Automated Food Interleaver
Separating Stacks of Food Products
The MFT Automated Food Interleaver places sheets of paper, film, or foil under food products (underleaving), including burgers patties, deli meat, bacon, tortillas, cookies, pasta, and other food products. The sheets of material prevent the stacked food products from sticking together in their packaging. The Food Interleaver features a high-speed blade that cuts material precisely before it is delivered onto the conveyor belt, intersecting with the food product traveling on the conveyor. The Automated Food Interleaver can run two rolls of material for two lines of products and double the productivity. Compact and designed to integrate into existing production lines or new production lines seamlessly. Featuring a Washdown design, the MFT Automated Food Interleaver can be washed with harsh chemicals and water without compromising the internal components. It is ideal for sanitary environments, such as food packaging, where the equipment must be consistently and aggressively cleaned.
Hygienic Washdown Friction Feeder 600

Automated Food Interleaver
Our systems are highly customizable to match your application. Submit your current automation challenge and we’ll work with you to create a system that fits your specific needs.
PRODUCT VIDEO
Our Washdown and Hygienic Washdown line of equipment has tons of applications. See our food packaging equipment in action!
Want to see how your product feeds? Request a video demo and send us a sample of your product.
COMMON APPLICATIONS
Below are a few examples of common applications used with the Automated Food Interleaver. Our
machines all have a wide variety of applications, so please reach out if you have a question
regarding your specific application and we will find the right solution for you!
Looking for spare parts?
Current customers get access to our online store, the Parts Portal, for convenient and fast online ordering of spare parts and accessories.
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Robotics Trends in the Packaging Industry
The future is now! What was once thought to be science fiction is now happening right in packaging production lines around the world. With an increase in consumer demands and tightening budgets, packaging companies have turned to automation to save money and increase productivity and efficiency. Lights out manufacturing, the idea of a factory with little to no humans and therefore no need for lights, seems to be within reach with the advancements in robotics and automation. Read more to learn about 3 robotics trends in the packaging industry.
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning have been hot topics these past years with the rise of public-facing applications such as ChatGPT and AI assistants like Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. In robotics, AI is commonly used to process and analyze data from the robots’ sensors to adapt performance and more in real-time. Machine Learning (ML) refers to the algorithms that learn from robotic data to make predictions and decisions. As the algorithm is exposed to more data, it makes more data-driven decisions. In packaging, there are hundreds of applications for AI-powered robots, from simple pick-and-place robots to automated quality control. In Pick-and-place applications, AI technologies use vision sensors to gather information and train the robot’s algorithms to detect and classify objects as well as understand the robot’s environment better. Allowing the robots to make inferences and complete the task faster. The sky is the limit with AI robotics as they are connected through the Internet of Things (IoT) and can not only utilize its own data, but also the data from the entire production floor.
Cobots
Collaborative Robots or Cobots simply refer to robots that work alongside humans. There’s a huge increase in productivity and efficiency when humans work alongside robots as the robots complete difficult or tedious tasks while humans do the more complex tasks. Commonly pick and place robots and other robotic arms. In the past, humans working alongside robots was a safety concern as they were bigger, heavier, and moved faster than any human worker, the risk was just too great. Robots were guarded by cages that took up space on already densely packed production floors. Now, new advancements in sensors, AI, and programming have made it possible for robots to work side by side with humans safely. AI allows Cobots to respond to and learn human movements, making them safer while working next to humans. Cobots also include autonomous guided carts and vehicles that move around the warehouse.
Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Automated Guided Carts (AGCs)
Alternatives to conveyor belts, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) and Automated Guided Carts (AGC) are autonomous robots, usually mobile, guided by software predefined routes. They can be as large as a forklift or as small as a wagon, allowing for a wide range of applications. With new advancements in safety and AI, AGVs and AGCs are becoming more prevalent in warehouses for transporting materials, packages, pallets, and more. The AGVs and AGCs work side by side with humans with special safety sensors and programs to avoid collisions. Optical sensors trained with AI quickly identify obstacles, such as human workers, boxes, machines, and more to alter the AGCs path and avoid collisions. Using RFID and sensors stationed around the warehouse makes the AGVs and AGCs easy for workers and technicians to locate them. The real-time location data can be used to extrapolate productivity and efficiency statistics for managers to make data driven decisions for the production process.
Your Robotics Integrator MFT Automation
MFT Automation is a proud Mitsubishi Electric Automation Diamond Solutions Partner. We integrate robotics into a variety of systems for complete packaging automation solutions. Ranging from simple pick-and-place applications to more complex packaging applications, we manufacture, design, and integrate systems for flexible and semi-rigid packaging. Specializing in 6-axis robotic arms, we work directly with customers to fit the robot to their application. Robots are available in ISO3 clean room, IP20, IP65, food grade, and chemical resistant versions. Payloads range from 1 kg to 20 kg with 150 mm to 1000 mm reaches. Contact us about your automation challenge! Call 1-651-427-1264 or contact us online.
Robotics in the Food Packaging Industry
The fast-paced food packaging industry works hard to keep up with the growing demands of consumers and recently has been trying to overcome the recent global events and concerns. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased public interest in food safety with many consumers demanding transparency and pushing for more regulations and requirements for food packaging. This public outcry has incentivized companies to eliminate even more human contact from their food packaging production lines. To meet the growing food safety and output demands of consumers, the food packaging industry is once again turning towards more automation. Let’s explore some of the applications and trends in the food packaging industry.
MFT Automation is a proud Diamond Partner with Mitsubishi Electric Automation. We provide a robotic, end-of-arm tooling option for a wide variety of packaging solutions.
Food Packaging Trends of 2022
The pandemic, resource and labor shortages, and more have noticeably altered the food packaging industry this past year. With some of the new trends being years in the making and others skyrocketing to the top with the recent circumstances, here are some of the top food packaging trends for 2022.
How to Automate Your Pouch Packaging Process
In many industries, heat-sealed pouches have become an efficient and cost-effective way to send product samples, and sometimes even products themselves to customers. Heat-sealed packets are highly versatile as they can be made with many different materials and come in many different sizes. Because of their versatility, they are used in many industries for many different kinds of products. And a new demand for custom samples and products has risen in consumers that make re-sealable and disposable pouches as a good way to fulfill lot size one orders for small items. The small and portable pouches are also perfect for the current grab n’ go culture. Anything from snacks to beauty creams to medicine, the pouches can hold a little bit of everything and fit easily inside bags. Looking to start using heat-sealed sample packets or looking to automate your pouch packaging process? From verifying barcodes to labeling pouches, there are many opportunities for automation. Here’s our guide on automating your pouch packaging process.
Where to Use Hygienic vs Washdown for Better Food Safety
In the food and beverage industry, food safety is a top priority. Keeping a sanitary environment at all stages of the food packaging process is vital for the safety of customers and the bottom line of the business. A joint study by the Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association found that on average food recalls cost food companies $10 million in direct costs, this number doesn’t even include the damage to the brand’s reputation and the loss in sales while the company works to regain public trust. Investing in food safety as a business could save millions of dollars in legal damages in the long run.