Groundbreaking Food Storage Machines Use CPI Switches

In the USA, having basic appliances with which to store food, like a refrigerator, is mostly taken for granted. In developing nations however, this is not the case. Globally, tons upon tons of food is lost each year, and a lack of refrigeration plays a part in this. Some sources say that one third of food produced today will end up being lost for one reason or another. Others say that around 40 percent of food is lost before it reaches markets. Either way, the number stands around 1.3 billion tons a year.

Now imagine a world where cooked food products can be sealed in plastic and stored in a cabinet, a box in your garage, or a hole in your backyard. Imagine you can open them years later, and they taste every bit as though they were just made fresh even though they were stored unrefrigerated and without the addition of any preservatives or chemicals. Imagine a world where foodstuffs like this can now be shipped all over the world on unrefrigerated cargo containers and people would no longer need refrigeration to store “perishable” food. Think of the implications of this for cutting down on waste, eliminating the billions of tons of food that is thrown out every year, for improving the nutrition of the poor in impoverished areas of the world, and cutting costs of food shipping and distribution worldwide. There would be new markets for these trade goods around the world, and potentially even a positive environmental impact. Kind of mind blowing, isn’t it?

This is the promise of groundbreaking technology in food manufacturing, distribution, and processing that CPI waterproof switches were recently designed into according to Bill Gillette, Principal of Edge Engineering in Tennessee, a consulting design firm working to help the equipment manufacturer finalize the product.

Called the “Microwave Assisted Thermal Sterilization” (MATS), this mechanical food processing system for high volume manufacturing, uses advanced microwave technology. Pre-sealed, uncooked food products are sent along a conveyer belt through various chambers in the machine, exposing the food to specific profiles of microwave generated heat, while under high pressure and submerged completely in water. The food is actually cooked by the machine as conveyers and robotics move the product along. The process also kills 100% of bacteria and virus’ which would normally cause food contamination. All without the addition of any chemical additives.

“We need to know when the food carriers are at the end of the processing chambers so that certain robotics can be activated to move them to the next chamber,” says Bill. “In the original solution the manufacturer designed, they chose a complex series of mechanical wheels and cams that would sense and report the position of the tray. It was the only solution they found that could withstand the heat, pressure, and wet environment reliably. The cost of this system alone was close to 10K and each machine needed 6 of them.”

When Bill looked at this system, he really felt there had to be a better way. Some Google searches turned up CPI’s line of waterproof switches and the more Bill read, the more excited he became.
According to Bill, “CPI seems to be the only company in the world producing switches and sensors whose specs actually meet or exceed our triple threat environment of underwater operation, high temperature environment and operation under extreme pressure.”

Chosen for the task was CPI’s E1283-B2002SE simulated roller switch. This is an extended lifecycle version of our standard switch, qualified to 5 million cycles of electromechanical endurance. For the MATS application, knowing that the CPI switch would be fully submerged in water while operating, CPI specified the SE version which stands for “Soft Touch, Extended Life”. In this version of the switch, the neoprene seal over the switch is continuously molded to the wire insulation providing a completely uninterrupted seal all the way to the end of the wire.

For MATS, the manufacturer wanted an extremely long lead length of 12 feet or more as well. CPI can make your switch with any custom lead length you require to eliminate splicing.

Perhaps the best news for Bill and his client however was the cost savings inherent in the redesign. Instead of 6 complex mechanical position sensing systems contributing almost $60,000 to the cost of the system, 6 CPI E1 series switches were used to create an improved detection system that entirely replaced the original. Because the CPI system was so cost effective, Bill’s team used 9 at a fraction of the original cost of this sensor subsystem.

Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/groundbreaking-food-storage-machines-use-cpi-switches/