Rexfab, Sherbrooke, Quebec, specializes in automated basket systems designed for commercial bakeries. These systems integrate and automate all facets of distributing, loading, stacking, palletizing, and sanitizing baskets.
Rexfab’s Empty Basket Distribution System features a basket unstacker and denester that automate the process and reduce labor. The basket unstacker can unstack 35 baskets per minute and servomotors provide a reliable system with minimal maintenance requirements. “Our basket unstacker and basket stacker are identical, which requires fewer spare parts,” says Patrice Painchaud, vice president of sales and marketing. The denester uses one arm, driven by servomotors, to reorient cross-nested baskets and reorient them as needed. The system was designed specifically for space efficiency and to fit perfectly with existing basket systems.
The SR Pack Basket Loader from Rexfab combines basket and box loading within the same machine, and uses non-lifting pattern forming technologies to eliminate product damage. “The system positively controls baskets and boxes during pattern forming and loading using a top temper combined with side plates and fixes, which funnel product patterns in the basket or box continuously and uniformly,” Painchaud adds.
The Basket Stacker and Palletizer from Rexfab combine two operations: stacking baskets and positioning the basket stacks on a dolly. The system can store up to 20 dollies vertically and automatically feeds the basket stacker for minimum operator intervention. The system also accommodates bakeries that need to stack baskets on the floor. For basket sanitation, the company’s Trash Dump or Rotary Trash Dump removes dry debris before baskets reach the washer. Both solutions collect and dispose of dry debris.
Painchaud predicts that artificial intelligence (AI) will have a significant impact on tray handling equipment. “We’re continually adding more sensors and cameras to our equipment, while developing AI-driven software that will automatically adjust machine settings to increase speeds, gain efficiencies and reduce maintenance.”