Pneumatics ensures food-processing reliability

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Pneumatics ensures food-processing reliability

Air-powered sorting and handling systems stand up to high-pressure washdown, harsh chemicals, and
temperature extremes.
Fri, 2012-02-10 12:45

By Ken Korane, Contributing Editor

Chicken is big business. The U.S. produced nearly 37 billion lb of commercial chicken in 2010, and the
average American consumes more than 80 lb each year. Getting that much meat from farm to table relies
heavily on advanced automation, where reliability is critical, and pneumatics often plays a central role.
For instance, an important step in preparing fresh chicken for the supermarket involves weighing, sizing,
and sorting the fillets, wings, thighs, and drums from processed birds and packaging them quickly in a
sanitary environment. The new Flexible Sizing & Packaging System for Poultry (FSPS-P) from Baader
North America Corp., Kansas City, Kan., performs all these tasks, combining the functions of several
individual machines into one all-encompassing system.
Conveyor belts on either side of the
60-ft long FSPS-P each handle
about 180 pieces per minute,
explains Doug Barnett, a senior
design engineer with Baader. The
chicken pieces travel across a
moving conveyor scale, where they
are weighed on the fly, then move
on to one of eight stations along
each conveyor, where they are
automatically sorted per customer
requirements and placed into
various-size tray packs commonly
found in grocery stores.
Beyond the tray-pack area, the
remaining pieces on the two
conveyors are discharged to the
center of the FSPS-P, creating
larger batches that are boxed for
shipment, freezer storage, or future
processing. Finally, conveyors carry

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the trays and boxes away.

Getting a handle on
processing
Much of the sorting and handling is
pneumatically powered. For
instance, custom pneumatic rotary
actuators designed and built by
Baader drive paddles that shuttle
products from the conveyors to the
packing stations. The rack-andpinion actuators are constructed of
oil-impregnated nylon and
stainless steel and are approved for
food-handling applications.

The 60-ft long FSPS-P sizes, sorts, and packages poultry. Rodless

cylinders with a low profile and 1.2-m stroke are an integral part of
Virtually all the remaining
the handling system.
pneumatics on the machine, from
actuators and valves to fittings and filters, are supplied by Festo Corp., Hauppauge, N.Y. For example, at
the tray-pack stations, sorted batches drop into metal drawers. Festos DSNU air cylinders push the
drawers out to operators, who pack the contents into trays, and retract them when the process is
complete.

Twenty-six of the corrosion-resistant DSNU round cylinders, in several sizes and strokes, are used
throughout the machine, according to Kevin Ost, Festos Kansas City area senior sales engineer. They
have stainless-steel cylinder barrels and piston rods, and anodized aluminum bearings and end caps.
Those handling small-to-medium loads feature Festos PPS internal cushioning, a self-adjusting endposition cushion that requires no adjustment. Units handling larger loads use adjustable end-position
cushioning. Both types of cushions minimize impact and shock loads that could potentially damage the
machine and cause premature cylinder wear.
In the large-box packing section, the FSPS-P makes similar use of rotary actuators and the corrosionresistant DSNU cylinders with Viton seals (designed to withstand severe washdown environments) to
sort and move the product. But here, chicken accumulates in center drawers that are alternately shuttled
to packing stations on either side of the machine. This created an engineering challenge for Barnett
because the FSPS-P is more than eight feet wide, and available space is constricted by conveyors running
over and under the drawers travel paths. Here, he opted for Festo DGC rodless cylinders because of the
long length, low profile, and structural support they offer.
The linear drives have a 1.2-m
stroke with an 18-mm piston. The
DGCs sealing system consists of an
outer cover strip and an internal
sealing band that offers excellent

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contamination resistance with

