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Packing abilities of the Omnia and forta

How a library of 2000 packs can be beneficial for you


Moba egg graders are packed with technology. Some designs are worth further investigation as they represent crucial customer value. In this series of articles, we will be zooming in on these "hidden gems". This time, we take a closer look at the abilities of the Omnia and Forta packing line.

 

It seems so simple: a tray or a consumer-pack is taken from a stack ("denested"), transported towards the point where the eggs are placed into the pack, then towards the point where the pack is closed, printed and off it goes!!

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Many egg packs may look the same, but did you know that Moba keeps a record of all different trays and consumer-packs ever used in the egg industry? That record is over 2000 packs long, 1500 of which are actively used today by our customers. We don't count different colors or prints, only the different dimensions result in this high number!

test-1 Moba's packlibrary of more than 2000 packs.... not only a detailed database but also physical samples are kept in the pack-center.

More than 2000 packs are a prediction for the future!!!

Have a look at our pack-collection that we keep in a special room within Moba. Every pack is documented, but just imagine the challenge to run all these packs in the same egg grader...

 

It is our pride that the vast majority of these packs can be processed in any Omnia or the Forta without the need for special equipment. Many competitors also offer graders that can be used for a variety of packs, but they often require adaptations, different denesters, or in general a different mechanical setup of the grader.

 

The unique design of the Moba packing lane allows it to run almost all packs, and at the same time its flexibility makes it so that future packs can also run on the Moba grader without any mechanical changes. This is a very reassuring thought as pack manufacturers around the world are constantly developing new packs. You can ask yourself why, but the answer is simple. Of all added value in a packing station, the package takes up between 65% and 75% of the cost, so on the one side there is a constant drive to cut costs, but at the same time, marketeers and retail are pushing for new concepts. The ideal recipe for ever-changing pack types!

Servo motors

How did the Moba engineers solve this puzzle? First, there is the famous Moba denester. The flexibility of this unit is such that just with settings and a few easy to change grippers, a whole variety of packs can be handled. The biggest challenge is the mechanical movement on the packing lane. Instead of fixed mechanical movements, the packing lanes are driven by servo motors that, combined with high precision encoders, can create any movement. During the movement cycle of a packing lane, actions also can be executed. This works via so-called "breakpoints" that can freely be programmed. To each breakpoint, a different function can be assigned, such as filling the pack with eggs, closing the pack, printing it, etc. This makes the flexibility enormous. The same goes for the unit that places the eggs in the pack, the "dropset". The spacing is adjustable and the drop depth (related to the height of the pack) is fully programmable.

Library

The technology is simply explained, but of course the challenge is to make it user friendly. The smart solution is simple; all technical detailed settings are stored in a big database. The operator only needs to select the required pack type from this database and connect it to the product-based machine programming once. Every time thereafter when a retail product is selected, the machine will know exactly which pack type is used and will, without any hassle, use the correct settings. Also, instructions for hand-made settings such as side guides or used denester-grippers are stored in this same database and announced when the corresponding product is programmed on the grader. The motto is: if you setup correctly once, you never have to think about it again.

 

And if you think that a library of 2000 packs is long and hard to oversee, you are right!! That is why during sales and installation processes, your machine will have a "Favorites" file with only the packs that you use, that way your environment is exactly tuned to your needs. The ultimate user-experience!! And if you add a pack later in time? No worries. You can easily make this available in your "Favorites" file at any moment.

Future proof

New packs of major manufacturers are mostly pre-announced to Moba. In this way, new pack types are added to the library regularly and by updating the library, new packs can be selected. This makes the Omnia and Forta extremely future proof. And in case a new pack turns up in the world that we did not know of? Well, in that case, you or our service team can create a pack-definition by simply using a similar pack, tune it to perfection for the new pack and save it under the chosen identification.

 

This concept has a track record that goes back many years and is constantly growing. For case packing robots, Moba follows a similar concept.

Why Moba asks for pack samples?

When customers buy a new machine, we always ask for pack samples. With all the flexibility you might wonder why that is? Well, there are a few reasons, but they all come down to ensuring a flawless startup of the new equipment:

Sometimes pack manufacturers change their packs but keep the same commercial name although there are physical differences. In such a case we want to know what version is used in your country. By physically checking the samples, we can ensure that the pack is identified correctly. The Moba-ID (a unique code we apply for each different pack) ensures that the correct settings are entered into your grader and with this, we ensure the smooth operation of the machines. In other words, by physically checking the samples we can ensure that the pack is identified correctly. The Moba-ID ensures that the correct settings are entered into your grader.

- Sometimes packs are called the same by pack manufacturers but come from a different factory using different molds with some differences in dimensions. We check if we have the correct Moba-ID and apply the correct settings.

- In the instance of case packing, not only the dimensions of the consumer pack but also the specific pattern dimensions and that of the outer case are imported, including all tolerances. Since there are no standards on outer cases, we double-check if the correct settings are already available in our library. If not, we create a new set specific to you and future users of the same combination.

 

By checking all these points we achieve two things: you can enjoy a smooth startup of new equipment and by securing all settings in our databases, we create an ever-growing platform for the egg industry to handle all possible combinations.

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