Robot shearing on trial

Press, 28 July 1989, Page 19

Robot shearing on trial

A system of shearing sheep with robots is to begin field trials in Australia next year. Mr Russell Meade, of Merino Wool Harvesting, told a recent hill and high country field day at Lincoln, the company hoped to sell the units to shearing contractors. The unit is capable of shearing 300 sheep in an eight-hour shift. It was hoped to improve output with later models. The unit is mounted on a standard semi-trailer so it could be completely self-contained and mobile, including electricity and hydraulics. The sheep are placed on a pedestal and special leg clamps “lock” the sheep’s muscles to prevent movement. ■ Two robot arms then shear the fleece from the sheep and manual shearers remove the oddments, such as bellies, crutch, neck, and legs. Specially developed sensors were contained in the robots to “feel” their way along the sheep’s skin

so they cut the wool and not the sheep. They are connected to a computer which keeps track of the blades and the sheep and can make adjustments for every 2cm the blades travel.

The fleece hangs off the sheep’s sides so the operator can check for any faults or contamination and class it. It can then be thrown into the appropriate wool bin beside him. Although at 90 to 100 secondsfleece the system is slower than most manual shearers, Mr Meade said it did have many advantages. For the farmer there were no skin pieces in the fleece, no second cuts, and no possibility of contamination of fleece wool. The best part of the wool is the fleece and the automated shearer does not handle the oddments. The fleece therefore does not need to be skirted and is guaranteed free from lowgrade wool. For the sheep there were no cuts or rough

handling. The shearer had no risk of back injury and was faced with a much less physically demanding job.

Interest in an automated shearing, system first arose in the 1960 s as shearing costs in Australia climbed. Merino Wool Harvesting began work on the system 14 years ago and is funded by Elders IXL. There are 30 people working on the project. Less physical demands on people, and the need to employ fewer shearers would mean the plant could be run for two or three shifts to make it more economical. At two shifts a day, it would cost about $2.30 to shear a sheep. Mr Meade said the robotic shearing system was not intended to replace shearers and reactions from the shearers’ union had been good: It was envisaged that shearers, trained as classers, would operate the equipment.

A spin-off from the research into robotic

shearing has been the development of a long-last-ing cutting head. A shearer using standard equipment would change cutters after about nine animals and combs after 18. Because such frequent changes would reduce the efficiency of robots the company began a research programme on long-life and self-sharpen-ing cutters.

The combs were coated to constantly sharpen the cutter as it worked. Prototypes were used during the 1988 shearing season and the record was 800 sheep shorn without a change of comb.

Although the cost of a complete robotic shearing unit was about $250,000, definite interest had already been shown by farmers and shearing contractors. One farmer had already begun building a new shed to house the equipment, said Mr Meade.

Production might begin in 1991.