Meal batch line

Problem

A cooked-meal producer needed to partially automate a line running a large variety of meal types in batch sizes that changed daily. I was subcontracted to design the line in its entirety, for handover to electro-mechanical integration and sign-off for production.

Constraints

• High product mix with batch sizes varying day to day, hour to hour
• 6 m line footprint on a new factory floor, designed for duplication as additional modular lines
• All four de-nesting scrolls driven by a single servo, where comparable systems drive each independently
• Food-safe belt materials throughout; full washdown compatibility
• Heavy debris brush integrated into an actuating pusher for cleardown
• Five month design deadline set by the wider project schedule

Approach

• Full mechanical scope: structural frames, material handling mechanisms, manufacturing drawings, part procurement, client liaison
• Benchmarked existing industrial de-nesting solutions for comparable container geometry before selecting a scroll based approach
• Designed for integration with the controls package delivered by the partner company
• Designed the line as a repeatable module so additional lines could be duplicated on the new factory floor without redesign

Gallery

Outcome

Mechanical design was completed in full, with all standard and custom components specified, procured and released for manufacture, then reviewed and approved by the assembly partner. Delivered inside the five month design window. The line was installed and has been operational since 2026.

Testimonial

Further detail