Improved workplace safety
Machinery
Automation &
Robotics
An IRB 4600 industrial robot is fitted with a vacuum wand to remove kidney fat.
age, thereby simplifying downstream pro-
cessing. Moreover, consistent submerg-
ing of the blade and guides after every
cut sterilizes them more thoroughly and
prevents cross-contamination.
Safety first
Contamination that spreads from a sheep’s
pelt to the carcass costs the industry in
terms of product quality, extra processing,
and reduced yield. The way the meat pro-
cessor had addressed this earlier was a
manual process in which personnel oper-
ated a Sani Vac wand. This solution put
employees at risk for repetitive strain in-
juries, limited yield through various inef-
ficiencies, negatively affected product
quality and required extra processing.
Thus, the second solution MAR pro-
vided the meat processor was front and
rear Sani Vac systems, essentially steam
sanitisers with vacuums attached to IRB
140 industrial robots, to clean areas prone
to contamination before cuts are made.
With accurate sensing and programming,
the wand delivers steam to loosen soil, kill
bacteria and remove contaminants – and
removes them via vacuum.
Additionally, Campbell points out that
having both the front Sani Vac and the
brisket saw robot in the same guarded
cell reduces the amount of guarding on
the process line.
Losing the fat
Finally, the third solution that MAR pro-
vided the meat processor involved kidney
fat removal from sheep carcasses. Like
the other two installations, MAR’s auto-
mation saves workers from a repetitive
and strenuous task best left to robots; it
interfaces an IRB 4600 robot with a spe-
cially designed fat extraction wand con-
nected to a vacuum system.
“The heavy vacuum that operators
handled in the manual process caused
repetitive strain injuries and serious back
and shoulder problems,” says Campbell.
“Also, there was a risk of cross-contami-
nation from one carcass to the next. The
carcasses travel pretty fast on the chain,
so you need a very competent operator
to make sure fat is removed consistently
and sterilization procedures are complet-
ed thoroughly – every time.”
MAR’s dramatic improvements to the
meat processor’s work have achieved
the most important goal of all: there have
been no injuries reported since the instal-
lation.
Machinery Automation & Robot-
ics (MAR) provides flexible turnkey
robotics solutions to diverse indus-
tries all over the world such as food
production, meat, brewing and bev-
erages, pharmaceutical, solar, white
goods, packaging, chemicals, water
treatment and filtration, aluminum
smelting, castings and metals.
With offices all over Australia,
the company is headquartered
in Silverwater, Sydney, in its own
purpose-built business park. From
here, national projects are scoped,
designed, built and tested (Fac-
tory Acceptance Tested) before
being installed on-site. In addition,
MAR’s state-of-the-art R&D facility
is equipped with the latest robotics,
PLC and vision equipment.
In 2008 the company was
named Telstra Australian Busi-
ness of the Year out of a compet-
ing pool of more than 4,500 nomi-
nated entrants and 21 finalists. The
award is based on a comprehensive
range of criteria, including technical
innovation, customer service and
excellence in innovative design and
solutions.
For more information, visit www.
machineryautomation.com.au.
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