Latest developments to boost egg handling efficiency

Egg breakages and seconds are a drain on any laying farm, but technology is improving rapidly to eliminate waste and reduce processing time. A number of new product developments could save producers both time and money, whatever the size of their unit.

With the advent of new enriched cages and the proliferation of large automatic graders, Technical Services and Supplies (TSS) has launched an electronic SMARTegg to identify problem areas along the supply chain, from point of lay to the retail shelf. Whatever the same size, shape and weight of an egg, this clever gadget measures shock, pressure and temperature affecting the eggs for a journey of up to 21 days.

Measurements can be taken from as little as once an hour, up to 16 times a second, making the programming completely user-selectable according to their needs, says Mike Atherton, managing director of TSS EggQuality. “It rolls and behaves like an egg should, and is equally suitable for slower belt collection systems or rapid egg graders.

“The biggest areas of interest are the changes in cages from 2012, as a lot of people are investing a lot of money in new cage systems and large automatic graders. Being very speedy, the slightest misalignment can cause a lot of breakages, so it’s important to calibrate them perfectly.”

After its journey the SMARTegg is placed in its docking station and the information downloaded via infrared. It can then be analysed on the computer, to give a complete picture of the transit period.

Producers seeking accurate and automatic egg counting with measurement and detection of dirty eggs should consider Big Dutchman’s EggCam. Using innovative camera technology, the EggCam can detect dirt, even in the dark, enabling early identification of dirty eggs and possible contamination sources. With 99.99% counting accuracy, the management system allows the producer to recall data from all installed EggCams in real time, as well as to analyse at a later date.

Moba combines top quality egg handling with easy cleaning and maintenance.

Farm packers wanting a high-speed processing unit might look to Moba, which will be introducing a new system with a capacity of 54,000 eggs per hour later this year. The new machine will be made of stainless steel with high-pressure cleanable units, combining top quality egg handling with easy cleaning and maintenance.

Moba also recently launched a complete series of robot applications to aid automated tray and case palletising, packing and display loading. The firm teamed up with Motoman, a leading supplier of industrial robots, to supply specialist robots. These are more suited to the egg industry than previous automobile robots, which had proved problematic. Aiming for a “toolbox” of elements, they provide ultimate flexibility for tailor-made modular configurations at any stage of the packing process.

With the packing and grading chain becoming increasingly automated, Ovotrack has designed a simple identification tag to ensure continued traceability as labour numbers drop. The Eggs Cargo Identifier is a plastic tag which can be attached to egg trays upon intake, and scanned to upload farm and house of origin. A fixed scanner then identifies changes in batches as the pallets proceed through the system, ensuring full traceability and accurate grading and breaking results. At the end of the line the tag activates the wet tray detection system and can be removed and re-used.

“A lot of people are changing from fibre trays to plastic trays and pallets, which can be reused and are more suitable for automation,” says managing director Job Beekhuis. “Many are installing robots in their grading centres to save labour, but something was needed to automate the transfer of farm information. This is a simple answer to that problem.”

At the opposite end of the scale, designed for small farms with manual egg collection, is Nuovo’s Easyprint Piccolo egg stamper. The smallest automatic stamper on the market, it is designed to speed up stamping at minimal cost. With a capacity of 8500 eggs an hour, it can print up to three rows with a movable print head, which adapts to individual egg height and shape for perfect print quality.

For the breeders

Broiler breeders are facing increasing limitations on the chemicals and systems they use to disinfect eggs after collection. MS Technologies‘ Drysan range of fumigators is therefore attracting considerable interest after recent improvements, which enable a wider pH range of chemical applications.

Atomising water and disinfectants into a very fine and dry fog, the fumigator treats both the eggs and contact surfaces, saving up to 90% on chemical application costs, says technical director John Coccitti. Suitable for rooms from 30 to 300sq m, the Drysan range kills up to 94% of bacteria, providing an effective and safer alternative to fumigation with formaldehyde, he adds.