ニッコー Official site

The device "Auto Bagger" significantly reduces the workload of placing portioned meat into heavy vacuum packaging film.

ニッコー

A device called "Auto Bagger" (patent pending) has been developed to automatically perform vacuum packaging film filling operations at meat processing plants (beef and pork), and sales targeting mainly meat packers will begin this autumn. The Auto Bagger uses a laser scanner to measure the size of beef and pork cuts in three dimensions, instantly calculates the volume of the meat, and then continuously selects the appropriate size of vacuum packaging film and bags it using a robot. The processing capacity is 16 to 17 shots per minute, and when processing the same cut continuously, it is 12 to 13 shots per minute. It can accommodate three different bag sizes. For bagging, a finger conveyor that can individually control the main conveyor and two sub-conveyors according to the size of the meat is employed. This makes it easier for the robot to cover the meat with the bag, achieving a neat bagging process. According to the company, the introduction of this device will increase labor productivity per person by about three times when processing at a rate of 17 bags per minute. Additionally, while traditional manual operations required six personnel, the operation can now be performed with just two people for loading and transferring to the next vacuum packaging machine. Furthermore, the automation reduces the time hands are in contact with the meat, providing significant benefits from a food safety perspective.