Reliable energy supply to the robot arm in the milking system during continuous operation

In milking systems, robust energy chains are used when the ammonia content is high.

24-hour operation, fluctuating temperatures and ammonia-rich air – the conditions in cowsheds that technical components of automatic milking systems also have to cope with are not easy. In order to be able to rely on reliable functioning, GEA relies on ready-made energy supply solutions from igus in its products.

Melksystem_MIone — When an animal enters a box of the MIone milking system, the milking process begins fully automatically.

Profile

What was needed: Energy chains of the E2/000 series and chainflex cables, supplied as a completely pre-assembled readychain system
Requirements: The system must withstand conditions such as 24-hour operation, fluctuating temperatures, and ammonia-containing air
Industry: Agricultural industry, milking system
Success for the customer: Thanks to a pre-assembled system from igus, the customer received everything from a single source and was thus able to save money in the procurement process, the energy chains ensure high availability and are protected from external influences in the system

Contact an expert

Problem

Attaching, cleaning, stimulating, pre-milking, milking – these are the individual steps that the MIone, an automatic milking system from GEA Farm Technologies GmbH, takes care of independently as soon as an animal lines up at the box.
The mechanical engineering group's system has been in series production for several years and is in use for herd sizes of about 70 animals or more. The special thing about the MIoneis that the cows decide for themselves when they go to milk. The animals simply queue up at the free box – this is detected by the system and the automatic process is initiated. A robotic arm is extended and the individual milking cups at the end of the arm place themselves one after the other precisely on the udder teats. The system works quietly while the animal is busy eating. After the entire milking process is complete, the milking cups detach from the udder, are cleaned and prepared for the next animal. The challenge with these systems is 24-hour operation and the wide variety of conditions that can prevail in the barn. These include, for example, fluctuating temperatures from 0 °C to 40 °C, usually high humidity and air that often contains ammonia. This also affects all individual components of the MIone.

Solution

The energy supply to the robot arm is implemented with plastic energy chains and cables from igus, for which these conditions do not pose any major difficulties. Specifically, two energy chains of the E2/000 series, which are filled with chainflex cables specially developed for movement, are used. One chain travel on the horizontal and one vertical axis. For several years now, GEA has also been purchasing the e-chains as completely pre-assembled readychains, which enables savings in the procurement process. The dynamics in the use of the MIone are relatively low, which is important in order not to injure the animals. The protected routing of the energy chains in GEA's plants makes it possible to virtually eliminate damage caused by external influences. However, operational reliability and high availability are all the more crucial. All systems must function around the clock, and unplanned failures should be avoided at all costs. When the machine specialist designed the cables for the application together with igus, the cycles were extrapolated for ten years, and the requirements were precisely determined. Since both the energy chains and the cables are supplied from a single source, it is possible to optimally coordinate them with each other. This creates additional security for the customer.