Cornerstone Checkweigher Provides Candy Company with a Sweet Solution

Whetstone Candy Co., headquartered in St. Augustine, Fla., makes over 100 varieties of molded and specialty chocolates at a rate of 875 boxes of assorted products an hour. One of their most popular products is private-labeled chocolate macadamia nuts. When manual production methods could no longer keep up with higher demand, Whetstone turned to Hi-Speed Checkweigher for a machine that could handle the large variety of products at the increased production speeds dictated by their semi-automatic enrobing line. Because the variety of packages ranged from 4-oz to 5-lb boxes, with product in plastic trays or plastic wrapped individual pieces, the need for versatility was great.

"We didn't have a checkweigher on our line for molded macadamia nut chocolates. Because the product was molded and product size was controlled by the depth of the mold, there was very little variation. Spot checking worked well for us," explains Virginia Whetstone, company president. "But when we moved to an enrobed macadamia nut chocolate product, we had more potential for weight variation."

At Whetstone, where several of the processing tasks are handled manually, full automation is still a while away. But their new semi-automatic processing line for enrobed products has made production substantially faster. "With this increased production speed, we'd have to spot check enrobed products every five minutes, which would mean an enormous increase in labor," explained Whetstone. The Cornerstone checkweigher was the reliable system we needed to keep us consistent while we continue to automate."

On average, Whetstone changes the size and weight of the package running on its macadamia line twice a week. The Cornerstone unit was able to handle that challenge. "The Cornerstone is flexible and can handle each of our products. Our initial requirement was product profile memory and it has passed that test with flying colors," says Ms. Whetstone.

The ability to provide a complete solution in weighing systems, including conveyors and material handling equipment, was also a crucial consideration. "Some of the alternative checkweighers we initially considered were not complete units," comments John Parr, Technical Engineer at Whetstone. "Incomplete units inevitably have installation glitches. We wanted something that we could easily install, leave alone, and it would do the job."

Cornerstone checkweighers are designed for easy and accurate versatility while maintaining optimal production capacity. A built-in variable speed drive and quick-release guide rails provide for efficient product changeover. Users have the option to add or change modules when it is necessary to switch products or even locations without excessive downtime or cost.

Photo courtesy of Hi-Speed Checkweigher

Cornerstone enhances product control with reliable transfer aids and diminishes product giveaway with precision weighing. Optional side transport and external transfer assemblies offer effortless and effective line integration.

Chocolates vary slightly in size and weight, a characteristic that adds to the novelty of the Whetstone Company. Rigid checkweighing parameters do not allow for slight differences. "We don't want to give away product, but we don't want to sacrifice our originality either. Consequently, by modifying the checkweighing parameters, we've found a balance that satisfies both issues," Whetstone said.

The Cornerstone has made the biggest difference on Whetstone's Sollich Enrobing line that handles eighteen different products, including Mauna Loa chocolate macadamia nut production. The enrobing line begins with a hopper of Macadamia nuts that drops the nuts through a nut feeder onto dots of chocolate.

After the nuts are dispensed onto the chocolate dots, they are conveyed through the Sollich line to operators who manually adjust the number of nuts on each dot according to the specific product requirements. The half-completed chocolate macadamia nuts are then cooled on a water-chilled conveyor belt.

Photo courtesy of Hi-Speed Checkweigher

The Sollich coater covers each dot with a thick layer of chocolate. Farther down the line, the patterned belt of the Latini Decorator simulates hand decorating on the warm candies to give them an enhanced appearance. A heater positioned between the Latini Decorator's belts prevents accumulation of chocolate on the belt to further assure sanitary, operator-less production. The chocolate decorator, mounted on the cooling belt, has simple speed and height adjustments to match the profile of the candies and the speed of the rest of the line. Conveyed next through a 30-ft cooling tunnel, the chocolates arrive in the packaging area where they are manually packed into plastic trays. Two AE Randles cartoning machines form boxes from carton blanks that are conveyed to the packaging area for simultaneous arrival with the chocolates. Filled boxes are covered with a pad and conveyed through the Cornerstone checkweigher and a metal detector. Cornerstone is a gentle machine, handling open boxes weighed at approximately 50 packages per minute. A Marden-Edwards cellophane machine overwraps the completed packages and they are manually packed into shipping cases.

Whetstone Candy Co. plans on automating as they expand and grow. "Hi-Speed Checkweigher's Cornerstone is another step toward automating our packaging process," concluded Whetstone. "Its versatility will enable us to expand our product lines as we develop our in-house technology and its reliability allows us to tackle other production and packaging goals."

Contacts:
Hi-Speed Checkweigher Co., 5 Barr Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850. Tel: 800-836- 0836 or 607-257-6000. Fax: 607-257-6396. Dave Nathaniel, Marketing Manager

Whetstone Candy, 2 Coke Rd., St. Augustine, FL 32086. Tel: 904-825-1700; Fax: 904-824-0436. Virginia Whetstone, President

Latini Products Co., 893 Industrial Dr., Elmhurst, IL 60126. Tel: 630-834-7666; Fax: 630-834-9473. Leo Latini, President

By Pam Ahlberg