A PROPOSED DESIGN OF A CHICKEN EGG HARVESTING SYSTEM

FOR SLJ POULTRY FARM AT GALAMAY-AMO, SAN JOSE, BATANGAS

A Systems Design

Presented to the Faculty of Industrial Engineering Department

College of Engineering

Batangas State University

The National Engineering University

Alangilan, Batangas City

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements in

IE 422

SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Albarico, Charlotte M.

Balmes, Niña Christle D.

Celis, Bien Althea G.

Mañibo, Kenneth C.

Talento, Erwin Bernard II A.

IE - 4201
I. Chicken Egg Harvesting System for SLJ Poultry Farm

Background of the Study

Poultry farms are one of the largest generating incomes of Filipino farmers. They

provide sources of food for the community thus, both eggs and chicken are crucial

for various purposes. Poultry farmers supply their harvest to either the

manufacturer, distributor, retailer, or customer in order to meet demands.

One of the processes of egg farming is egg harvesting. Harvesting is one of the

time-consuming processes because the collecting system for eggs is manually

worked using workers' hands. The average collection frequency per day is two

which then consumes a total of one hour a day per building. For cleaning, the

worker uses a wiping cloth to wash the dirt such as chicken manure, feathers, and

others. As for the sorting of eggs, workers used their judgment on what is seen by

their naked eyes. These processes, therefore, are done manually by the farm

workers.

The researchers identified the problems in the current egg harvesting system

which includes (1) longer time to collect and clean the eggs manually by bare hands

(2) more travel time and (3) repetitive motion which contributes to body pain and

(4) difficulty in sorting out the eggs.

In relation to the abovementioned problems encountered in SLJ poultry

farm, the researchers came up with the idea of building a chicken egg harvesting

system that is multifunctional which includes automatic egg cleaner, egg size sorter,

conveyor, crack detector, quality separator, egg loader and remote to control the

system.
II. Objectives

The study aims to develop a new system that can provide convenience to poultry

farmers. The system developed may help to reduce the fatigue of the farm helpers

and the time allocated in the egg harvesting process. Furthermore, the study is made

to meet the demand and needs of SLJ Poultry Farm in Galamay-Amo, San Jose,

Batangas.

Specifically, the study seeks to achieve the following objectives:

1. To identify and analyze the problem in the existing harvesting process of

the SLJ Poultry Farm in terms of:

1.1 Procedure of the existing harvesting process

1.2 Equipment for harvesting

2. To create design alternatives based on the problem identified and machine

requirements which consider the following:

2.1 Egg Handling

2.2 Machine Size and Scalability

2.3 Cleaning and Sanitization

2.4 Robustness and Durability

3. To determine the best design alternatives through trade-off analysis using

the following parameters:

3.1 Reliability

3.2 Constructability

3.3 Compatibility

3.4 Maintainability
 3.5 Safety of Use

3.6 Serviceability

3.7 Affordability

4. To simulate the best design for the chicken egg harvesting machine among

the alternatives provided.

5. To assess the effectiveness of the simulated design of the egg harvesting

machine through poultry farmers’ feedback.

III. Significance of the Study

This research was centered on the Design of the Chicken Egg Harvesting System

for SLJ Poultry Farm at Galamay-Amo, San Jose Batangas. The success of this

research was beneficial to the following:

To future customers, the success of this study would assure the poultry farm

owner that the advancements made for the automated egg harvesting machine can

lead to sustainable operations, increased efficiency, reduced workforce challenges,

and customer satisfaction in the egg industry.

To the researchers, this study served as their partial fulfillment of the

requirement for the degree of Industrial Engineering. This study also helped the

researchers to widen their knowledge when it comes to research operations and

scholastic studies.

To the Industrial Engineering Department, this will serve as a technical basis

for related studies regarding the Design of the Chicken Egg Harvesting System for

SLJ Poultry Farm. This may also be a great contribution to the institution for it will
 aid the advancement of the industrial engineering program for research analysis

undertakings.

To future researchers, the findings of the study would serve as a basis and guide

for future researchers who would like to conduct the same study related to designing

a system.

IV. Beneficiaries of the Project

The lengthened process of gathering farm-harvested eggs led to a proposal for

the product. Whereas the actual process of gathering the eggs requires one to two

hours of manual labor. This chicken egg harvesting system is intended to make the

egg-harvesting procedure efficient and useful for the SLJ Poultry Farm. It increases

the productivity of production and lowers operating expenses.

