KRONEN receives patent for processing technology

The tools and the method are incorporated into the Robot Avocado Line, which uses one to three robots to halve, pit and peel large amounts of avocados efficiently and hygienically, thus reliably ensuring a consistently high processing quality. Another reason for developing a machine-based solution is the fact that manual processing requires a constant turning movement, which puts a great deal of strain on employees’ wrists. Furthermore, the increasing lack of suitable staff in the food processing industry means that more and more automation is required.

KRONEN worked together with the industry to develop the innovative line from the first demand to the industry-ready solution. “When developing the solution, we were able to make the most of our team's many years of experience when it comes to processing, especially cutting and peeling, sensitive food products. We also acquired comprehensive expertise on the properties and processing of avocados,” explains Benjamin Keske, Project Manager at KRONEN, who accompanied the topic right from the word go.

“We then incorporated this expert knowledge into the robotic tools and processing steps, which we further developed by running tests and optimizing the solution based on the results. The combination of our developments with the robots from Stäubli offers companies that process large quantities of avocados a gentle processing solution with a high degree of automation. Both the strong interest attracted among industry players worldwide after showcasing the solution at exhibitions and the fact that we have been granted a patent for our method demonstrate that we identified the industry requirements at an early stage.

Alongside its pitting and peeling unit, another component of the Avocado Robot Line is its grabber, which is specially adapted to handle the shape and texture of avocados and was developed by the DIL in its joint research project with KRONEN. These grabbers are mounted on Stäubli robots, which perform the fully automated processing steps consecutively (with one robot) or in parallel (with two or three robots) once the avocados have been placed in an inlay tray by an employee.

• A conveyor belt transports the fruit to the measuring station, which measures the fruit and transmits the data to the robot, which in turn adjusts the grabbing and peeling processes to suit each individual fruit.

• The robot uses the grabber specially adjusted to hold the fruit to pick up the avocado and transport it to the pitting unit.

• The knives cut the flesh in half and clamp the stone.

• The grabber pits the first half of the avocado by rotating around the pitting unit.

• The robot then peels the avocado by moving it over the peeling knife, which separates the peel from the flesh.

Depending on the capacity and customer requirements, the good product can be collected in crates or discharged via a belt. As the product leaves the system, an employee visually checks the processing result.

Videos of the Robot Avocado Line: www.kronen.eu/video-avocado-robot

More information on the research project: https://www.kronen.eu/en/company/research/robotics-solution-avocados

For more information, please visit www.kronen.eu

Contact:
Kira Krollpfeiffer
Tel. +49 7854 9646 160
Fax: +49 7854 9646 5160
E-mail: kira.krollpfeiffer@kronen.eu

Christina Maier-Streif
Tel. +49 7854 9646 161
Fax: +49 7854 9646 5161
E-mail: christina.maier-streif@kronen.eu