Additive Manufacturing Transforms Meat Processing Industry
In a high-volume environment like a processing plant, parts such as bolts and rollers can wear or break. Time is money, hence if parts fail productivity slows until they can be sourced and replaced. This is why the Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) took part in a world-first trial of a 3D printing service mode. The aim was to help red meat processors benefit from printing equipment parts and revolutionising maintenance of products developed via structural steel fabrication. So, what are the issues faced and solution offered in transforming the meat processing industry? This blog will look to dive deeper into this topic.
The Challenge
The trial is a collaboration between the AMPC, Markforged and Konica Minolta Australia. It involves a three-year, multi-faceted program, which involves two Markforged X7 carbon fibre 3D printers being shipped to the processing plants in an innovative ‘try before you buy’ arrangement. Processing staff are trained to use the printers to assess whether they would be a good investment. The Casino Food Co-op (Australia’s largest farmer-owned, meat processing co-operative) was identified as a facility that could benefit from 3D printing and trialled the Markforged X7 3D printer.
Three areas needed to be addressed within The Casino Food Co-op facility to reduce the risk of not being able to deliver products at full capacity and to optimise manufacturing performance with asset resilience.
- Printer Hinges – The plastic hinge deforms and breaks after many years of use. Since the hinge part was discontinued by the manufacturer, the only option would be to replace all the label machines, which would be extremely costly.
- Leather Tannery Drum – This removes hair and fat before the leather is dyed. A gear in the tannery failed, which resulted in leather production stopping until a replacement part could be manufactured. The impact of stalled production was significant, costing tens of thousands of dollars of product output on the tannery a day.
- Fan Blades – The fan blades on evaporators optimise the temperature in the cooling rooms. If one blade becomes unstable, the whole evaporator breaks apart and the cool room cannot perform at optimal levels. Since the original equipment manufacturer for the evaporators is no longer in operation, the cost of manufacturing new blades was significant.
The Solution
The 3D printing solution – leveraging additive manufacturing post-processing techniques – allowed The Casino Food Co-op to solve the above challenges with relative ease and prevent costly downtime across its operation. With the ability to print new hinges for the label printers as needed, The Casino Food Co-op can now prevent downtime on the machines and ensure that labels can continue to be printed. In addition, the longevity of the label printers has been extended, thereby saving thousands of dollars in replacement costs. For the tannery, it meant that a temporary replacement could be 3D printed and used to keep the machine running until a new gear could be manufactured. Processing could continue as usual, avoiding significant losses. Being able to quickly print a fan blade for the cool room evaporators delivered significant cost savings and risk mitigation to the business. Previously, the co-op would have commissioned a steel manufacturer to make a replacement blade, costing up to $10,000 each. Now, 3D printing of a replacement blade using rapid prototyping takes days and is a fraction of the price.
Looking Ahead
With the potential of issues adversely impacting stakeholders, finding a solution for existing challenges was essential. All applications using the 3D printer are pivotal to The Casino Food Co-op for equipment maintenance and operation, helping to prevent unplanned downtime and meet supply contracts. The possibilities for 3D printing in meat processing are endless and its transformative potential is just being realized!