Robotic Cleaning of Fish Processing Facilities: Virtual tools, hygienic design and prototyping

Abstract

Fish and seafood products are among the most valuable resources when considering ways in which to address the need for sustainable food sources in the future. However, any increase in fish processing production must be implemented in an environmentally sustainable way. The cleaning of fish processing plants and equipment the equipment used in such facilities has been identified as an area in which research has the potential to make significant contributions to the reduction of environmental impact, both in terms of the utilization of chemicals during cleaning and the general water consumption that occurs in the processing of fish and the cleaning of fish processing equipment and facilities.\nCurrently, the most commonly used cleaning practices in the fish processing industry are based on manual operations, which are both subject to human error and unstable. Furthermore, the cleaning of fish processing plants is a demanding manual operation that is characterized by repetitive and stressful tasks. In addition, cleaning fish processing plants is also very costly; however, it is a necessary final step in the daily process of such facilities to ensure food safety. The automatization of such processes has been the go-to approach to solving the challenges faced by such facilities and thus increasing profits in the Norwegian aquaculture industry.\nThe main objective of this thesis is to determine how fish processing plants may be cleaned more efficiently. The research for this thesis was conducted in the context of an industrial research project intended to develop a robotic cleaning system for fish processing plants. It is predicted that a robotic cleaning system could reduce both the risk of bacterial contamination and costs related to cleaning. Conventional industrial robots have proven to be well-suited to performing repetitive and demanding tasks.\nNonetheless, at the moment, no solution exists for the robotic cleaning of fish processing plants. A major challenge for robots to perform cleaning is conventional industrial robots’ tolerance and ability to adapt to the humid and challenging environments found in fish processing plants, especially during cleaning.\nOther challenges arise when considering the commissioning, installation, and industrial performance of complex products such as robotic cleaning systems. Very few new fish processing plants are built each year in Norway; thus, a viable robotic cleaning system concept must be able to be retrofitted into existing plants. Fish processing plants have complex layouts; in addition, spatial information concerning such facilities is often lacking. Furthermore, they run almost continuously. These factors make installation and commissioning time a crucial part of achieving industrial performance and implementation of a robotic cleaning concept.\nDeveloping a robotic cleaning solution requires product development efforts. Product development is important when attempting to obtain competitive advantages, and this research explores how product development is approached in the Norwegian aquaculture industry. In addition, this thesis explores modern virtual prototyping tools and how they can be used to solve some of the challenges related to product development and industrial performance in this industry. Specifically, 3D scanning is proposed as a method for capturing spatial data concerning fish processing plants to aid in the planning and installation of the proposed robotic cleaning system. Furthermore, 3D simulation of robots (e.g. offline programming) provides information about the systems function and performance at early stages of product development and utilized to speed up the product development process and to identify potential errors, improvements and applications with regard to the robotic cleaning system. The project demonstrates that 3D scanning and simulation in combination may well prove key in achieving an acceptable level of industrial performance for a robotic cleaning