Software and pattern control

What is FoodJet's depositing software?

FoodJet Control Platform main screen, animated mass flow from the tank through six depositing heads and back

On a FoodJet line, the deposit pattern and the dosing do not live in fixed tooling. They are defined in software and run as a product recipe. FoodJet's depositing software is the FoodJet Control Platform (FJCP), which runs on every new FoodJet system and includes a pattern generator for building deposit patterns. You define the pattern you want, the software drives each nozzle to deposit it, and switching to another product or pattern is a recipe upload rather than a mechanical change-over. This is what lets one line run many products and patterns, each from its own recipe.

The pattern lives in software, not in tooling

Pattern editor in the FoodJet Control Platform with a custom dot pattern in the shape of a bear face

With an array of individually controlled nozzles, the deposit pattern is set in software rather than by a fixed plate or mould. Using the pattern generator in the FoodJet Control Platform, you decide the pattern, a full layer, a ring, or a custom shape that leaves the edge clear, and the recipe applies it to every product in the run. Because nothing mechanical defines the pattern, you are free to change it without changing parts.

Every product is a recipe

Four cookies with dark chocolate shapes seen from above: spiral, lines, apple, heart

Each product you run is stored as a recipe: the pattern, the deposit volume and the dosing settings together. Once a recipe is set, it sets the dose and pattern for every deposit each time you run that product. If the material changes, for example when it gets thicker or thinner, the recipe settings are adjusted to match. Building up a library of recipes means your operators select a product rather than set up a machine.

Changeover is a recipe upload

Assorted cookies with snowflake and wavy line patterns in white and dark chocolate

Switching from one product or pattern to another is a recipe upload, not a mechanical change-over. There is no tooling to swap and no pattern to re-set by hand, so the line keeps running. For a plant that runs several products on one line, this turns change-overs from downtime into a quick selection.

Production you can track

Because the recipe drives every deposit, you know which settings were used for each product. The software also supports a statistics module and integration with your line control through PLC and SCADA, so you can monitor production, log what the line produced, and support traceability.

Check out videos

Check all videos

Pizza sauce depositing in any shape

A short video we shot during the 2018 IBA exhibition. It nicely shows how the FoodJet pizza sauce depositor can handle random shapes.

Related technology

On-demand depositing with a nozzle array: the per-nozzle hardware that the software and patterns drive.
Vision-guided depositing: how camera input feeds targeting into the pattern.
Food depositing line capacity: how recipes and patterns shape what a line can run.

Back to Our technology

How it fits your line

Technician working on a FoodJet depositing line with a stainless steel conveyor

The software is built to sit in a production line, not beside it. It integrates with line I/O and your PLC or SCADA system, so the depositor starts, stops and switches recipes in step with the rest of the line. Vision, dosing and pattern control work together from the same software rather than as separate machines.

Request a trial

How we prove it for your product

The best way to see what the software does is on your own product. Share the products and patterns you need to run, your line speed and how often you change over, and we will configure recipes and run a trial, so you see the patterns, the change-over and the result on your own material before you commit.

FAQ

Where is the deposit pattern defined on a FoodJet line?

In software. The pattern and dosing live in a product recipe, not in fixed tooling. FoodJet's depositing software is the FoodJet Control Platform (FJCP), which runs on every new FoodJet system and includes a pattern generator for building deposit patterns.

How do I change from one product or pattern to another?

By uploading a different recipe. There is no tooling to swap and no pattern to re-set by hand, so the change-over is a quick selection and the line keeps running.

What happens to the deposit over a long run?

The recipe sets the dose and pattern for every deposit, so each product in the run is deposited with the same settings. If the material changes during the run, for example when it gets thicker or thinner, the recipe settings are adjusted to match.

Can the software connect to my line control?

Yes. It integrates with line I/O and your PLC or SCADA system, and it supports a statistics module for monitoring and traceability.

What kind of patterns can I deposit?

A full layer, a ring, or a custom shape, built with the pattern generator and stored as a recipe. Because the pattern is not fixed in tooling, you can adjust it whenever you need to.

Every FoodJet system is configured and quoted to fit your line and your requirements.