The filler/sealer deposits products, such as cranberries, sliced meats, cheese and nuts, as well as a sealed cup of salad dressing, into cavities in trays, which are then sealed in a modified atmosphere chamber.

Festo CPX manifolds with the Device Net nodes are responsible for the communication to the host PLC and eliminate Orics' need to hard wire the I/O components on the machine. This reduces labor costs by as much as 70 percent and provides easy installation, service and expansion of I/O modules, manifold bases and valves. The embedded CPX controller enables decentralized or stand-alone control and provides complete diagnostics for fast error detection and easy service.

To start the machine operation, empty trays are vacuum-denested from 4 magazines and drop onto rails. Pushers then move the 4 lanes of trays through the machine. The vacuum for the denesting procedure, as well as for other operations of the MAP machine, is supplied by Festo vacuum generators.

Vacuum generators provide the vacuum to the suction cups that pick up the cups of salad dressing so they can be transported from the infeed conveyor to the trays.

Adjustable rotary actuators open and close buckets that deliver product to trays traveling through the filler/sealer. Note that the actuator is using about 45 deg of travel.

These, in turn, move the product by vibration to the weigh buckets. The weigher's computer then selects a combination of buckets (generally 3 or 4) that cumulatively equals the closest weight to the total product weight without being under that weight. The selected buckets then open and discharge their contents down the discharge chute.

The easy-to-use computer-controlled operator interface provides a clear display of charge weight as well as various statistical data. The interface is located on the first floor next to the MAP machine, so the operator can interact without climbing up to the scale. The scale also is designed for easy sanitation by featuring simplified cleaning. Product contact parts are easily removed without tools.

The product from each scale travels down a chute and is diverted into 1 of 2 buckets, each of which, in turn, discharges into 1 of 2 buckets on the next level. These discharge into 4 buckets that deliver products into the trays. When product has been delivered to all 4 trays in the row, that row of trays is pushed to the next station, while the next row of trays is pushed into the weighing zone. The system incorporates 30 Festo DSL-CC rotary actuators to open and close the buckets. Orics also uses Festo DGO actuators to lift the trays as product is being deposited.

Two Festo DGPL rodless cylinders move an arm with vacuum cups over the cups of salad dressing on the infeed conveyor. The arm is moved downward by 2 Festo DNC rodded cylinders and picks up 4 cups. The arm then rises and moves over the trays, where it descends and places the cups in the proper cavities.

The filled trays are pushed into the next zone of the machine, while the arm with the vacuum cups travels back to its starting position to pick up the next group of dressing cups.

The trays are then pushed, one row at a time, into the MAP heatsealer. After a row of trays are in the chamber, it is latched closed, the air is evacuated and the chamber is flushed with a specific computer-controlled, constant-flow gas mixture that is tailored to the products being run.

Next, film is heat-sealed across the tops of the trays. The film is die-cut as it is sealed, and waste is automatically collected on a quick-release drive. The chamber is then opened and the 4 trays are lifted and pushed onto a discharge conveyor.