Potato Review

44 POTATO REVIEW JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 MACHINERY Crate loading robot wins award Brillopak’s UniPAKer crate loading robot for fresh produce factories has won the PPMA Innovative Robotics Solution 2019 award, beating nine other processing and packaging OEMfinalists. The summary from eight independent judges following their decision stated: “Brillopak’s UniPAKer fresh produce robot is a stand-out performer within its category. Incorporating a four-arm delta robot, it significantly increases productivity, while improving pick and pack presentation in crates to reduce waste. The robot’s highly innovative glove gripper makes for damage- free handling of food items to help showcase automation at its best.” The system has been specifically designed to improve pack presentation in retailer crates and handle products carefully to prevent bruising. It will consistently load up to 75 packs per minute in VFFS, tray sealed and flowwrapped packs and is ideal for vegetables, fruits and salad up to 1kg. As highlighted by the judges, the UniPaker’s innovative patented ‘glove’ end-effector has been designed with soft fingers, four on each side, which scoops- up the product and places it in the crate. Conventionally this is done by a steel gripper which is prone to bag splitting and bruising of the product. It was recently installed at three Morrisons fresh produce sites. Rushden site manager Andy Day said: “It loads with dexterity, tilting and placing packs individually at speeds that a layer packing robot couldn’t contend with. It’s an extremely clever piece of kit.” He said the UniPAKer has dramatically improved pack presentation in crates, reduced waste, eliminated line bottlenecks and reduced reliance on agency staff. Dewulf machines demonstrated at trade show Dewulf took advantage of Agritechnica 2019 in Hanover to demonstrate some of the updates and abilities of machines for all stages of potato farming. For cultivation and planting, the SC 300 and MS 4000 were shown. The MS 4000 at the trade fair was equipped with a spray set, Ferti-Flow – a continuously adjustable belt metering system for fertiliser – and cage rollers, which are particularly well-suited for ridge forming in lighter soils. Dewulf showed the variant of its Torro with unloading on the move bunker and a hydraulically driven sieving conveyor 1, which provides 100% variable control of the speed of the first sieving belt. Particular attention has been paid to potato- friendliness in this trailed two-row sieving harvester through aspects such as the curved haulm conveyor and the patented ‘Inclino Master®’ technology. The Kwatro, self-propelled four-row sieving harvester, at the trade fair was equipped with the new, improved haulm roller system and the recently launched two-part bunker with sieving discharge elevator. This option provides extra sieving capacity during unloading of the bunker and also supports unloading on the move. The bunker floor with bunker slats is followed by a discharge elevator with bar web that sieves out excess soil. This harvester also stands out in terms of its minimal ground pressure thanks to its double tracks and large rear wheel. Another unique aspect of the Kwatro is that sieving webs 1, 2 and 3 have absolutely no constrictions over the entire sieving path. The MH 241, a receiving hopper with a capacity of 20 m3, shown at the trade fair, was configured with a presentation conveyor, a cleaning unit with seven metal spiral rollers and a retractable Smart-Pin. The presentation belt ensures continuous even distribution of the product, even in challenging conditions. Thanks to the Smart- Pin, a hard-wearing point that runs between the spiral rollers to keep them free of caked- on soil, a consistent product cleaning quality is guaranteed without interruption of the storage process. The retractable pin retracts automatically to prevent haulm blockages on the roller unit. The MB 111 box filler, which can be supplied with a stack of three empty boxes simultaneously, continues to operate during the removal of a full box and the infeed of an empty box, because the product is simultaneously buffered. The MB 111 fills the boxes in three layers for good distribution of the product and optimum ventilation through the box. The machine stacks the full boxes in pairs on a discharge platform so a forklift can easily remove them. Thanks to this fully automatic process, a fill rate of 80 boxes per hour can be achieved, always at a continuous fill rate. The product flow can also be supplied