Our portion cutter is the ideal solution for making fixed-weight strips and cubes!

POSITIVE EXPERIENCES

The project with the PORTIO 1 DAP was recently realized at a processor, which was looking for a solid solution to make fixed-weight cubes. "In the case of this manufacturer, it's about 20-gram cubes for use in salads. But other customers actually choose a fixed-weight shape of, say, 15x15 or 25x25 millimeters. Exact shapes we see a lot from salad producers, for example, who always want four cubes in it. Producers want to take the worry away from their end customer by delivering a product that doesn't actually need any further processing. Then it is very important to be able to portion very accurately and quickly," knows sales engineer Corwin van den Bor of Jansen Techniek. "From the positive experiences we have had with this machine in the chicken industry, we have further developed this portioner. So that it can also be used excellently for portioning fish, such as salmon and cod." The PORTIO 1 DAP has been developed with 229 mm belts, allowing products up to 210 mm wide to be processed, such as chicken and salmon fillets. The portion cutter makes up to 25 strokes per second. "Based on the 3D scan, the computer determines how best to cut the strips and cubes. For example, if you need a 20-gram block, the machine first cuts strips of a multiple of 20 grams, which are cut into 20 grams on the second pass. Of course, if it is a fixed weight cube you are left with an off-cut that varies each time. For example, it is also possible to leave the off-cut on the tailpiece so that you can market the tailpiece as another product. We can automatically remove this off-cut or tailpiece from the product flow with the off cut remover. If you don't want a giveaway you have to set the range a little larger for example from 19-21 grams. This way the machine has more ability to cut up the whole fillet and there is no more giveaway. Important because every gram of giveaway costs money! This way we can cut up to 800 kilograms of cubes per hour!"

DUAL-LANE PORTION CUTTER

The portion cutter has two conveyors. These are integrated into one machine, but run completely independently of each other. The standard cutting speed is 25 cuts per second. Both conveyors can set their cutting angle independently in five positions (0/15/30/45/50°), and both are equipped with a patented, automatically adjusting discharge conveyor. Van Rijn: "The big advantage of two tracks is that the products are cut in the most efficient way. Think of it as two tracks. When the first track is cut, the second track follows." Both "lanes" can be operated separately from a single touchscreen interface, which can be rotated to an operator's most ergonomic position. "An all-stainless steel servo motor drives the blade, making the PORTIO 1DAP the most hygienic model on the market," assures Van Rijn. "An additional advantage is the automation gains producers make with this machine, because the line replaces two employees. Times two shifts, that's still four people per day."

INTELLIGENT PORTIONING

The added value for fish and meat processors who choose a solution from Jansen Techniek is the piece of customization provided by the Putten-based machine builder. "The customer is looking for a solution and we provide it," Van Rijn emphasizes. "Many manufacturers tend to lean toward the PORTIO JET beforehand. That's a waterjet cutter that enjoys great popularity in our industry. This cutter is specifically designed to portion fish or chicken products with a water jet under high pressure. Ideal for large volumes of products with fixed shapes and fixed weights. Moreover, with the Portio Jet you can extract four different products from a fillet in one go: cubes, fillet, tail and slices. But portioning under high pressure consumes much more energy, you have a lot of water loss and also some giveaway. So you have to run high volumes to recoup this machine." Van den Bor explains: "The PORTIO 1 DAP is the ideal intermediate step towards the PORTIO JET or for certain volumes for which the waterjet cutter is actually too expensive an investment. If it doesn't have to be complicated, we at Jansen Techniek prefer to offer a simple solution. The sales conversation with this processor also arose after a request for the water cutter, but as the conversation progressed we soon enough realized that our portion cutter would be a more than good alternative. So again, this is where the customization piece comes into play," he emphasizes. "The feathering, sorting out, rejection of the offcuts and placing the strips back on the infeed conveyor: that's all developed at and by us."