Preparing materials for further processing can be challenging for food manufacturers who receive bulk meat or seafood in frozen blocks. These blocks, which arrive on pallets, often vary in size and contain large slices that are frozen together. How can the frozen slices be separated effectively while maintaining the integrity of the product and the safety of employees? Read on to learn how the CHL Systems Frozen Block Separator successfully conquers the challenge of separating large blocks of frozen materials.
The Problem with Manual Block Separation
For one CHL customer, separating the slices within their large frozen blocks of bulk meat was a labor-intensive manual task. The blocks—some as big as 40 inches by 24 inches wide with 4-inch high slices—presented workers with numerous ergonomic and safety issues due to their size and frozen state. An operator would have to get positioned next to the block and use a difficult-to-handle pneumatic jackhammer to separate the large slices of bulk food.
As a result of the various safety issues and lack of precision in manually separating the large frozen blocks, the manufacturer approached CHL Systems to investigate how best to automate this difficult process.
A Custom Solution for Frozen Block Separation
Using the proprietary CHL Systems custom development process, our design engineers determined that a programmable system, using lasers to identify slice positioning and hydraulically activated spears to maneuver the slices, would offer the most effective solution.
After our certified engineers created the detailed blueprints with specifications, they turned them over to our skilled in-house manufacturing team who brought to life the automated Frozen Block Separator machine.
Automated Block Separation for Maximum Safety and Efficiency
With this ergonomic machine, our customer can now separate layers of large frozen food blocks automatically and precisely with only a few safe, easy steps. The operator uses a forklift to place a full pallet of meat blocks into the machine, and the visual capability of the machine determines the size and position of the stack. The operator then enters the slice thickness into the on-screen display.
Once the controls are set, the Frozen Block Separator automatically moves the stainless steel spears to separate the large slices of frozen bulk food. After all layers are separated, the operator then removes the pallet so that each slice of frozen meat can be transferred to the processing step.
The safety benefits combined with the time and cost savings of the Frozen Block Separator make this machine a key automation improvement for any food company that processes bulk food frozen blocks. Contact CHL Systems today to learn more.
