IMA Coffee Hub

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By Dan Shryock

IMA Group, the international leader in the design and manufacturing of automatic processing and packaging equipment for the coffee and tea industries, has assembled a group of solutions to serve the coffee industry.

The group – The Coffee Hub – brings together the applications needed to handle all stages of coffee handling, processing, and packaging.

“IMA created the hub aiming to leverage expertise at every step of coffee processing or packaging and be the one-stop answer to large and small coffee producers worldwide,” the company said. With this “handful of expert companies and supported through consolidated, strategic partnerships, IMA now addresses any issue facing coffee producers, starting from when green coffee is delivered to when bulk-packaged capsules, pods, and ground coffee or beans are shipped to retail outlets.”

IMA packaging solutions have been on the forefront of single-cup filling and packaging for 10 years with the well-known GIMA brand and then with Mapster since 2017. The recent merger of GIMA and Mapster companies into IMA S.p.A. in January and the acquisitions of Spreafico (2019), Tecmar (2019), and Petroncini (2018) have contributed to the process of creation and strengthening of the IMA Coffee Hub.

IMA Coffee Hub now serves the coffee industry as a one-stop supplier of specialist brands to large and small coffee producers worldwide, the company says. It supports green coffee intake, and processing, roasting, grinding, packaging, and cartooning.

Here’s a quick review of each stage:

Green coffee intake, cleaning, and storage

Whether beans arrive in a single bag, a bulk container, or any size in between, automated handling —including telescopic conveyors, indoor and outdoor hoppers, and robotic technology — work with intelligent software to maintain security and efficiency during the intake process.

Once the beans arrive, each shipment must be cleaned, sorted, and weighed for storage. IMA touts its systems as “important tools to guarantee the maximum processing efficiency” that still protects the “integrity of the raw material without dispersions and contamination,” as well as operator safety.

Petroncini cleaning systems are able to remove all types of foreign objects from lots ranging from 2-20 tons. At the same time, dust suction and automatic filters create a dust-free working environment.

Roasters

Petroncini delivers a variety of convection drum roaster sizes and functionality to meet different needs. Its TT Roasters handle 5-400 kilograms per batch. The forced hot air during the convection process enhances the process.

TT roasters, well suited for small- and medium-size productions, are equipped for roast-profile management. The roasters have automatic profile control, temperature settings, and roasting cycles that can be replicated for consistency. And they can be configured with green coffee processing units.

The Hub’s TT 5/10 and TT 15/20 specialty roasters fill the small-batch niche with air convection technology that works well with smaller productions, the company says. The TT 5/10 handles up to 30 kg per hour while the TT 15/20 can accommodate up to 60 kg.

Both are available with either manual or profile roasting controls. They also may be powered by either gas or electric heating. Like other Petroncini roasters, these are available with destoners and afterburners.

The TMR roaster is a modular machine that can roast up to 720 kg per batch. This largest unit, designed for industrial use, repeatedly produces consistently roasted beans. Dedicated software manages the roasting profiles with its “pre-drawn time-temperature” that ensures there is no more than a two-second variation in roasting times all year long. A single-burner system and efficient heat recovery keep energy consumption low.

Handling and storage

Once the beans are roasted, it’s vital that they be handled and stored to preserve quality and integrity. IMA Coffee Hub offers customizable systems for all production sizes. This includes storage, pneumatic handling systems, rotary distributors, weighing systems, and mixers.

Grinding and degassing

Before the beans move to packaging, the focus shifts to grinding and degassing. The IMA Group has developed a variety of systems to meet the specific needs of each product, such as ground coffee, capsules, single-dose packs, and vacuum packaging.

Single-serve capsules

The IMA Group has been synonymous with single-serve capsule machines for years. The Coffee Hub now allows roasters to distribute their blends regardless of production volumes.

The options start with GIMA’s 595 capsule filling and sealing machine, a unit that can use both injected and thermoformed capsules at rates reaching 600 capsules per minute. The 595 modular design accommodates a variety of sealing and cutting systems based on materials, capsule type, dosed product, and other considerations.

The Spreafico SC Series, meanwhile, helps prepare capsules by cutting, inserting, and sealing filters. SC series machines can be configured to work with different types of capsules, no matter the materials. Setups range from 4-16 lanes with speeds up to 60 strokes per minute.

“There are different types of capsules that require preparation or assembly before the filling. In a lot of cases, the capsule provider prepares the capsule internally before delivery,” Nobili says.

If this is the case, the capsule provider needs a machine to assemble the capsules. “The Spreafico machines are specialized in doing this,” he says. “There is a filter there, a rigid filter or a paper filter or an aluminum foil. We can handle and apply everything that is needed.”

Mapster’s MCA Series capsule filling and sealing machines meet the needs of lower-volume operations. The MCA-1 operates with a single lane for lower production demands. Other models meet increased needs. Each PC-based machine is designed to dose products, and quick-format changes allow for different capsule systems to be filled on the same unit.

Vertical Bagging

The Tecmar 3C Series vertical bagger is another spoke on the IMA Coffee Hub. The machine fills both ground coffee and roasted beans into different types of packaging materials at sizes ranging up to two kilograms. It also can dose products into flat-bottom, flat-top, stabile, or gusseted bags.

Pod Packaging

IMA’s series of pod packaging machines let roasters produce hard or soft coffee pods with speeds and flexibility needed to meet changing market demands.

The CA1 is an all-in-one, single-dose coffee packaging machine that allows for quick changes to meet production demands. Soft pods can be produced as quickly as 800 pieces each minute. The CA3, meanwhile, generates up to 250 hard or soft pods per minute, heat-sealing each one in a protective outer envelope before packing them into cartons or bags.

The CA6 machine produces hard coffee pods on a single line, heat-sealing them into an envelope before packing into cartons at 130 pods a minute.