V. Analysis, Findings and Conceptual Design

Table 1
Current Harvesting System

Table 1 shows the current harvesting system of the SLJ Poultry Farm which

can be seen that there are eight manual operations, one inspection and one transport

that has been conducted that contribute to a longer time spending on collecting the

eggs, cleaning, sorting, and loading the eggs.

Equipment for Harvesting

The basic equipment that the SLJ farm is currently being used is the manual

transporter having the egg tray on top of it for which serves as storage after
collecting the eggs then after it is already full, the collector will unload the egg and

get a new set of egg trays, the process will be repetitively done until all the eggs

hatched are harvested and stored.

The researchers created the basic design for this project using each other's ideas,

as seen in the illustration below.

Roller Frame

Main Frame

Roller Step
 Cage Egg Brusher

Egg Loader & Egg Quality

Sorter Detector

Roller Belt

Figure 1. Conceptual Design of Parts of Automatic Harvesting Machine

Figure 1 shows the conceptual design of every part of the automatic chicken

egg harvesting machine which includes the egg packer, belt 1 and 2, egg cleaner,

roller frame 1 and 2, the cage of the chickens, roller as well as the step.
1. Materials/Components/Requirements

Table 2
System Components

Design 1 Design 2 Design 3

Expanded Metal Mesh Wire Mesh Perforated Metal Mesh

Stainless Steel Angle Aluminum Angle Bar Fiberglass Angle Bar

Bar

Rubber Conveyor Belt Plastic Modular Metal Conveyor Belt

Conveyor Belt

Timing Belt and Sprocket and Roller Worm Gear and Worm
Pulley System Chain Drive

Stepper Motor with Servo Motor with Hydraulic Motor with

Gearbox Speed Reducer Speed Reducer

Nylon Bristle Brush Natural Fiber Brush Brass Wire Brush

Stainless Steel Round Carbon Fiber Round Aluminum Round Bars

Bars Bars

Galvanized Steel Aluminum Sheet Copper Sheet

Strain Gauge Load Piezoelectric Load Cell Capacitive Load Cell

Cell

AC Servo Motor Linear Servo Motor Brushless DC Servo

Motor

Electric Linear Pneumatic Linear Hydraulic Linear

Actuator Actuator Actuator

Vacuum Cups with Pneumatic Suction Venturi Suction Cups

Adjustable Diameter Cups

Rotary Screw Air Piston Air Compressor Diaphragm Pump

Compressor

Polyethylene Tubes PVC Tubes Stainless Steel Tube

Aluminum Square Stainless Steel Bars Fiberglass Square Bars

Bars

ABS Pipe HDPE Pipe CPVC Pipe

 Table 2 shows the different materials that will be used in designing

and constructing the harvesting machine. It can be interpreted that most of

the materials used for design 2 are much cheaper than design 1 and 2. Most

expensive materials used for design 3.

2. Process of Allocating Requirements

The researchers searched for materials that were high-quality, long-

lasting, and reasonably priced. The durability, effectiveness, and

dependability of the machine are factors that the recipient will take into

account if they decide to invest in the construction of the machine. The

product's capacity to meet inferred demands is determined by the sum of its

features and qualities.

First to make are the machines responsible for the brushing, sorting

and loading. Then after doing it, the conveyor is installed and will be

incorporated by the machines constructed.

3. Materials Specifications

Table 3

Material Specification Table

Material Picture Description

Stainless Steel Stainless steel mesh is the only

type of chicken mesh suitable
Mesh for plastering applications
enclosing chickens. It offers
countless benefits due to its
corrosion-resistant properties.
Durable and resilient against
rust, which makes it best suited
for exterior plastering projects,
highly resistant to fire, and
provides superior strength and
 stability.

Angle Bar It is used to create supported

corners and outside rims to
protect any edges and corners
that are required to hold their
shape. Such bars are easily
applied to virtually any type of
surface through welding or by
using drilled fastening methods.

Conveyor belt Mechanical structures that

transport material from one
location to another. It is
powered by an electric motor
and supported by a metal plate
bed or rollers upon which the
conveyor belt rests.

Gear Gear is a toothed cylindrical or

roller-shaped element of a
machine that meshes with
another toothed cylindrical
element to transmit power from
one shaft to another. It is
primarily used to obtain
different torque and speed ratios
or to change the direction of the
driving and driven shaft.

