In a bid to improve efficiency more and more food and beverage companies are demanding machines that are more automated and that run at higher speeds than previously possible.
UK-based UFM said the WT05 high-speed sausage cutter can be used for natural, collagen or artificial casings. The cutter is manufactured by Inotec, a German-based company. UFM is the machines sole UK agent.
The WT05 cutter can process 1.85 metres of sausage per second, in any casing, and has the capacity for up to 1,800 cuts per minute, the company claims.
"The key to WT05 is its ability to take a signal direct from the filling machine," stated Malcolm Burgess, UFM's managing director. "As a result it can modify its speed in accordance with that of the rest of the line. Furthermore, it can sit closely coupled to the portioning attachment of the filler and can thus work in the same horizontal plane. As a result, it is versatile enough for natural, collagen or artificial casings."
The WT05 can cut, measure and sort sausages in singles, pairs or any specified number. It is operated via a push button interface and can be fed manually or automatically.
Sausage diameter can be set between 12 and 52 mm by adjusting a scale. In combination with a synchronised loading system the sausages can be sorted to preset lengths and packaged into trays or cans or fed into a packaging machine.
At the heart of the machine is a servomotor, which drives the knife shaft and a sensor for measuring each sausage precisely. A microprocessor coordinates and controls all of the machine data.
As an option the machine can be fitted with an online analysis tool to allow for remote monitoring and improved control, the company stated.
In 2005 UK consumers are estimated to have consumed 189,000 tonnes of sausages, with retail sales valued at £530m, according to forecasts by Mintel.
That's a 23 per cent increase in value and a 17 per cent increase in volume since 2000. Last year growth by value was three per cent and growth by volume was 2.2 per cent compared to 2003.