Dosing in processing

The current trend is the development of small machines designed to increase the production capacity of artisanal workshops. Pastries, biscuits, sandwiches, and ready meals drive the market, and every new task to automate represents an additional technical challenge. By choosing to design customized equipment, manufacturers such as CB Equipements, Celtech, or Procys have acquired advanced expertise in areas such as ingredient counting, sandwich assembly, filling with garnishes, or macaron depositing. Tomorrow, with the integration of robotics and vision systems, their machines will be able to achieve even more. “It will for instance be possible to place a topping on macarons, pancakes, or waffles with different shapes,” explains Laetitia Peignet for Procys.

Dosing in packaging

On the packaging side, manufacturers are working both on low-speed machines for semi-industrial producers and on productivity improvements for high-speed lines. This progress is mainly driven by innovations in equipment, as dosing technology is constantly evolving. “For the dosing of foaming products, for example, there are now solutions such as grid nozzles and jet nozzles, without dipping tubes, which work perfectly well and make it possible to increase line efficiency,” says Louis Derangère for MOM Packaging.

French manufacturers have also worked on reducing format changeover times by replacing mechanical cams with servo drives. Here we are more in the field of standard machines, for economic competitiveness reasons, but sometimes with a high degree of customization, as is the case at Stoppil. Another major trend, highlighted by Mike Davis of BW Filling & Closing, is the need for machines that are easier to operate, with more intuitive interfaces. This helps shorten the learning curve and maintain performance, even in contexts with high turnover. Manufacturers are thus innovating both in terms of user experience (UX) and functionalities, such as recipe changes or fault diagnostics.

Mike Davis also observes that some end users are already anticipating the reduction of additives in their products and are investing in equipment with higher hygiene standards, including automated cleaning-in-place (CIP) systems.

Towards a new era of dosing

Machine data analysis and remote access are starting to expand. Manufacturers such as Thimonnier, PACK’CO, MOM Packaging, Celtech, CDA, and CB Equipements now offer customized services to analyze machine performance, anticipate failures, and notify upcoming maintenance schedules.

Finally, Ninon Delrieu for CDA points out that repairability and equipment lifespan are becoming increasingly important criteria in industrial choices. This is yet another reason to rely on members of the French Fab, whose quality is recognized worldwide.