolio. Available in a variety of configurations, it integrates seamlessly into an automatic bacon production line or can be used as a stand-alone machine. The fully servo-driven and controlled press ensures consistent pressing quality with optimum shape to maximise slicing potential. By volumetrically measuring product during the pressing process, the wePRESS can sort products into slicing tracks thereby balancing the products on the line, increasing efficiency while reducing the risk of empty pockets on the packaging machine which disrupts the product flow downstream. This is invaluable when feeding intelligent high capacity twin-lane TS700/TS750 slicers with a variable product such as bacon.
Designed specifically for high-speed packaging of sliced products, the Weber wePACK 7000 thermoformer uses the same operating platform as the Weber and Textor slicers, further ensuring an intelligent design through ease of integration and operation. The bacon specific loading system weLOAD 7500 boasts some crucial features that enable automatic loading of both stacks and shingled bacon directly into the wePACK. This includes anti-twist functionality to ensure portions are presented to the packaging machine in absolutely the right orientation. With intelligent motion control, the weLOAD also ensures portions are transported as gently as possible. Due to the wePACK boasting the strongest machine frame on the market, the weLOAD can be integrated into its frame reducing costs and minimising footprint.
Tom Foran is Divisional Manager, Slicing for Interfood and comments – “The addition of the wePRESS and weLOAD to the portfolio, have only pushed us further ahead in terms of what we can do on bacon. The synergy between all components, allow us to produce faster, with less operators and with more accuracy than anything that has gone before. Given the availability of labour and ever-increasing costs of raw material, the importance of ensuring these high yields and throughputs has never been more important.
