Beef Rib Cutting is the first point at which yield can be lost during the boning process and also poses a large risk of personal injuries or amputations to operators.
The Automated Robotic Beef Rib Cutting system is a first of its kind, eliminating all key risks to employee Workplace Health & Safety and is capable of operating at line speeds of 520 sides per hour.
The Automated Robotic Beef Rib Cutting system uses a combination 3D scanners, x-ray and colour cameras. The 3-D scanner is used to scan the carcase and assist in cut placement and transforms the vision processing results for the robot to perform the cut. A colour camera is also used to identify a point of interest on the carcase to help determine the correct cut location. Finally a circular saw is mounted to the end of a robot to enable the cuts to be performed on the carcase
Beef rib cutting is a typical case where current manual tasks can be replicated by an automated system. The major benefits of this automation are increased yield and the positive impact on critical industry OH&S issues.
The requirements of the automated system are to:
- Stabilise the carcass;
- Scan the carcass with all required sensing technologies;
- Process the sensing data to identify the start and end points of each cut;
- Communicate this cut data to a robot which will perform the cut using a beef cutting tool;
- Cut through the designated ribs without damaging underlying muscles;
- Identify carcasses by grade to ensure specification compliance and maximum yield achievement at maximum speed;
- Operate at chain speeds up to 520 sides per hour moving into the system;
- Be able to deal appropriately with chain stoppages.
Summarised benefits:
- Labour Reduction – 2 operators per working shift
- Line Speed – 520 beef sides/hour
- OH&S – elimination of dangerous manual operations
- Productivity – ensures improved cut surface finish compared to manual operations
- Efficiencies – accuracy of cuts reduce need for rework
- Yield Gain – consistent accuracy of cuts provide significant yield gain
- Hygiene – reduced contamination compared to manual operations
Scott Automation and Robotics will be showcasing this and many other machines at Stand E9 Level 4 at foodpro 2017.