Situation:

A globally operating Dutch, company is a market leader in the production of fully automatic chicken slaughtering machines. It produces machines that can slaughter 15,000 chickens per hour.

Complication:

The environment in which chicken slaughterhouses operate is often heavily contaminated with animal materials. As a result, there is a risk of a lot of dirt getting stuck in the spring systems of the hooks upon which the chickens are hung. Furthermore, cleaning is done with aggressive cleaning agents. This is not good for the metals from which the spring systems are made.

Question:

The customer asked us to devise a spring system that springs without contact. In addition, it is highly desirable to surround the solution with a protective layer that is resistant to the aggressive cleaning agents.

Solution:

Together with Bakker Magnetics, the company starts an investigation into a suspension system that works with two mutually repelling magnetic systems. Because of the magnetic repulsive force, the two systems do not touch each other and dirt cannot get lodged between them. Because magnetic fields pass through plastic, the systems can be enclosed in a plastic housing. In this way, the use of aggressive cleaning agents no longer plays a role. Based on its expertise, Bakker Magnetics carried out various magnetic calculations in order to optimise the system.

Result:

The contactless solution results in a better and cleaner production process. As a result, the customer is working in a much more sustainable and environmentally friendly way than previously. The solution is also more efficient because both maintenance and the replacement of parts now require much less time. As an innovator, the manufacturer is thus positioning itself even better in the market thanks to greater differentiation from the competition.