ROBESONIA, PA. — Reading Bakery Systems (RBS) has introduced a new advanced Thomas L. Green WCX Wirecut Machine that the company claims offers “more product flexibility, control, better safety features and easier sanitation” than previous designs.

According to RBS, the new machine features an expanded range of product capabilities, including standard and filled bars, multi-color products, filled and encapsulated cookies, pet treats, frozen dough applications and more. The WCX is capable of producing throughput yields of up to 300 cuts per minute (cpm), while maintaining a high degree of accuracy and consistent piece weight, according to RBS.

“The WCX Wirecut Machine is truly impressive,” said Sam Pallottini, director of cookie, cracker and pet food systems sales at RBS. “Our focus on innovation means we’re delivering the maximum in production flexibility and efficiency to our customers.”

The WCX Wirecut Machine uniformly cuts individual shapes with a wireframe assembly, RBS said, while an optional ultrasonic attachment may be used for materials that are more difficult to cut and separate cleanly. Meanwhile, recipe-driven linear servo motors provide a wide range of cam profiles to control wire positioning, stroke length, drop and up-shoot, RBS said. The WCX Wirecut Machine also features an integrated touchscreen for easy adjustments while the machine is in operation and provides automatic self-timing for wire positioning to the die cup.

RBS said the WCX Wirecut Machine was designed with more than 50% less parts than standard wirecut machines, along with tool-less product changeover, making it easy to clean and maintain. The head is removed from the side of the machine for quick access and sanitation, RBS noted, and the design uses common servo motors for improved maintenance and reduced critical spare parts inventory. Wash-down components like dies, filler blocks, wireframes and wirecut heads, are easily removed without tools, according to RBS.

The machine is supplied with light curtains to stop the machine immediately when the curtain is broken, providing 360 degrees of injury prevention. The light guard system also maximizes access to machine components for maintenance or wash down, the company said.

RBS said it plans to display the new machine at IBIE 2022 in September. The machine also is available for testing at the RBS Science & Innovation Center.

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