M. Alitavoli et Ja. Mcgeough, AN EXPERT PROCESS PLANNING SYSTEM FOR MEAT CUTTING BY HIGH-PRESSURE WATER-JET, Journal of materials processing technology, 84(1-3), 1998, pp. 130-135
Citations number
7
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Material Science","Engineering, Manufacturing","Engineering, Industrial
The use of high-pressure water-jets as a cutting tool has recently inc
reased in popularity. Most applications have been directed at harder m
aterials. and at those that are more difficult to cut by established m
ethods. For the former, abrasive is used, but for relatively soft mate
rials such as food, paper, foam, and linoleum, solely water is used fo
r these materials to be shaped to a specified profile. An expert proce
ss-planning system for the water-jet cutting (WJC) of soft materials,
particularly animal carcasses, is described. A procedure for material
selection of the end product, that is meat, such as pork, beef, lamb a
nd chicken, is explained. Various operations within the water-jet cutt
ing process in relation to these specified meat end products are inves
tigated. Finally, the cutting process variables, such as the water-jet
pressure, the traverse speed, the diameter of the nozzle and its stan
d-off distance from the animal carcass, are identified. These findings
are then related to experiments on the WJC of beef, chicken, lamb and
pork. These tests revealed that WJC may be applied successfully to be
ef and pig meat: although further trials are necessary, to explore the
potential advantages of this technique to industry, especially for cu
tting through bone. (It might be noted that these meats are harder tha
n chicken. When the latter underwent WJC, both the meat and its bone w
ere cut readily.) The process planning system so developed is consider
ed to have considerable relevance in the automation of meat cutting in
dustry, especially in relation to productivity, total cost through eli
mination of labour-related costs, and the attractions of WJC as a hygi
enic method for the processing of food products. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sci
ence S.A. All rights reserved.