12 September 2012 – R&R Ice Cream, one of the UK’s largest manufacturers of ice cream products, has purchased its third Matrix side-feed collator/shrink wrapper from Linkx Systems.

Matrix machines are the only compact collator/shrink wrappers that can achieve 30 shrink wrap cycles per minute – but also use significantly less energy than conventional machines.

The machines save energy by using a special shrink wrap process that pre-stretches the shrink film before applying it to the product. This means that less heat, and therefore less energy, is needed to complete the shrink-wrapping cycle.

R&R Ice Cream installed its first Matrix machine on the company’s high-speed cone production line and, impressed with the performance, reliability and flexibility of this machine, it soon after ordered a second for use on its bar line. R&R Ice Cream is using its third and most recently purchased Matrix machine to handle the output of its busy stick-product manufacturing line.

Matrix machines of the type supplied to R&R Ice Cream are suitable for use with cartons from 130 x 90 x 25 mm to 225 x 180 x 60 mm. They employ the latest servo technology to deliver high throughput combined with versatility and they provide fast, convenient switching between product types with an intuitive colour touch-screen operator interface. The use of energy efficient drives and the Linkx Systems pre-stretch shrink system minimise both the energy usage and environmental impact of the machines.