In 2019, total factor productivity in food and drink manufacturing increased by 1.8 per cent with UK factories striving for greater processing efficiency. Fortress Technology critically establishes itself as a crucial contaminant detection specialist and high-profile UK food manufacturers are expressing strong interest in its performance-driven Raptor metal detector and checkweighing combination machine.

Flexible, fast and affordable, The Raptor Combi is Fortress Technology’s first fully integrated checkweigher and metal detector. Winner of Food Processing’s Lean Manufacturing award in 2021, judges commended the Raptor Combi for its “innovation and useful range of food production solutions”, highlighting the natural synergy between checkweighing and metal detection.

Unbeatable price-performance ratio

Designed for various applications (including confectionery, bakery, meats and fish, cheeses and ready meal products), Fortress has engineered a technologically-advanced machine able to match the high-end results seen in expensive combination equipment, at a better price to performance ratio.

Notably, the Raptor Combi has the ability to accurately inspect and check the weight of large size package formats weighing up to 8kg and measuring 300mm by 400mm. Inspecting up to 150 packs per minute, the Raptor checkweigher also calculates Average Finished Weight Variance to maximise productivity.

Solving several issues that the combination inspection market previously failed to address, the Raptor Combi answers demands from UK-based food factories for more innovative fixings and connection features, such as interlocking infeed and outfeed panels, allowing processers to customise the machine to their production layout.

The Raptor Combi also introduces a unique tight-fitting conveyor and ‘no-tool’ maintenance concept. Overcoming the longstanding industry challenge of loosening belt tension during machine sanitation, operators can unclip and disconnect the conveyor motor and lift out the entire conveyor assembly for maintenance and cleaning in seconds.

Diligent digitisation

As well as offering cost savings for end-users, the Fortress machine proves the power of systematic digital data capture. For UK food processors supplying multiple retailers, the Raptor Combi introduces a failsafe and fully-auditable Code of Practice (COP) test routine to further fine-tune productivity processes.

Instant HACCP and COP compliance was a key rationale for an Ireland-based bioceutical start-up Soothing Solutions installing the Raptor Combi for their new Tonstix innovation. Company founder Sinéad Crowther comments: “The Raptor Combi is very user friendly. It is the smartest piece of technology on our new production line. The screen collates all the production data we need. It ensures full weighing accuracy, extremely sensitive metal contaminant detection levels, full traceability and exceeds all of our COP compliance requirements.”

Featuring a swipe touchscreen HMI and paperless audit software with unlimited pre-programmed COPs, the robust Raptor Combi captures the data required to guarantee food-brand integrity and absolute traceability. The machine automatically alerts the Quality Assurance manager each time a test is overdue and an in-built USB means Fortress Technology simply issues an upgrade as new COPs are introduced.

The award-winning Raptor Combi combines affordability with a digitised and futuristic approach to inspection, making the entire system is secure, hygienic and fully engineered for optimum efficiency.