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A new fully automated system for deboning the hip bone and tailbone of a pork leg takes around 40 seconds. The main work is done by three hygienic Stäubli robots: Two hold the leg in place, while the third wields the knife.
Deboning pork by hand is a strenuous and hazardous activity. And yet, there were no automated alternatives for this challenging task—until now: Japanese equipment manufacturer Mayekawa has developed a fully automated robotic cell that, thanks to image processing and AI, offers the perfect solution.
Taking over work from humans that is strenuous or poses health risks is a core mission of robotics. In many areas of application, such as in industrial assembly processes, this works well. In others, it does not work as well yet; for example, in slaughterhouses. Here, the environmental conditions for staff are unfavorable (cold, humidity, great physical exertion) and the work is extremely demanding and repetitive. Until now, it could not be automated, largely because each animal is different, and the hand-eye coordination of skilled workers was indispensable in butchering animals.
Mayekawa’s robotic CELLDAS system opens a new chapter here, using three Stäubli six-axis robots, including TX2-60 HE and TX2-90 HE models. While two of the robots are responsible for handling and positioning the pieces of pork, the third six-axis robot, equipped with a knife, performs the deboning.
The robot "knows" exactly where to make the cuts and where the bones are located. What the human eye does in manual cutting, as well as the “tactile feedback” when the staff encounters resistance in the meat, is achieved through a combination of image processing and artificial intelligence. On the conveyor line to the robotic cell, the piece of meat to be deboned is scanned with a 3D scanner and X-rayed.
Based on analysis of the scans and X-ray images, the control system creates a plan for butchering with the optimal cutting paths using artificial intelligence. It evaluates the image processing data to optimize the cutting path. The new, fully automated system takes about 40 seconds to debone the hip bone and tailbone of a pork leg.
The reasons the Mayekawa engineers chose Stäubli robots are essentially threefold: In the HE version, the six-axis robots are designed from the ground up to work in humid and wet conditions. Thus, they easily withstand the intense cleaning processes in the food industry.
The second major advantage of Stäubli robots is the use of NSF-H1 food-grade oil.
The third important requirement stems from the fact that movements and forces during deboning are never exactly predictable. The knife on the robot arm can unexpectedly hit bones in the meat, become jammed in the bone, and suddenly release. This means that strong and irregular torques are exerted on the drivetrain. The gears, in particular, must be able to withstand these torques. This is the case with Stäubli robots, as their JCS drive technology, developed in-house and patented, provides sufficient reserves in every situation.
Importantly, the CELLDAS cell relieves butchers from this strenuous activity, which is often associated with occupational injuries such as tendonitis, as well as other health problems related to cold and dampness.
