Poultry processors face the challenge of the limited availability of skilled labor, necessitating fully automated processes that ensure consistently high yields. When it comes to breast deboning, a crucial stage in the process, the growing variety in types of chicken and end products demands a completely new approach, where flexibility and the need to switch from one product to the other quickly are called for.
Any new breast deboning system must allow increased capacity while maintaining the highest productivity standards. ATHENA, with its comprehensive mastery of the breast deboning process, is designed to meet these exacting requirements, providing a robust solution to the challenges which today’s processors face.
ATHENA showcases a streamlined and innovative filleting process, seamlessly integrating everything from the loading of breast caps to the delivery of fillets and tenderloins within a single, compact unit. The system’s sleek design maximizes efficiency without taking up excessive space. Although ATHENA has numerous innovative developments, you’ll find various modules equipped with JBT Marel’s tried and trusted AMF-i technology and intelligence, the result of many years of expertise and customer feedback. Mathieu van Dongen, JBT Marel Poultry Regional Sales Director, says, “The proven AMF technology has repeatedly demonstrated its effectiveness. In its enhanced form, it ensures that ATHENA is a reliable and cutting-edge solution for the filleting needs of poultry processors both today and tomorrow.”
ATHENA is distinguished by its minimal reliance on skilled labor. It features fully automated processes for measuring, cutting, separating and deboning, finishing with the harvesting of the desired breast fillet products. Despite its high capacity of 6,000 products per hour, only two operators are needed to manage the system.
When installed behind the new chute of the ACM-NT breast cap cutting module, breast caps are precisely positioned for ergonomic downstream handling. They arrive at the ATHENA in a highly organized manner, all aligned in the same direction. All the operators have to do is simply slide the wellpositioned breast caps into the loading units. Any wrist problems are therefore avoided. Every breast cap is then fixed automatically onto the product holder. These newly designed, cleverly shaped product holders significantly reduce the risk of products falling off, improving both efficiency and safety.
ATHENA is designed for effortless operation via an intuitive HMI screen. A single touch sets the ATHENA modules to handle the breast caps being processed. Wishbone and halving modules, for example, will adapt automatically to the expected weight of the incoming chicken. These settings will correspond to the different types of products, whether these be regular broilers, local, organic or other specialty chicken. „If the next flock entering the system is country chicken, the operator simply selects the specific settings for that chicken type on the touchscreen. This then ensures optimum breast deboning results,” says Mathieu van Dongen.
General settings for the flock will already have been made in the recipes. In addition, a measuring module, ATHENA’s first, determines the size of each individual breast cap. Using this data, the settings of all downstream modules, including the automatic harvesting module, are automatically fine-tuned to each individual breast cap. In this way, ATHENA can easily handle in-flock breast cap variations side by side.
The operator simply selects the specific proven settings for that type of chicken on the touchscreen.
Mathieu van Dongen
JBT Marel Poultry Regional Sales Director
Previously, breast deboning systems couldn’t give any real-time insight into line performance. This limited a processor’s ability to manage breast deboning. ATHENA changes this radically. „Powered by SmartBase software, the touchscreen gives access to valuable information about line loading, loader efficiency and machine health status. It shows whether all carriers are filled, whether products are falling off the carriers and more,“ says Mathieu van Dongen. SmartBase analyzes other key indicators, which can include performance per product carrier. This covers, among other things, deboning steps that have been successfully carried out, damage to carriers and dropped products. Computer screens in the central control room can also display these details. When issues arise, identifying the error, finding a solution and taking remedial action becomes that much easier.
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