Within the onion breeding process, part of the onion is cut to get a picture of the number of rings of the onion, any double cores or other abnormalities. To cut the onions at the desired spot and present the result to the analyst, ZTI has developed a cutting line. The machine consists of a double chain conveyor between which the halving knife rotates. Cutting the onions takes place inside a casing with a connection for an extraction system. After cutting, the onions turn with the cutting surface facing upwards so that the product can be easily assessed.
On the infeed side of the line is a lifting system that places onions onto the cutting line one by one at an adjustable speed. By hand, the onions are then orientated for transport. There is room for two operators here.
Once properly placed, part of the onions are cut off. This cut part is taken away on a conveyor belt under which a waste bin can be placed. The part to be retained for assessment is further fed and if of sufficient quality, the product passes to a weighing belt.
Rejected onions can be tapped to the front and fall through to collection bin for transport on a conveyor belt towards the aforementioned head lifting conveyor. The machine is equipped with a counting system that counts all approved onions and displays them on a display for the analyst. The analyst has the ability to control the speed of chain transport depending on quality and product size.