Chain chain drive, as the name

implies, is made up of a series of
pin-jointed links covered by an
endless chain wrapped around
two or more sprockets. The
holes in the chain links fit over
the sprocket teeth. The chain
wrapped around the shaft's
sprocket revolves around the
main mover, transferring
mechanical power to the driven
shaft by applying mechanical
force to it.

Weper devices that convert electrical

motor/electric energy into mechanical energy,
motor usually in the form of rotational
motion. In simple terms, they
are devices that use electric
power to generate motive
 power.

Brush device composed of bristles

typically set into a handle and
used especially for removing
dirt

Round bars Round bars are thick, pre-

finished metal products that
come with a circular base, in a
wide range of diameters from
1/4′′ to 24”.

Sheet metal It is metal that can be formed

into flat pieces of varying
thicknesses ranging from 30
gauge to about 7 gauge.
Thickness distinguishes
between ferrous metals (iron-
based) and non-ferrous metals
such as aluminum or copper

Load cell/ An electro-mechanical sensor

sensor used to measure force or weight.
It converts mechanical force
into digital values that can be
read and recorded.

servomotor Type of motor that can rotate

with great precision. Normally
this consists of a control circuit
that provides feedback on the
current position of the motor
shaft, this feedback allows the
servo motors to rotate with great
precision
 Linear actuator Converts rotational motion into
push or pull linear motion,
which can be used for lifting,
dropping, sliding, or tilting of
machines or materials

suction A thin flexible lip particularly

adapted to lifting shell eggs to
be transported and deposited for
processing or packing, and
intermediate lifting and carrying
characteristics.

air compressor Air compressor is a device that

stores energy in the form of
pressurized air. The air
compressor compresses the air
into a smaller volume, and the
compressed air is used to do the
desired application.

tubes A pipe shape, a cylinder with a

hollow space inside

Square bars This is a solid square steel

section whose sizes range from
10mm upwards.

Pvc pipe It is made from a plastic and

vinyl combination material. The
pipes are durable, hard to
damage, and long-lasting. They
do not rust, rot, or wear over
time.

Source: Google

Table 3 shows the specifications for the construction of the egg

harvesting machine with the name of the materials, sample picture and its
 description or purpose. This will be the guide on the making of the

automated system with the following components mentioned.

4. Design Alternatives

The following farm-building designs were suggested by the researchers

after they performed direct observations and interviews to evaluate the

conditions at a chicken farm. These designs will make it easier for the farm

owner and workers to harvest the eggs.

Figure 2. Design 1 of Chicken Egg Harvesting System

Figure 2 of the chicken egg harvesting system that is composed of only

one machine per function. As it can be seen in the figure, there are three

lines of conveyors per cage row, which will meet halfway after. For this

reason, the cost that will be spent in this alternative is much lesser than any

alternatives.
 Figure 3. Design 2 of Chicken Egg Harvesting System

Figure 3 shows the design 2 which consists of multiple machines such

that all machines per function are allocated per conveyor line. In this figure,

there are three machines for a set of cages. This design requires a higher

amount of cost that will be incurred. This design is much more complex

than among all alternatives.

Figure 4. Design 3 of Chicken Egg Harvesting System

 Figure 4 shows the design 3 where there are machines per function which

are installed per line conveyor but other machine functions are allocated for

all the cages. This is much simpler than design 2 and much cost efficient

but much complex than design 1.

Preliminary Design

Schematic Diagram

A schematic diagram is a graphical representation that depicts the

connections and functional relationships between different components or elements

in a machine or system. It provides a clear representation of the system’s logical

connections, enabling engineers and technicians to understand and work with the

system effectively.

Figure 5. Schematic diagram of the Proposed Egg Harvesting Machine

The figure shows the schematic diagram of the automated egg harvesting

machine. It illustrates the parts responsible for the collecting of eggs from the

chicken cages. This includes conveyor belts and designed vacuum suction to gently
 pick up the eggs. The conveyor belts are also used to transport the eggs to a

designated point in where the eggs will be cleaned and sanitized before safely

moved to its egg trays. The egg harvesting machine includes the power supply, this

enables the machine to be operated. Furthermore, Human-Machine Interference is

also illustrated in the above figure, the user interface or HMI enables operators to

interact with the automated egg harvesting machine, these are the screens, buttons,

and other controlling and monitoring devices that will be used in the machine’s

operation.

