At this year’s Clean show, JENSEN highlighted smart technologies and new materials handling solutions. The company has been investing in laundry robotics, artificial intelligence and Big Data to confirm its automation vision for the success of today’s laundry. Attendees at the show viewed exhibits of highly productive solutions for the washroom and finishing section for all types of linen.
“We were thrilled to be back at Clean,” said Simon Nield, president, JENSEN USA. “It was exciting to exhibit new equipment to attendees that will allow their laundries to be more productive while maintaining the high quality expected by their customers.”
On display at the JENSEN booth was the brand-new THOR robot engineered by JENSEN’s partner Inwatec. THOR automatically separates all soiled articles, meaning t-shirts, uniforms, towels and flat linen. Depending on the article size, THOR can handle up to 1500 pieces per hour. Automatic separation improves the employee health and safety, as it reduces the risk of injuries and infections. On top of that, the equipment is safe as well. The robot picks up the laundry pieces from conveyor belts and transports them to the X-ray scanner, which detects unwanted objects hidden in the pockets. At the same time, an RFID chip reader registers the garment and determines further sorting in the system. All these tasks can now be performed by a few operators who only have to empty the pockets of the discarded garments. The new THOR allows no distinction between linen or garments. Quite a few laundries all over the world have become pioneers in their field, utilizing robots from Inwatec to automate the soil sort.
At the JENSEN booth, visitors experienced live demonstrations of THOR combined with a Futurail loop that bulk loads the soiled system to increase laundry capacity and free up floor space. This new hybrid sorting solution allows complete automation with a hands-free operation and allows for operator assisted sorting to help increase volume.
Big volumes require big machines. The new XR dryer will process big cakes with a diameter of 51 inches. The wider opening also allows a faster unloading, with savings of 10-20 seconds per batch: Laundries can process more loads within one shift thanks to the new AirWave feature. AirWave also speeds up the subsequent finishing process with its unique blow-out, reducing tangling of linen. XFlow ensures a 10-15% higher evaporation capacity over the whole width of the burner box and optimizes the heat distribution for an even and fast drying process. The XR’s precise and well-dosed heat control, InfraCare, reduced the energy consumption and the drying time, while extending the lifetime of the linen. The control detects varying weights and residual moistures, and avoids unnecessary energy supply and long drying times. The new XR dryer is scheduled to become the new Xpert in drying technology, with amazing savings in time and energy.
In the finishing section, attendees viewed the new Express Pro feeder which doubles the PPOH in laundries processing laundry from the healthcare, hospitality, and food & beverage sectors. It’s a cornerless feeding system that excels at high speeds. A mechanical transfer beam with a leading edge holding bar replaces the vacuum section. In the receiving position, the holding bar is open while the leading edge is held between the transfer beam and a fixation tube. During the transfer, the holding bar is closed, ensuring a fast and efficient transfer into the machine. As a consequence of the high capacity, the number of ironer lines may be reduced allowing to free up space for other equipment.
A simplified version is offered with the new KliQ feeder that features a new generation of feeding clamps – a masterpiece of operator convenience. This simple and space-saving solution is available with a Concorde-shaped nose for direct feeding, eliminating the need for an inlet table on the ironer. Both feeders stand for high and consistent finishing quality and high productivity.
Also at the JENSEN booth, the KliQ and Express Pro feeders are combined with the new Kando folder, also a much-wanted innovation for laundries serving the healthcare, hospitality and food & beverage sectors. Building on the DNA of the JENSEN folder range, the Kando incorporates fully adjustable air blast pressure in the lateral folding section and reversing conveyors in the cross fold section, ensuring optimum folding quality for all types of flatwork. Inverter controlled motors in the lateral- and cross fold section allow the folder to follow the speed of any ironer. Kando handles all types of flatwork – at optimum speed and high quality. The space-saving inline stackers reduce the footprint to a minimum, allowing to free up space for other equipment. As the total length matches the well-proven Classic folders, the Kando folder is a perfect solution for replacement of existing Classic folders.
Premium folding quality at high speed was also on display in the new Fox 1200 garment folder – a well-proven machine concept for the full range of garments and uniforms. Using a new servo-drive motor at the hanger release and a new conveyor at the first cross-fold, the Fox 1200 processes up to 1200 garments per hour in mixed production. The new design of the cross-fold section along with upgraded software ensures outstanding folding quality. Moreover, this new cross-fold section adapts perfectly to material of various thicknesses. A servo-driven hanger release safely and quickly transfers the garments from the Metricon conveyor system into the Fox folder.
The Metricon handling and sorting system for garments proudly presented the new MetriQ loading station. Featuring the unique “buttons-to-the-front” option for e.g. patient gowns and scrubs, garments of all types can be loaded without any time loss by moving to the opposite side. MetriQ offers the widest span of loading heights in the industry, making it the most ergonomic loading station that ensures the highest productivity. MetriQ is thrifty on space: Five MetriQ fit on the space of four conventional loading stations.
A further highlight at JENSEN’s booth was the new GeniusFlow solution that “ties the laundry together” and gives proof of how smart technologies boost the productivity: The sorting robot communicates the recorded data from the soiled side to the garment sorting area in real time. By using this information collected from tag reading, the Metricon Software combines various customers and routes into lots and sublots and then allocates the exact space needed in the primary storage. This reduces the need for extra rails and prevents a high recycling rate, which decreases sorter efficiency. The interface allows a simpler management of garment batches and reduces the number of late garments to be processed manually.
Additional exhibits included highly productive solutions for the washroom and finishing section of all types of linen. The exhibition area was rounded off with an information stand demonstrating the company’s services offering. JENSEN’s presence in the USA and Canada with factory-trained JENSEN engineers adds to the investment security. JENSEN has all customers covered with excellent after sales service including the fast supply of spare parts, online diagnosis and support, as well as after-hour phone support.
For more information, visit the company’s web site: JENSEN
Tags: Clean 2022, Commercial Laundry, Industrial Laundry, Jensen, Material Handling, Smart Technologies
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