Customer Requirements:

• System to separate fresh produce that can bruise, if not handled properly. Careful handling of product is critical to avoid scuffing, or marking.
• Upon separation, produce is to be presented to operators for sorting and grading.
  

AHP solution:

A wash and transport system incorporating a water tank, inclined conveyor, and transport conveyor, was designed and built.

The specially designed 1000 litre capacity, stainless steel, water tank is used for primary separation, where powerful, adjustable, jets of water wash and guide produce along the tank length.  An inbuilt, semi-immersed, inclined conveyor, removes the produce from the tank.

Incorporated with the inclined conveyor, is an energy saving, air drying system that detects the shape and location of produce. Strong jets of air in the corresponding location then blows water off the produce. 

The washed produce is transferred from the tank, onto a transport conveyor, which features powered low friction side guides. Side guides help to orient the produce in single file along the belt suitable for operators to sort and grade.

Electronics on the machine feature speed controls for conveyors, water pump, powered side guides,  and a PLC, enabling tuning of air drying service.

This produce washing and conveying system is ideal for cleaning fresh produce such as bananas, apples, pears, capsicum, carrots etc.

Currently  deployed in far north Queensland, this is the first stage of an automated processing, and packaging line development. 

Customer Requirements:

• Automatic system for sealing a retail pack made from corrugated E-flute board, the design of which incorporates two platforms on the top of a shallow tray. One of these platforms also has a fully folded hinged tab extending the length of the platform, which acts as a spring to retain the product within the tray. This feature has been patented. System is to seal the tabs using hot melt adhesive.

AHP solution:

A right angled sealing system was designed with novel folding mechanisms to facilitate the folding of the patented spring feature. Cartons arrive at random to the machine, and are transported by a lug system which has variable pitches which change according to the arrival pattern of the packed trays. Once primary folding has been completed, cartons are transported at 90° to complete the adhesive application and final sealing process.

Customer Requirements:

• High speed collator required to arrange single portion plastic cups into matrix pattern 16 x 6 from single file at 300 cups per minute, preparatory for robot pick up into retorting system.

AHP solution:

Design and construct 3 axis servo driven collation table incorporating an angled section to provide a break between rims on edge row to prevent interference between rows cups being picked up and those waiting for the next pickup. Four of these systems have been manufactured, and all are installed in California.

A development of the system resulted in a much larger table being constructed for multiple robot pick up, and this was installed in Greece. A further development also installed in Greece, was to make a system to run in reverse and operate as a decollator, so that after retorting, the unloading robot could place collated product on the system to feed product single file into a subsequent packing operation.