Beef Modular Side Processing – Module #2 and #3 – Chine & Square Cut Cube Testing & Trials

Intelligent Robotics (IR) have developed the IR-SCRIBE robotic beef scribing system to identify and place four scribing cuts automatically in beef sides. IR and Kilcoy Global Foods (KGF) have sought opportunities to build off this technological base to automate further red meat processing tasks to add value to the industry through improved yield, labour replacement, improving WHS and improving efficiency. They have performed a project together investigating the feasibility of automating the following beef operations on beef sides: - Chine removal – chuck and cube roll - Square cut cube (knifing out of 5/6 and Grading scribes to produce cube roll) This work has culminated in a concept modular beef side processing system to perform various tasks on sides of beef to maximise its value. Performing this self-funded work has significantly reduced the risk of further investigating these applications, particularly in terms of understanding what tooling and exact robots are required to achieve the desired outcomes. The proposed project takes these learnings to the next stage of development, and will culminate in the demonstration of robotic Chine Removal (Module #2 of the concept modular beef side processing system) and Square Cut Cube (Module #3) on stationary beef sides with semi-auto vision processing. Through performing the proposed work, the technical and R&D risk will be reduced to the point that a production system can be confidently pursued as a next step. It is intended that robots, together with some of the other equipment purchased within this current project will then be re-used in the next project – a production implementation of the technology.