Thomas Scientific introduces three new styles of Thomas brand mercury-free glass thermometers. The three new styles include the Easy-Read, the Double-Safe, and the Enviro-Safe. These thermometers are filled with a non-hazardous, non-toxic biodegradable liquid and offer accuracy equal to mercury models. Devices feature easy-to-read (black on yellow) design that helps eliminate reading errors and supports ISO 9001. Each Thomas thermometer is supplied with an individual serial number and a statement of accuracy traceable to NIST and DKD (Europe).

Avure Technologies, a subsidiary of Flow International, and producer of Fresher Under Pressure high-pressure processing (HPP) technology, introduces its new 215L ULTRA HPP system. This latest design upgrades Avure’s extremely reliable 215-liter pressure vessel with a revolutionary dual-pump pressurization system, an advanced PC-based control system, and faster total operation. HPP destroys food-borne pathogens and spoilage organisms, ensuring product safety and ensuring product safety and enabling longer shelf life. With Avure’s systems, foods retain more of their fresh taste, color, texture, and nutritional values than is possible with other food processing techniques that depend on chemical additives or heat treatments, the company relays. The 215L ULTRA’s innovative pumping system, developed and manufactured by Flow International, uses a new generation of powerful pressure intensifiers. This system accelerates virtually every process step. Pressurization, de-pressurization, even system opening and closing occur faster. Multiple units can be monitored and controlled from a central location through a SCADA system, which is compatible with a wide range of automated handling systems. The 215L ULTRA shortens cycle times, which maximizes product throughput. Designed or longer life, lower maintenance, and improved operation, the 215L ULTRA reduces overall cost for HPP technology.

The Datapaq Paqfile Viewer is a free software download that lets you view Datapaq temperature profiles (known as Paqfiles) produced by the Tracker or Insight software packages. This useful software tool is an ideal way for your customers or colleagues to view Paqfiles without purchasing software or spending hours learning a software program. Simply send your contact the Paqfile and direct them to the software download page on Datapaq’s Web site (www.datapaq.com). There they can download Datapaq’s Paqfile Viewer, giving them immediate access to your process data and analysis. Datapaq’s Paqfile Viewer provides a graphical display of a Paqfile, plotting temperature against time, lets you view measured temperature data, analyzes maximum/minimum temperatures for each thermocouple, calculates time above or below a specified threshold temperature, and produces a single-page report, containing the graph and analysis calculations.

Ohaus Corp. introduces its new FD Food Portioning Scale Series. Specifically designed for use in food preparation and processing where cleanliness is a must, the new FD Series Scales combine NSF/USDA-AMS food-safety certifications, precise weighing technology, and full configurability in an all-stainless-steel housing design. Ideally suited for food portion control and checkweighing, the FD Food Portioning Scale Series features a housing formed from high-quality 304 stainless steel, with a removable 304 dishwasher-safe stainless-steel weighing pan and water-resistant front panel for easy cleaning. Each FD has four adjustable rubber leveling feet to keep it securely in place on commercial kitchen countertops. Each model in the FD Food Portioning Scale series features a large, (0.75 inch) bright, backlit LCD display that displays stable weights in under two seconds.

Heat and Control’s new FastBack 260E conveyor delivers twice the product travel rate of comparable conveyors, bringing all the advantages of horizontal motion conveying to producers of high flow-rate products for the first time. The FastBack 260E is quieter and provides less damaging and far cleaner conveying than vibratory conveyors, the company relays. The powerful yet gentle slow forward/fast back drive motion drastically reduces product build-up in the conveyor pan, and eliminates product segregation and “sifting” of product where smaller pieces settle to the bottom of the pan. A single plug-in power module and a pan that mounts easily without tools make installation and maintenance of the FastBack 260E quick and simple. The drive unit can handle pan lengths up to 35 feet, so when conveying requirements change, simply install a new pan to suit your new layout. No more scrap conveyors.

Shuttleworth introduces a high-speed wrapper infeed called Servo Smartfeed. This system enables customers to better handle their products in the wrapping and cartoning processes by feeding the products into the flow wrappers and cartoning machines faster and more accurately. Since 1962, Shuttleworth has been a leading international engineering, consulting, and manufacturing supplier of conveyors and devices, with more than 15,000 installations worldwide.

An improved tool for on-site manual installation of Clipper Wire Hook Lacing in light-duty conveyor belts is being introduced by Flexco. While retaining the earlier tool’s familiar name, the new Clipper Microlacer deeply embeds the belt splice quicker and with less wear on the tool. The lacer head has been completely redesigned for added durability and strength, which enables the Microlacer to embed lacing hooks deeper and tighter into the belt. This lower-profile splice provides greater holding strength, longer service life, and less wear on splice-contacting conveyor components. Lacer guide blocks have been widened to full lacer head width, providing maximum bearing surface for greater wear resistance and minimal maintenance. The new Lacer design also introduces an offset drive handle for greater leverage at one end so more of the splice installation passes can be done conveniently with one hand.

Vector Packaging’s line of ColorKote and SmokeKote coated casings have had a huge impact with major meat processors as they discover the significant attributes of each product type. The ColorKote version enhances meat surface color with no flaking, and the SmokeKote version enhances surface color, flavor, and aroma. The authenticity of SmokeKote flavor is unsurpassed in today’s market, and both ColorKote and SmokeKote have applications with turkey, ham, and roast beef in round, rectangular, or d-shapes. Within the next 12 months, Vector plans to introduce additional flavors for the SmokeKote version and more colors for ColorKote.

Airshirz Magnum pneumatic scissors from Bettcher Industries increase worker productivity while reducing muscle fatigue in cutting operations involving poultry, heavy fowl, and turkey. These new, more powerful air-powered scissors provide more than twice the cutting force of other pneumatic scissor models. Among the poultry processing operations for which Airshirz Magnum scissors are ideally suited are neck cutting for spent hens, paw removal, and hock cutting. Additionally, Airshirz Magnum scissors utilize hardened stainless steel blades, with many blade choices available. Blades can be removed in seconds and sharpened using conventional sharpening equipment. All units use standards 80 to 120 psi plant air.

Elba, a leading Italian provider of bag-making equipment, is launching a newly enhanced, zipper-capable version of the SA V20 flexible packaging machine. The new technology enhances production speeds and efficiency by allowing for the production of two pouches from a single web and by making it possible for converters to produce three-side weld, stand up pouch and Doy Pack packages on the same machine with minimal changeover downtime.  The latest generation Elba SA V20 is compatible with Zip-Pak press-to-close zippers, making it easier than ever for converters to quickly integrate a value-added resealable feature on a variety of different package formats.  Available globally, the diversity of bag types that can be produced with SA V20 makes it ideal for various powder, meat, cheese, bakery, frozen food, snack, and pet food applications.  In addition to reducing changeover downtime, the SA V20 ensures consistent performance and minimal maintenance downtime with features such as robust design and an intuitive, user-friendly interface featuring top-of-the line electronics.

Greydon’s new taped bag loader, BagAire, is faster and features more accurate stopping control than any other taped bag loader currently available. The new bagger meets the new stricter washdown standards for the meat industry. BagAire operates at up to speeds of 60 bags a minute and uses taped, shingled bags supplied either in a box or on a roll. Pneumatic stepper drives provide more accurate stopping control than other taped bag loaders on the market and ensure higher speeds and in-registration printing. For the first time, it is possible to achieve 100 percent readable datecodes on the bags when a BagAire is used together with a Greydon CodeAire printer, the company relays.