Ishida’s innovative multihead weighing technology has significantly enhanced Swiss pasta manufacturer Pasta Premium’s ability to manage increasing sales volume and transition to sustainable paper bags. The three new Ishida weighers have demonstrated remarkable flexibility in handling small batches and enabling rapid changeovers, ensuring operational efficiency.
In alignment with its sustainability objectives, Pasta Premium has adopted paper bags for its Bschüssig pasta brand. This shift in packaging, combined with heightened demand resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, necessitated the introduction of new packaging lines.
To address this requirement, the company opted for Ishida’s mid-range multihead weigher, the CCW-RVE, designed for free-flowing dry products like short cut pasta. This weigher delivers exceptional accuracy at medium to high speeds, making it ideal for Pasta Premium’s needs. Moreover, Ishida weighers are capable of handling the latest sustainable packaging formats, including recyclable film and paper options.
Simon Hofer, Head of Technology at Pasta Premium, shared, “We chose Ishida multihead weighers for our pasta packing due to our positive past experiences with Ishida models.”
Supported by Ishida’s local distributor, Itech AG in Rotkreuz, Pasta Premium engaged Itech to design a packaging solution incorporating the Ishida weighers, showcasing a seamless collaboration.
The installation includes two 14-head Ishida CCW-RVE weighers managing short pasta at target weights ranging from 100g to 450g with speeds of up to 35 bags per minute. With an accuracy rate of 1g, these weighers ensure precise weighing for Pasta Premium’s products.
The pasta is fed onto the weigher’s dispersion table through an inlet chute, regulated by a loadcell for controlled feed quantity. Individually controlled radial feeders distribute the product evenly to the pool hoppers, ensuring uniformity. The weigh hoppers maintain excellent product control, even for small pasta pieces.
The advanced microprocessor rapidly calculates the optimal combination of weigh hoppers closest to the target weight, leveraging automatic feeder adjustment and digital filtering for exceptional accuracy. The pasta is then discharged into the paper bags through chutes equipped with anti-swirl fins for quick and precise transfer.
Additionally, a 14-head GS (Gentle Slope) model is employed for delicate pasta varieties, such as tagliatelle, offering gentle handling and reduced product breakage. This model operates at up to 28 weighments per minute with an accuracy rate of 1g per bag.
Currently operating on a two-shift schedule, the three Ishida weighers have proven highly reliable with minimal maintenance requirements, as confirmed by Simon Hofer. The weighers’ flexibility allows for rapid changeovers between more than 100 products, supporting Pasta Premium’s small batch production efficiently.
Hofer emphasized, “Our investment in Ishida weighing technology has enhanced our operational efficiency and secured a niche in the competitive pasta market.” The weighers’ reliability, durability, and sustainable spare parts align with Pasta Premium’s corporate culture.
