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| Leg Boning Machine |
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| The MACPRO abt-3ML |
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Introduction
The abt-3ML leg boning machine has been developed primarily for the mutton boning industry, to tunnel-bone either chilled or pre-rigor legs. The product comes off the machine as tunnel boned leg with the patella still in the meat. Tissue damage is minor and yields comparable to, or better than manual boning processes.
General Description
The machine is a compact stand-alone unit requiring air and electric power services. The unit is loaded from the front with automatic ejection of product and bones. Loading is currently performed manually, however a mechanical loading device is being developed.
The leg is placed between the boning chucks in a vertical orientation. A locating gate is then closed to hold the leg in place until the cycle commences. The operator pulls down the safety guard to initiate the boning cycle. Boning is performed by the scraping/cutting action of two chucks, which simultaneously separate the meat from the bone of both ends until the chucks meet in the middle. The bone is then ejected through the hollow lower chuck.
Both chilled and pre-rigor product can be processed in the same machine, although optimum performance is achieved by tuning for product in either one condition or the other.
Operation
The production rate depends upon time taken by the operator to load the machine. Once loaded, a cycle time of approximately 4.5 seconds is required before the next loading cycle can begin. Production rates in excess of 9 legs per minute are currently being achieved. The machine will process a wide size range of product, with yield being the only major impediment to processing product with very small bones.
Meat preparation requirements- Remove pelvis
- Mark around the ball end of the femur
- Remove the knuckle tip using a saw
Note A pelvis-boning device is under development to enable a low-skilled person to remove the legs from the pelvis whilst simultaneously undertaking the required preparation for the leg boning machine. Employing both devices together will enable two semi-skilled operators to completely bone out hindquarters at a rate of approximately 4.5 per minute.
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