Water Jet Cutting And Food Processing Efficiency

Water jet cutting is regularly used in food production, offering a sterile, accurate and efficient method of cutting various food stuffs as part of the packaging process.

A recent article looking at how water jet cutting is helping to drive efficiency in the production of asparagus in Germany fascinated us. We have a fairly niche reading list…

Why would those involved in food production turn to water jet cutting on their production line?

The answer, as is so often the case in business, lies in the fact that it drives efficiency, reduces waste and so maximises profit.

Any businesses in a field as competitive as the food industry, with margins tight, is not going to switch to water jet cutting because it’s a fashionable thing to do, or on a whim. They will do it because it is a change that makes financial sense.

At German machine supplier Neubauer Automation they have facilitated a process that enables accurate cuts without any need to readjust the asparagus, this achieved through an intelligent cutting copter working with a camera.

The length of each individual asparagus is calculated, this taking into account curvature, and each asparagus then cut to the same exact length. The length can of course be changed, enabling the machine to create asparagus to any uniform length.

The wastage this process prevents is significant, leading to five per cent less waste overall.

Through non stop operation, 45,000 asparagus stems can be sorted per hour.

It is expected that the work to upgrade to this form of cutting will pay for itself in short order, after that the efficiencies will lead to ongoing increased profits.

The project show the advantages of working in partnership. Changing technology is a long-term project, the asparagus production line improvements taking three years to fully implement.

While these changes might be relatively new in the food industry, similar patterns are commonplace in other industries. Major industries have switched to water jet cutting, drawn in by a technology that is accurate and efficient and cuts in a way that creates no damage to the cut edge.

Work with the UK’s leading Water Jet Cutters

At TMC, we are a water jet cutter who serve the whole of the UK and increasingly Europe too, with clients across the content trusting us to work on their projects.

Despite our success, we remain a company that focusses on every client and work on projects of all sizes.

If you think water jet cutting might be of use for your project, please do get in touch for an obligation-free chat.

Call us on 01625 610 441 or use our Contact Form.