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Gas depelter machine
A machine that uses compressed gas to more accurately and efficiently separate the sheep’s pelt from the carcass.
Sheep pelt removal
New Zealand lamb is recognised internationally as a premium product but pelts are a commodity item in their own right.
- New Zealand lamb is recognised internationally as a premium product but pelts are a commodity item in their own right
- Pelts need to be removed with care to preserve value
- Gas depelting has been proposed as a viable method for future processing.
Advantages of gas depelting
A method that uses compressed gas to separate pelt from carcass
- makes it easier to subsequently remove the pelt
- improves the quality of the pelt and the carcass
- reduces the amount of fat adhering to the pelt
- reduces the opportunity for irreversible stretching of the pelt.
Our gas depelting method separates the pelt from the carcass using compressed gas.
The machine
- successfully executes automated gas depelting on both hind-legs simultaneously
- a critical component is the injection needle which performs a dual function of penetrating the pelt and injecting gas
- machine performance is highly dependent on the precise position and orientation of the injection needle that is controlled by a 3 degrees-of-freedom manipulator for each leg
- a built-in cleaning system sanitises the blades after every injection.
This project was made possible with the support of Beef and Lamb NZ, Ovine Automation Limited and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).