The company
The Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) is the research and development company for the meat processing industry in Australia. Its mission is to drive world-class innovation, the adoption of new technologies, and the development of strategic plans through genuine, trust-based partnerships.
In a high-volume environment like a processing plant, parts such as bolts and rollers can wear out or break. As in any industry, time is money, and when a part fails, it means lost productivity and costly downtime until the part can be sourced and replaced.
The challenge
Digitizing Maintenance in Manufacturing Plants
AMPC partnered with Markforged on a world-first trial of a 3D printing service model. The trial aimed to help meat processing plants across Australia benefit from printing equipment components and revolutionize plant maintenance to ensure a continuous supply of meat products.
The collaboration encompasses a three-year, multifaceted program to bring these benefits to meat processing plants throughout Australia.
As part of the program, two Markforged X7 carbon fiber 3D printers are delivered to processing plants through an innovative "try before you buy" program. Processing plant employees receive training on how to use the printers so they can assess the viability of purchasing a permanent unit. The printers remain on-site for up to eight weeks before being passed on to another plant.
Employees can create functional prototypes for evaluation and produce industrial composite parts for end-use applications. Konica Minolta offers on-site support to help meat processors understand and utilize the technology.
As part of this program, Casino Food Co-op was identified as a business that could benefit from 3D printing and received a Markforged X7 3D printer for testing. Founded in 1933, Casino Food Co-op is Australia's largest, world-class, farmer-owned meat processing cooperative. It has established itself as an industry leader in farm-to-table meat processing and operates state-of-the-art facilities. The company is located in Casino, in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.
Start mit dem industriellen 3D-Druck in drei Bereichen
Three areas needed addressing at the Casino Food Co-op facility. The first was the hinges on the hundreds of label printers that produce thousands of labels daily.
Brian Armstrong, designer and project manager at the Casino Food Co-op, described the challenge: “The plastic hinge warps and breaks after many years of use. Since the part is no longer manufactured, the only option is to replace all the labeling machines, which would be extremely expensive.”
The next area was the tannery's drum, which removes hair and grease before the leather is dyed. A gearbox in the tannery failed, halting leather production until a replacement part could be manufactured.
“The impact of the production stoppage was substantial, costing the tannery tens of thousands of dollars in lost output each day,” Armstrong recalled.
The last area where 3D printing was tested was the fan blades on the evaporators, which optimize the temperature in the cold storage rooms. If a blade becomes unstable, the entire evaporator breaks apart, and the cold storage room can no longer operate optimally. Since the original supplier of the evaporators was no longer in business, the cost of manufacturing new blades was substantial.
“If not all cold storage rooms were fully utilized, Casino Food Co-op risked not being able to deliver its products at full capacity, which would impact our commitment to our partners,” said Armstrong.
“Meat processors rely on a variety of equipment, each consisting of multiple components. Even a small component failure can be costly.” Chris Taylor, CEO of AMPC
Solution
18 Stunden Druckzeit – 20.000 Dollar gespart
18 Hours of Printing Time – $20,000 Saved With the 3D printing solution from AMPC and Markforged, The Casino Food Co-op was able to solve these challenges relatively easily and avoid costly downtime across the entire operation.
By being able to print new hinges for the label printers as needed, The Casino Food Co-op can now prevent machine downtime and ensure that labels can continue to be printed. Furthermore, the lifespan of the label printers has been extended, saving thousands of dollars in replacement costs.
By 3D printing the tannery gear, a temporary replacement could be printed, and the machine could be kept running until a new gear could be manufactured. “The Casino Food Co-op produces tens of thousands of dollars' worth of goods every day at the tannery. The two gears needed to keep the machine running were printed and installed within 18 hours, so there was no loss of productivity,” Brian Armstrong emphasized.
“Die Casino Food Co-op produziert in der Gerberei jeden Tag Produkte im Wert von mehreren zehntausend Dollar. Die beiden Zahnräder, die benötigt wurden, um die Maschine in Betrieb zu halten, wurden innerhalb von 18 Stunden gedruckt und eingebaut, so dass es keine Produktivitätseinbußen gab”. betonte Brian Armstrong.
The rapid printing of a fan blade for the cold storage evaporators also resulted in significant cost savings and reduced risk for the company. Previously, the co-op would have had to commission a steel manufacturer to produce a replacement blade, which could have cost up to $10,000 per blade. In the meantime, the meat had to be transported to a location where the refrigeration was functioning properly. Now, 3D printing a replacement blade takes only a few days and costs a fraction of the price of a new steel blade.
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The future
This is just the beginning
Brian Armstrong said: “It was important to find a solution to these challenges. All the applications for which we used the 3D printer are essential for Casino Food Co-op's maintenance and operation of the facilities, helping us avoid unplanned downtime and meet our supply contracts.
“We couldn't have achieved this without the support of the Markforged X7. Our partner's expertise meant we received invaluable assistance in developing solutions that met our needs. The possibilities of 3D printing in meat processing are endless, and we look forward to seeing how we can leverage 3D printing in the future,” he concluded.
“The possibilities of 3D printing in meat processing are endless, and we look forward to seeing how we can use 3D printing in the future.” – Brian Armstrong, Project Manager at Casino Food Co-op
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