AUTOMATIC EGG GRADING

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27928, 27 March 1956, Page 12

AUTOMATIC EGG GRADING

NEW MACHINES FOR CHRISTCHURCH

CAPACITY OF 320,000 EGGS A DAY

The handling and grading of hundreds of thousands of eggs for consumption in Canterbury in a day, has been made possible by the introduction of four automatic grading machines installed in the Christchurch egg packing station. The new machines have reduced personal handling to a minimum. besides more than doubling the amount of eggs graded in a day. Each of the machines is set in the middle of a padded table which is divided into four sections. A number of rubber-padded cups which project from the hub of the machine revolve slowly and are so synchronised that as each passes the distributor belt an egg is deposited. Each of these cups is a miniature weighing machine in itself, the weight of the egg being decided by a complex system of weights and counterweights. As the egg is about to pass the section of the table allocated to that grade, a small trip hammer lightly stamps it with the correct grade. This gives the public the protection of a grade stamp, so that purchasers can see immediately if the price they are paying for the eggs is the correct one for the grade stamped. After the egg has been stamped, the cup is tripped and the egg drops into the right partition. So far only one of the machines has been equipped with a bulk distributor, but the other three will be fitted with these devices. A large number of eggs can be placed upon the bulk distributor and conveyed along rubber eggshaped belts to the grading machine. To ensure that all eggs are in perfect condition. uncracked and without other blemishes an intermediate checking point has been established between the bulk distributor and the grading machine. As the eggs are carried along the conveyor, they pass over a series of lights and any defects are easily seen by an operator. To assist the operator to see every part of the egg. the conveyer belt is so arranged that the egg spins around. 10,000 Eggs an Hour Each of the machines is capable of handling and grading 10,000 eggs an hour—a total of 40,000 when all machines are working. Over an eight-hour day the machines can grade 320,000 eggs, accurately and cleanly. Before the introduction of the new machines, grading was carried out on nine hand machines. This method was not as clean, as accurate, or as fast as the new one. The weights on the new machine are set to a tolerance of a 64th of an ounce each way. When using the former method operators had to rely, to some extent, on guesswork. The hand machines graded about 108.000 eggs a day. Yesterday was the first day on which the new machines have been worked. Operators were unanirhous in their opinion that the machines—a product of British engineering—were very easy to handle and eliminated much waste time. In the morning run 12.000 eggs were graded in three hours by two machines. When the new crate conveyors are completed, however, it will be possible to speed up the process to the maximum of 10.000 an hour.