Transforming the Meat Processing Industry with Additive Manufacturing

The Customer

The Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) is responsible for research and development in the red meat processing industry in Australia. It aims to achieve global excellence in innovation, adoption, and strategic policy development through authentic partnerships that are built on trust.

In a high-volume environment such as a processing plant, parts such as bolts and rollers can wear out or break over time. As with any industry, time is money, and if a part fails, it leads to lost productivity and expensive downtime until the faulty part can be sourced and replaced.

“Meat processors rely on a multitude of equipment, each with multiple components. Even a small component failure can be costly.”

– Chris Taylor CEO of AMPC

The Challenge

AMPC, Konica Minolta, and Markforged conducted an industry-first test of a 3D printing service model to assist red meat producers throughout Australia in modernizing their equipment maintenance and guaranteeing a steady supply of meat products. The three-year initiative involves several components that aim to benefit meat processing companies all over the country.

As part of the initiative, two advanced Markforged X7 carbon fiber 3D printers are provided to processing facilities for a maximum of eight weeks, allowing employees to make industrial composite components for final application and working prototypes for evaluation. The Markforged X7 3D printer is also given to the Casino Food Co-op, the largest farmer-owned, elite meat processing co-operative in Australia, to test out.

The purpose of the printers' training is to enable processing personnel to evaluate whether purchasing a permanent unit would be a wise investment. Konica Minolta provides on-site assistance to help meat processors comprehend and use the technology.

Located in Casino, within the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, the Casino Food Co-op employs over 1,000 locals and processes 1,200 head of cattle daily. It has become the industry leader in paddock-to-plate beef production, thanks to the use of cutting-edge facilities.

“The ability to simply print a replacement part could drastically reduce downtime and minimize the need to wait for parts, reducing the chance of supply being at risk.”

– Chris Taylor CEO of AMPC

One of the three areas that required attention at the Casino Food Co-op facility was the hinges on the label printers. These printers are used to produce thousands of labels each day.

Brian Armstrong, draftsperson and project support officer of The Casino Food Co-op, described the challenge: “The plastic hinge deforms and breaks after many years of use. Because the part was discontinued by the manufacturer, the only option would be to replace all the label machines, which would be extremely costly.”

The next area was the leather tannery drum, which removes hair and fat before the leather is dyed. A gear in the tannery failed, which resulted in leather production stopping until a replacement part could be manufactured.

“The impact of stalled production was significant, costing tens of thousands of dollars of product output on the tannery a day,” Armstrong recalls.

The fan blades on the evaporators, which are responsible for regulating temperature in the cooling rooms, were one of the areas where 3D printing was trialed. In case a blade gets unstable, the entire evaporator breaks apart, hampering the performance of the cool room. Since the original equipment manufacturer for the evaporators was no longer operating, the cost of manufacturing new blades was substantial.

“Without all cool rooms at full use, The Casino Food Co-op was potentially at risk of not being able to deliver the product at full capacity, which would impact our commitment to our partners,” Armstrong pointed out.

The Solution

Thanks to the 3D printing solution provided by AMPC, Konica Minolta, and Markforged, The Casino Food Co-op was able to overcome the challenges it faced with relative ease, preventing costly downtime throughout its operation.

By utilizing the 3D printing technology, The Casino Food Co-op is now able to print new hinges for its label printers as needed, thus minimizing downtime and ensuring that labels can continue to be printed without interruption. Moreover, this has also extended the longevity of the label printers, resulting in significant cost savings by avoiding the need for frequent replacements.

By 3D printing the gear for the tannery, a temporary replacement could be created and used to keep the machine running until a new gear could be manufactured. This allowed processing to continue as usual and avoided significant losses caused by unplanned downtime.

“The Casino Food Co-op produces tens of thousands of dollars of product in the tannery each day. The two gears required to keep the machine operational were printed and fitted within 18 hours so there was no loss in productivity.” Brian Armstrong emphasized.

The ability to quickly print a fan blade for the cool room evaporators has resulted in significant cost savings and risk mitigation for the business. Previously, the co-op would need to hire a steel manufacturer to make a replacement blade, costing up to $10,000 each. Meanwhile, meat would need to be relocated to where the cooling 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, providing significant benefits to the business.

The Future

Brian Armstrong said, “Finding a solution for these challenges was essential. All of the applications we have used the 3D printer for are pivotal to The Casino Food Co-op for equipment maintenance and operation, helping us prevent unplanned downtime and meet our supply contracts.

“We couldn’t have achieved this without the support from Konica Minolta and the Markforged X7. The knowledge of the Konica Minolta team meant we had a lot of support along the way in creating solutions that met our needs. The possibilities for 3D printing in meat processing are endless and we look forward to seeing how we can continue to transform with 3D printing into the future”, he concluded.

“The possibilities for 3D printing in meat processing are endless and we look forward to seeing how we can continue to transform with 3D printing into the future”

– Brian Armstrong Project Support Officer of Casino Food Co-op