Robotics in meat processing

Scientists are currently investigating micro-robotics in the medical field with a potential to provide better medical technology in the near future. When it comes to the food industry, the use of robots has been traditionally limited to picking and palletization. Today, however, robots are used in material handling and secondary or tertiary packing. Recent developments with faster computers and sophisticated sensors have made it possible to use robotics in the meat processing sectors, where their application has reduced processing costs, occupational injuries, improved efficiency and hygiene associated with meat products. Compared to other industries, the working environment in the meat industry is not very conducive to robotics due to the noisy, damp and cold conditions. Slaughtering animals and cutting meat into pieces and disposing waste is an intensive physically demanding task. This chapter reviews the application of robotics in the meat industry and the advancements that have been made until now

Computerized and Electronic Controls in Food Packaging

The focus of food packaging is to contain food in a cost-effective way that satisfies industry requirements and consumer desires, maintains food safety and minimizes environmental impact. Currently, with the increasing demand of the consumers the major concern of food packaging industry is on efficiency of the plant process, productivity, quality as well as safety. It becomes necessary for companies to discover ways to improve their productivity in terms of maintaining safety, using sustainable materials in packaging, implementing flexible and standardized technology, and maintaining good quality of foods. Thus, to achieve the required demands, automation and upgradation of the packaging machinery is necessary and this has been accepted because these changes are robust, flexible, reconfigurable, preserve the quality of the food and are efficient. Due to limitation of feasibility study and research in food packaging, most of the studies focus on trends in food packaging materials (smart packaging). Thus, this review focused on advancement in food packaging machines, involvement of softwares in controlling the working of various machines for example open modular architecture control (OMAC), Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), Field bus Technology etc. The automated machines include drive system, sensors, actuators etc. So, the knowledge about these techniques will result in enhancing the efficiency of packaging and productivity of food products

A methodology for the selection of industrial robots in food handling

As the global population continues to rise and consumer demand for a wider variety of food products increases, food manufacturers are exploring various strategies, methods and tools to change and adapt. Furthermore, restriction in access to low-cost labour and introduction of more stringent legislation are forcing the food industry to update their production processes. Industrial robots, a pillar of Industry 4.0, promises many benefits to the food manufacturing industry, especially in responding to these new challenges. The integration of such automation into food manufacturing has been a slow process in comparison to other manufacturing sectors and has largely been limited to packaging and palletising. This research aims to improve the application of industrial robots within food manufacturing through definition of a methodology for the identification of a flexible automation solution for a specific production requirement. The paper explores the four steps within the Food Industrial Robot Methodology (FIRM), through which users define, classify and identify their foodstuff and automation solution. The application of FIRM is exemplified through an industrial case study to support food manufacturers investigating the potential benefits of utilising industrial robots within their production systems

Towards human-robot collaboration in meat processing: Challenges and possibilities

Background Meat is one of the main sources of protein in human nutrition. During recent years meat production volume has been showing significant growth worldwide. The total growth of red meat production is expected to show an 80% increase by 2029, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development (OECD). Such growth indicates the necessity for existing production line modernisation to satisfy future increased demand for meat products. Scope and approach This article critically reviews automation challenges for robotic applications in the meat industry, among those are heterogeneity of meat pieces and inconsistency of cutting trajectories that must be overcome to achieve the final quality product. It specifically focuses on human-robot collaboration (HRC) that could be applied in the meat industry to address these challenges. The paper elaborates on possible adaptation of HRC in meat industry, based on its achievements in other industries. Key finding and conclusions With increased customisation for both hardware and software robots can offer a flexible, scalable, compact and cost-effective production line alternative to older machinery that require large floor space, are difficult to adapt and include higher maintenance costs. However, in the case of red meat industry there are no off-the-shelf robotic solutions that can cover all the production steps in the secondary meat processing. Introducing collaborative robots into meat processing could help to promote higher standards in food safety and human-working conditions in the industry and make automation more affordable for smaller production plants.Towards human-robot collaboration in meat processing: Challenges and possibilitiespublishedVersio

Challenges for industrial robot applications in food manufacturing

The global food industry is facing many challenges due to the impact of climate change, ever-changing demands by consumers, and increasing legislative pressures by the government, which have resulted in several drivers for changes. Current large scale rigid manufacturing systems are increasingly seen as incapable of supporting the underlining requirements for implementation of such changes. In this context, one of the key requirements is the need for improved flexibility and reconfigurability of production facilities, often provided by adoption of Industrial Robots in other manufacturing sectors. However, despite their recent technological advancements, in particular the advent of the 4th industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), and significant reduction in overall implementation cost over the last two decades, the uptake of industrial robots in food processing has been slow. This paper explores the application of industrial robots in food manufacturing, the benefits of their use and the challenges currently hindering their uptake

