DSI Waterjet Cutter: complex cuts in one go

Retail and food service customers can frequently change their demands on poultry processors. At times, they may accept a small amount of fat, while at other times, they require completely fat-free portions. At one stage, they may ask for weight- and shape-controlled portions, and at another stage for dimension-specific portions. Managing these changing requirements is one of the strong points of the DSI waterjet cutter, which can flexibly adapt to changing portioning needs.

Specific requirements

Even when faced with complex or specific requirements, the DSI Waterjet Cutter will find a solution that gives you a competitive advantage. A satisfied customer says, “In the past, we had people making chunks by hand with a knife—about 20 to 40 tons per week. Later, with the DSI, we could produce 250 tons per week in fixed-weight chunks. We were supplying a large Indian curry manufacturer who needed exactly five chunks per curry. Before, we had many weight differences, but now we could guarantee fixed-weight packs, which is very important.”

How does it work?

The DSI Waterjet Cutter is a multi-lane, multi-cell water-based portioner, which is easily extendable. Every cell has two waterjets. First, the waterjet portioning system scans the incoming products to locate fat and to determine shape, thickness, weight and many other attributes. Then, DSI Q-Link portioning software optimizes a cut strategy for each individual piece of raw product. Finally, the cutter gets to work. Computer-positioned high-pressure waterjets generate complex cutting shapes that make each piece as valuable as possible, while maximizing yield and minimizing giveaway.

The same customer adds, “If you want to produce a fillet from an expensive slow-growing chicken without any waste or offcuts, then you should use the DSI Waterjet Cutter. You can shape a fillet so it still looks like a fillet, and from the top end, you can cut valuable chunks that match the exact weight the customer wants. All in one go, the products are ready.”

If you can sketch it, DSI can portion it

The DSI Waterjet Cutter requires no positioning, only separated meat pieces without overlaps at the input. It accurately cuts all types of boneless meat according to the programmed pattern, regardless of how they are placed on the belt. There are virtually no offcuts. Every piece, even the smaller ones, can be portioned into useful, valuable products, resulting in minimal giveaway. Unlike what many people might assume, the DSI doesn’t use that much water at all. The amount of meat lost is almost nothing, because the waterjet is as thin as a hair. The meat itself doesn’t get wet at all either.