Robot use in industrial pig slaughter - hygienic and economic aspects
Summary of a presentation of 44. Kulmbacher week 2009
Automatic slaughtering machines, which perform individual slaughtering operations, have been used in industrial slaughtering of pigs for two decades in different working positions. These machines were each developed specifically for the intended application and could therefore - if at all - only be produced in very small series. A fundamentally different way of automation in the field of slaughtering was taken by a German manufacturer. There they have relied on conventional 6-axis standard industrial robots, which are used in particular in the automotive industry to a very considerable extent. Following positive experiences with an industrial robot for the coarse cutting of pork halves, four years ago the first standard industrial robots were installed in a large West German pig slaughterhouse for the automatic execution of the following steps: pinching front leg claws; Free the rectum; Separate lock bones; Open abdominal wall and sternum.At the "Rectum free cutting" workplace, we conducted a preliminary comparative bacteriological study under practical conditions at a slaughtering performance of 600 pigs per hour. The surface microbial contents on the medial pelvic musculature in the vicinity of the rectum were compared by means of destructive sampling after manual and after automatic execution. A second examination took place at the workplace "head down". There, too, the germ levels were determined on the exposed deep jaw muscles. In addition, the amount of neck muscles on the head was recorded and an assessment of the quality of the cut made. After an industrial robot took over the job at this workplace, the second round of the comparative investigation followed. This showed hygiene advantages in the robot. The presentation will also cover business aspects of the use of robots in industrial pig slaughtering, as far as they are approved by the manufacturer and the user.
A bacteriological status quo survey was also carried out in advance of the planned installation of another robot for splitting the carcasses. Two halving methods were examined: using a circular saw and using a band saw. The robot intended for this workplace should also be able to work with different halving tools, which means an additional challenge for the development, since the tool change has to be carried out very quickly in batches depending on the requirements of the customers. The splitting robot should be implemented at the end of April. After an appropriate trial period in the slaughterhouse, our investigations will continue there.
Even if a final assessment from a slaughter hygiene point of view cannot yet be made due to the pending investigation, it can be said that the concept of using 6-axis standard industrial robots for industrial pig slaughtering has proven itself, as the first robots have been successful for four years now carry out their activities and new applications in the slaughtering process have been added.
The lectures of the Kulmbach Week are fully documented in the newsletter of the sponsoring society for meat research in Kulmbach.
The newsletter is issued by the meat research association in Kulmbach and sent to the members free of charge. The sponsoring company uses substantial funds that are used for the research work of the MRI, Kulmbach location.
More details at www.fgbaff.de
Source: Kulmbach [ MOJE, M. ]