VI. Detailed Design and Development

1. Design Analysis

The trade-off analysis helped the researchers to easily identify and

choose the best design among the alternatives. There were 7 respondents

which were composed of 2 experts, 2 fabricators, 1 user and 2 end users The

criterion importance scale used is 1-7 and each design has the ability to

satisfy the said criterion scale where 1 is the most important criteria while

7 is the least important. The importance of the criterion was set in the

knowledge and cooperation of the researchers. The best design among the

alternatives is acquired with the use of the trade-off techniques such as

standard weighted sum method, maximin decision, imprecise designer

ranking table, and analytical hierarchy process.

a) Standard Weighted Sum Method

Table 5
Results of Standard Weighted Sum Method

Design criteria Importance Design 1 Design 2 Design 3

Reliability 2 4.75 4.63 4.63

Constructability 4 4.75 4.50 4.63

Compatibility 4 4.50 4.88 4.50

Maintainability 6 4.75 4.38 4.38

Safety of Use 3 4.50 4.38 4.50

Serviceability 5 5.00 4.63 4.25

Affordability 5 4.75 4.50 4.50

137.25 131.75 129.25

TOTAL 29.00 19.61 18.82 18.46

Table 5 showed the evaluation of design criteria using Standard

Weighted Sum. in determining the best design alternative. These average

scores were used for the computation of Standard Weighted Sum by

multiplying the score of relative importance of each criterion to the average

score on each design, getting the sum and dividing it to the total number of

criteria. The standard-weighted sum for design 1 is 19.61; for design 2 it is

18.82; and for design 3 it is 18.46. Design 1 is the best alternative, with a

score of 19.61.
b) Maximin (Best of Worst) Method

Table 6
Results of Maximin (Best of Worst) Method

Design criteria Importance Design 1 Design 2 Design 3

Reliability 1.50 7.13 6.94 6.94

Constructability 3.75 7.13 6.75 6.94

Compatibility 4.00 6.75 7.31 6.75

Maintainability 6.13 7.13 6.56 6.56

Safety of Use 2.75 6.75 6.56 6.75

Serviceability 4.63 7.50 6.94 6.38

Affordability 5.25 7.13 6.75 6.75

RESULT 6.75 6.56 6.38

Table 6 showed the outcome of a trade-off analysis utilizing the maximin

decision approach is displayed. To calculate the value for each alternative

design, the survey's average findings are shown in this table. Following the

calculations, design 1 obtained 6.75 of the total value; design 2 got 6.56;

and design 3 obtained 6.38. Using this strategy, the design 1 that gained the

greatest value was selected as the best design alternative.

c) Imprecise Designer Ranking Table Method

Table 7
Results of Imprecise Designer Ranking Table Method

Design criteria Importance Design 1 Design 2 Design 3

Reliability 2 4.75 4.63 4.63

Constructability 4 4.75 4.50 4.63

Compatibility 4 4.50 4.88 4.50

Maintainability 6 4.75 4.38 4.38

Safety of Use 3 4.50 4.38 4.50

Serviceability 5 5.00 4.63 4.25

Affordability 5 4.75 4.50 4.50

TOTAL 29 4.73 4.54 4.46

Table 7 demonstrates the design criterion evaluation utilizing Imprecise

Designer Ranking Table. For each design, the sum weighted average score

is determined using this method. The design with the most points serves as

the best alternative design. The cumulative weighted average score for

Design 1 is 4.73, Design 2 is 4.54, and Design 3 is 4.46. The results showed

that Design 1 is the best alternative design since it meets the highest score

with 4.73.
d) Analytical Hierarchy Process

Table 8

Results of Analytical Hierarchy Process

Design criteria Weight Design 1 Design 2 Design 3

Reliability 20 0.95 0.93 0.93

Constructability 20 0.95 0.90 0.93
Compatibility 16 0.72 0.78 0.72
Maintainability 15 0.71 0.66 0.66
Safety of Use 12 0.54 0.53 0.54
Serviceability 11 0.55 0.51 0.47
Affordability 7 0.33 0.32 0.32
AVERAGE 0.7745 0.7579 0.7538

Table 8 showed the results of the trade-off analytic hierarchy process.

