Design of a fresh meat packing robot for working in washdown environment
The benefits of robotics are evident in many industries. However, the food processing industry has not been able to realize this benefit due to the limitations imposed by the operating environment. The demanding environment in the handling of fresh meat products typically includes a daily wash with high pressure as well as highly corrosive cleaning agents. This paper described the development of a robot specifically built for handling fresh meat products in such environment. The selection of materials for washdown working conditions, as well as the unique coaxial shaft design, was specified. Based on the specific motion, the system kinematics and dynamics were formulated. The simulation results provided the optimal motions to minimize the centrifugal force on the meat (grasper). The dynamic model also yielded the speed and torque relationship, which helped to provide the criteria for motor selection and the verification of the applicability of the selected motors. A functional prototype has been built and is under evaluation.