Marel has launched the Stork VC-20 RS vent cutter for eviscerating poultry in processing plants. The cutter has been developed for today’s highest line speeds, for products up to the highest weights and for wider in-flock variations.
It is designed for high-capacity systems and is fit for 15,000 bph line speeds. To make this possible, the infeed and outfeed of the VC-20 are given more time to position and process the products. The technology used keeps processing movements smooth, despite the high speed.
Installed in the evisceration line as the first module, the vent cutter works with the subsequent Stork Opening Machine, both featuring 20 processing units. Products are guided carefully into the vent cutter and positioned precisely, which is crucial for ensuring that vents are cut consistently accurately and hygienically.
Because the birds to be processed are becoming heavier, the distance between the units has been increased in the eight-inch version of this vent cutter, the VC-15 RS, with 15 units. Now even the biggest broilers in the market can be processed.
The cutter can be fine-tuned for different shapes and sizes of product. The points where products enter and leave the cutter mean that more of the machine’s cam diameter is used. The machine’s units are, therefore, in contact with products for longer and this allows plenty of time for positioning, fine tuning and carrying out the vent cutting process.
More time and more space result in an optimal vent cutting job on heavier bird weights and on flocks with wider weight spreads.
The cutter also cleans, clamps, cuts and draws the carcass, including bursa fabricii and urethra. Due to the improved product positioning it offers, back, kidneys and tail remain undamaged and this maximises yield. The vent itself is deposited over the back of the product, separated by a plate to block touching. And this technique prevents contamination, and helps to optimise hygiene, according to the company.