virtually no leakage, says Ost.
Loads mount directly to the slides,
which run on plain-bearing guides,
and the units have adjustable endof-stroke positioning and
cushioning. Twenty of the DGC
linear drives are used on the
machine.
Flow controls govern actuator
speeds, and 72 Festo MPA-S
directional valves control cylinder
movements. A PLC handles overall
motion and pneumatic control in
conjunction with proprietary
electronics for weighing and sizing.
The valves are mounted in groups
of eight throughout the machine in
individual stainless-steel
enclosures. That puts the valves in
close proximity to the actuators
they are driving, explains Barnett.
It gives us the benefit of not
having lots of compressed air in
long tubing lengths, which saves air
and energy. Plus, were not
introducing delays in the timing of
movements and timing is critical Pneumatics powers much of the sorting and handling at the boxing
stations (foreground) and tray-pack stations (rear).
at the rates were talking about, he
emphasizes.
It also gives us some modularity, adds Barnett. Although this machine was custom built, the intent is to
produce similar versions for other customers. A large part of the variations in these types of machines is
in the number of positions, which directly affects the number of actuators. So housing the valves in
modules makes it easy and straightforward to scale the design to whatever the project demands, he
says.
Benefits of pneumatics
But why pneumatics, rather than electric drives? Historically, pneumatics is used in this industry
because its a proven solution, says Barnett. It needs to be as clean an environment as possible, and
there are benefits just in the sanitation. Components are subject to extreme washdown conditions, highpressure water spray and harsh chemicals, so we try to minimize the amount of electronics we put into

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that environment, he says. And electromechanical belt drives offer the potential to generate and trap
debris. Pneumatic cylinders handle the tough operating and washdown environment without harboring
contaminants, explains Barnett.
Its a must because durability is the most critical factor, as far as the customer is concerned, says
company General Manager Oliver Hahn. Reliability is so important. We dont have the luxury to wait
hours to get a machine up and running, should it fail. If it stops, the product can go bad rapidly.
Clean, efficient, and reliable
The entire production process, even starting on the farm, is finely choreographed, adds Baader CEO
Andy Miller. Our customers raise birds for a specific number of days to meet a specific size range, he
explains. If we have a delay, the birds grow larger, are the wrong size, and that throws off production,
deliveries, and so on. Or it spoils on the waiting truck or, if its already been processed, just sitting on an
idle machine. Its critical in our industry to minimize downtime, stresses Miller.
Another factor that can play havoc
with equipment is that
temperatures in food-processing
plants vary widely, from extremely
hot during washdown to extremely
cold during production, explains
Hahn. So its not just the
washdown we have to deal with;
condensation is also inevitable. All
these things play a big role when
we design this type of equipment.
Plus, the compressor might operate
in a hot and humid environment,
Festos DGC rodless cylinders have an outer cover strip and an
but compressed air is piped inside a internal sealing band to keep out contamination and prevent air
cold room where meat is processed.
leakage.
Inevitably, this leads to
condensation inside the air lines, says Miller. Making matters worse, many plants dont have functional
air dryers at the compressor. The reality is that the air system is beyond our control, so we try to protect
the machine as best we can and give the customer good advice on best practices, he says. To that end, in
addition to standard filtration on the incoming compressed air, they add a water separator and
coalescing filter for extra protection.
Like most applications today, energy efficiency is also a concern, says Barnett. But that is balanced with
the ability to run continuously under adverse conditions. For instance, the short tubing that runs from
valves to cylinders, mentioned previously, reduces unnecessary compressed air consumption. Also, the
company took advantage of Festos cylinder-sizing software to ensure the cylinders properly matched the
application.

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But energy savings is also a big issue on the hygiene side, explains CEO Miller. Washdown costs can be
substantial, so the entire system must be designed for easy access to facilitate cleaning. For instance,
mounting blocks of valves close to the actuators minimizes the number of hoses that must be routed
along the length of the FSPS-P. And hoses are separated from one another, so each can be readily
accessed and cleaned. Otherwise, keeping bundles of hoses clean in a food-processing environment
poses a challenge.
If you dont do that, the number of people required for cleaning, and the amount of energy expended
with high-pressure hoses, it is massive. So clearly, hygiene is a big part of energy savings, and we
incorporate that into our design, says Miller.
The FSPS-P was custom built for Baaders sister company in Denmark for ultimate shipment to a
customer in France, and that played a role in sourcing the pneumatics. Festos international reach
definitely helped facilitate this project, says Hahn. The service they provide makes our job so much
easier. You cant have delays on parts delivery. Because Festo is worldwide, if something goes wrong,
that is a big benefit to us.
But Baader has also built a reputation for equipment that is sophisticated yet simple, durable and
effective. For that reason, they are meticulous in regards to manufacturing precision and sourcing highquality parts. Weve had a good, long-term relationship with Festo, adds Barnett. Theyre responsive
to our needs, and a good source of ideas and suggestions when problem solving.
For more information on Baader North America, visit www.baaderna.com. For information on Festo
Corp., visit www.festo.com/us.
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