Page 14 - R&D in Agriculture and Farming INFO PACK- APR23
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Manufacturing – Agriculture
This company is an agricultural manufacturing organisation specialising in the recycling of packaging and food waste to produce animal feed.
CONTEXT
At present, excess piglets are fed either by surrogate sow, which reduces the potential of the sow to nurse future litters of her own, or with artificial milk distributed to piglets in a flood-filled bowl. The system has no volumetric control, causing piglets to overfeed and resulting in high milk wastage. The limited temperature control and unhygienic nature of the system leads to piglet mortality due to bacterial infections. The aim of the project was to scale-up a first prototype artificial milk distribution system to produce a second generation prototype with a centralised water source and manual override capability.
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCE
A second-generation prototype was developed with six milk-dispensing stations, a centralised water source and electronic control system.
The company:
Case Study
Investigated methods for counteracting water pressure changes and developing an electronic control system capable of withstanding the required loads.
Developed a programmable logic controller that is able to curve the milk supply for 21 days before resetting for a new litter of piglets, and can be programmed to feed a set number of piglets using a tablet screen for user control.
A steam hood was installed to remove the steam and condensation from the internal mechanism. Trials were carried out using different amounts of milk powder and hot water. As a result, ‘bearding’ around the milk powder dispenser was prevented.
About VISIATIV
Visiativ is a professional services and consulting business, dedicated to helping UK companies accelerate and fund their innovation and digital adoption strategies. We enable innovation for our clients through a combination of funding, technology and digital adoption products and services,
empowering employees and transforming businesses.
www.visiativ.co.uk
