It’s time to fix manual ingredient weighing

APRIL Robotics, part of OAL, is a food tech specialist based in Peterborough. Recently, they’ve developed a range of patented robotic ingredient handling systems. The APRIL cells can automatically weigh powders to an accuracy up to +/- 1g at weigh-up rates up to 1,000kg/hr. A key advantage of the system is its ability to deal with a wide weighing range without any mechanical change components. The cell has a turndown of 1,000 to 1 while maintaining accuracy and zero product cross-contamination risk.

For an €80 million turnover high-volume bakery, the handling and preparation of ingredients typically costs €800,000 per annum. It’s a big prize for automation, but if you consider baking at home, this high number isn’t surprising. The most tedious and time-consuming part of baking is weighing and preparing the small ingredients. We all know what happens when you forget to add the sugar!