To calculate the value of each alternative design, the survey's average

findings are shown in this table. Following the calculations, design 1

received 0.7745, design 2 had 0.7579, and design 3 got 0.7538. Design 1

rated as the best, has the highest value 0.7745 by using this technique to

select an alternative.
e) Summary Results of the Four Methods of Trade-Off Analysis

Table 9
Summary of Results in Trade-Off Analysis

Methods Design 1 Design 2 Design 3

Standard Weighted Sum 19.61 18.82 18.46

Maximin (Best of Worst) 6.75 6.56 6.38

Imprecise Designer Ranking 4.73 4.54 4.46

Analytical Hierarchy Process 0.7745 0.7579 0.7538

Table 9 displays the outcomes of the four trade-off analysis techniques

using the standard weighted average. The best choice for Chicken egg harvesting

system design was Design 1, according to the results in sum method, maximin (best

of worst), imprecise designer ranking table approach, and analytical hierarchy

procedure. Of the available design alternatives, it gained the highest score.

2. Cost Analysis

One of the factors the researchers consider while creating three (3) options

is the development cost.

 Table 10
Cost Estimation for the Egg Harvesting Machine

Amount
Materials Unit Quantity Dimension Total
(Php)

Expanded Metal Mesh pcs 4 4’ x 8’ 1,800.00 7,200.00

Stainless Steel Angle Bar pcs 8 2” x 2” x 2’ 750.00 6,000.00

Rubber Conveyor Belt pcs 2 1m x 30 x .2 1,500.00 3,000.00

Timing Belt and Pulley

set 1 2.0L D 2,300.00 2,300.00
System

Stepper Motor with 20” x 10” x

set 1 16,500.00 16,500.00
Gearbox 7”

Nylon Bristle Brush pcs 2 NSI 2” 1,200.00 2,400.00

Stainless Steel Round Bars pcs 8 ½ 12mm 200.00 1,600.00

Galvanized Steel pcs 4 4’ x 8’ 1000.00 4,000.00

Strain Gauge Load Cell pcs 3 FS1901 5000.00 15,000.00

AC Servo Motor set 1 100W 40mm 15,100.00 15,100.00

Electric Linear Actuator set 1 6000N 5,800.00 5,800.00

Vacuum Cups with 16.5” x 6” x

set 1 1,600.00 1,600.00
Adjustable Diameter 5”

Rotary Screw Air

set 1 100 HP 26,000.00 26,000.00
Compressor

Polyethylene Tubes roll 1 100m ⅜” 4,700.00 4,700.00

Aluminum Square Bars pcs 4 2” x 2” 1,000.00 4,000.00

ABS Pipe pcs 4 1” x 4m 370.00 1,480.00

Labor Cost workers 3 10,000.00 30,000.00

TOTAL 146,680.00

Table 10 shows the list of materials for the chicken egg harvesting machine

is shown in Table 10. It contains the item's name, unit, amount, necessary
dimensions, and price per material. The machine, specifically the Design 1, costs

Php 146,680.00 in total.

3. Effective Analysis

Constructability is the capacity to build, and it refers to how quickly and

simply a building can be constructed. According to the researcher's observations,

Design 1 can be built simply and quickly without affecting its reliability or

functionality. In line with this, given that the machine is automotive, Design 1 is

the most user-friendly and in terms of its cost effectiveness, it is much cheaper than

the other alternatives.

Feedback

The opinions expressed in the feedback are details about how experts and

customers reacted to a product, and they can be utilized to inform future

development. We sought the opinions of some experts and users regarding the most

effective alternative design for egg harvesting machines.

To sum up the opinions expressed by users and experts, it can be said that

the majority of them were positively viewed about the larger transition from semi-

automatic to automatic harvesting machine. According to them, the system was

quite impressive due to the many functions it can work and also had some

constructive criticism suggestions for improving the product. Some of the positive

remarks they made included the fact that the design being exhibited has an excellent

concept and execution. This would improve the productivity of the workers that

would help the farm ease their daily operations.

VII. Production (Final Output)

See link for the simulation: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/shared-drives

Figure. 6 Final Design of Egg Harvesting Machine

 Figure 6 shows the final design according to the best design alternative as tradeoff

has been conducted. Mostly the feature of the system is by using the conveyor, then

machines for cleaning, sorting, inspecting, separating and loading of eggs that will be

done automatically.