A review of unilateral grippers for meat industry automation

With the expectation that meat consumption will grow by 12% over the next decade, coupled with the reported labour issues and viruses attacking human and animal health, there is a growing requirement for red meat slaughterhouse automation. Changes to current abattoir setups and processes are necessary to realise for sustainable, low-cost and scalable automation. However, to achieve such autonomous nirvana, simple, cost-efficient and robust tooling to support these systems are sought. This includes grippers used to hold, manipulate and transport workpieces, such as primal cuts of red meat, for example, with the simplest type being unilateral gripping systems. Scope and approach This paper critically reviews various unilateral gripping solutions available in cross-industry sectors or developed in research that could be used or adapted for the meat industry. Criteria for such tooling are simplicity, low-cost, durability and robustness, whilst being capable of gripping highly deformable objects of various structures and maintaining safety and hygiene standards. The focus is on air-driven grippers due to their ability to hold high payloads without causing visual and physical damage to the product. Key findings and conclusions Three pneumatic-based unilateral gripper principles, namely Coanda, Bernoulli and Vacuum, are critically reviewed for their feasibility in meat industry automation. In conclusion, the simple vacuum-based system offers the best solution of holding force and low damage thresholds. However, vacuum based design and adaption requires thought for meat surface and structure variance. This will inevitably lead to future experimental research and development work.A review of unilateral grippers for meat industry automationpublishedVersio

Towards realizing robotic potential in future intelligent food manufacturing systems

This paper provides a comprehensive review of the robotic potential that is foreseen by researchers in designing future food manufacturing plant. The present day food handling and packaging setup is limited in capacity and output due to manual processing. An optimized protocol to fetch various ingredients and shape them in a final product by passing through various stages in an automated processing plant while simultaneously ensuring high quality and hygienic environment is merely possible by using robotized processing. The review also highlights the possibilities and limitations of introducing these high technology robots in the food sector. A comparison of several robots from different classes is listed with major technical parameters. However, as predicted, a food cyber-physical production system (CPPS) visualizes a closed loop system for the desired output keeping in view various constraints and risks. Human machine interface (HMI) for these machines complies with the industrial safety standards to provide a fail safe production cycle. Various new horizons in research and development of food robots are also highlighted in the upcoming industrial paradigm

Novel Soft Palmar Gripper for Chicken Handling

This thesis describes the development of a novel concept for a soft gripper with pneumatically articulated fingers and palm used in the pick and place operations of raw chicken to aid with the shortage of human workers that currently perform this task. The gripper was attached to an industrial robot and tested by picking raw chicken parts moving along a conveyor and placing those parts into trays. Four different parts were tested over 250 times each for a total of more than 1000 trials. Over the course of these trials the gripper saw an overall success rate of 63.57%. While this is low, promising results occurred when the pressure in the palm was roughly doubled, yielding success rates around 95%. However, these pressures led to the palm bursting. With a greater investigation in materials and design, a more robust gripper could be achieved

Management of chemical and biological risks in agri-food chain

Paper presents diverse modes of governance of chemical and biological risks in agri-food sector, assesses their efficiency, complementarities, and challenges, and suggests recommendations for public policies improvement. It defines governance as system of social order responsible for particular behavior of agents; specify various (institutions, market, private, public) mechanisms of risk governance and (natural, technological, behavioral etc.) factors of efficiency; and suggest a framework for analysis and improvement of risk governance. New opportunities for risks governance relate to: modernization of technologies and institutional environment; specialization, concentration, and integration; “willingness to pay” and consumers and media involvement; national and transnational cooperation. Risk management challenges are associated with: new threats and risks; separation of risk-creation from risk-taking; vulnerability of mass production, distribution and consumption; high adaptation and compliance costs; unequal norms, implementing capability, policies and private strategies; public failures; and informal sector. Policies improvement is to incorporate governance issues taking into account type of threats and risks, specific factors, and comparative benefits and cost (including third-party, transacting, time); employ more hybrid modes introducing and enforcing new rights, and supporting private and collective initiatives; give greater support to multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research on factors, modes, and impacts of risk-governance.risk management; market, private, public governance; agri-food chain