DESIGN
ELECTR NIC
APPLE ST PS
BRUISED FRUIT
WWW.MADEIN.IE « JULY 2020 « 25
The ‘dummy’ apple is inserted into a pack
in place of a real apple to monitor and
locate sources of damage to apples during
handling and transportation. Force and
temperature measurements are recorded
by the device and sent via bluetooth to an
app that presents them in easy to read
and analyse graphical or Excel formats.
Brillopak saw the potential to deploy
the apple as a machinery development
tool for its UniPAKer apple packing
system. Using the instrument’s shocktesting
capabilities, the trail-blazing
company has redesigned the UniPAKer’s
reject system and optimised the
picking and placing
Brillopak has come up
with an innovative way
of using an electronic
apple to inform and
assist development
of its award-winning
UniPAKer robotic crate packer for
fresh produce. By measuring the
G-forces that an apple is subjected to
during the crate packing process, this
intelligent logging device has enabled
Brillopak’s engineers to make design
enhancements that will minimise
damage and bruising to delicate fruit.
The electronic apple is a shock and
temperature logger encased in a carrier
shell that mimics the shape, size and
density of a real apple.
An ingenious method for preventing damage to soft fruits during
pick-and-place operations has been devised.
operation to reduce G-force stress on
fruit. By minimising damage-induced
waste, these incremental enhancements
translate to improved economics for
fresh produce customers.
Ejecting rejects: a delicate operation
On Brillopak’s UniPAKer lines,
fl ow-wrapped or pillow packs of apples
are usually passed through a vision or
checkweighing system prior to entering
the pick and place system, to check that
each pack contains the correct number
of fruit and that no apples have been
chopped up by the packaging machine.
Reject packs are ejected from the line
and any good apples are reintroduced
into the process.
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