scope:

This European Standard applies to clipping machines

This European Standard specifies safety and hygiene requirements to minimise the hazards which can arise during the commissioning, the use and the maintenance of clipping machines for portioning and closing of casings filled with foodstuffs, and intended to be used in butcheries, meat processing factories, main kitchens and other food processing factories.

This European Standard deals with all significant hazards, hazardous situations and events relevant to clipping machines, when they are used as intended and under conditions of misuse which are reasonably foreseeable by the manufacturer (see Clause 4).

This European Standard is not applicable to clipping machines which are manufactured before the date of publication of this European Standard by CEN.

This European Standard covers the following types of machines:

Concerning the sort of actuation:

- machine for gathering up by hand, power motioned locking-stroke;

- machine for automatic-motioned gathering and automatic-motioned locking-stroke.

Concerning the removal-system:

- machine with removal by fixed or movable clip-guide (see Figures 1 and 2);

- machine with spread-removal (see Figures 3 and 4).

Concerning construction:

-  table-top-machine;

-  movable floor machines;

-  floor-mounted-machine.

Description

Clipping machines will be used for closing of tubes with a single-clip (one side) or a double-clip (endlocking and startlocking).

The machines are equipped with closing tools (punch/die), which make the locking by deforming the lockingelement (clip).

A removal/gathering is used to form a free space and to gather the tube in a way that the locking equipment can be put over the pressed tail and this can be locked.

By automatic action the clipping machine will be placed at the end of the filling-tube and after each ejecting of the filling-portion there are positioned one or two clips at the casing.

From the machine the filled portion will be divided with a knife from the skin which still remains on the fillingtube. If necessary, an additional loop for hanging up the package will be attached.

Intended use

A clipping machine is designed and constructed in such a way, that in combination with a filling equipment, the food stuff will be transported through a filling-tube in a casing, which is gathered on the filling-tube. Afterwards this casing will be closed with a clip.

Furthermore, it is usual to close already filled casings, bags or other packages by hand with a free-standing or hand-operated/hand held clipping machine.

Although it should be advised against, the standard, taking into account practice, deals with the hazards due to cleaning with pressurised water.

With the aim of clarifying the intentions of the standard and avoiding doubts when reading it, the following assumptions were made when producing it:

-  only designated and instructed persons operate the machine;

-  place of use is adequately lit.