Frontmatec debuts new solutions at IPPE

This year’s IPPE had a strong focus on innovation in automation, and Frontmatec was one of the businesses leading the charge in solutions for the meat processing industry.

The Robotic belly trimmer (RBT) is the latest addition to the Frontmatec waterjet cutting line-up. The RBT combines robotics, innovative tooling and Frontmatec’s Value Grading technology, which offers the added ability to bevel the teat and back sides of the bellies. This is achieved in a single pass without flipping the product by using a patent pending double jet cutter that simultaneously creates vertical and angled cuts.

It also debuted the American back finner (ABF). The ABF is billed as the only machine in the world designed to loosen the featherbones before pork carcass chilling. This process boasts “unbeatable yield improvement on loins and shoulders”​, while reducing labor needs for loin boning and neckbone lifting. The ABF benefits from over 20 years of experience gained from the previous generation of back finning machines. Both use a circular saw to cut the skin, and two knives along the featherbones. However, this new version brings a mandatory feature needed for North American processors: the ability to process carcasses with the head clipped, loosened or removed.

Finally, it launched the Robotic chine bone saw (RCBS), designed to “unlock the potential of loin boning operations by creating consistent high-quality final products”.​ The RCBS accurately separates the chine bone from the loin with a complex 3D cut path that follows the natural shape of the piece, resulting in both loin and back rib yields improvement.

Frontmatec​ was just one of the many equipment providers showcasing solutions at this year’s IPPE. Check out our innovation showcase here.​