FHF FlexControl is a fully automated front half filleting system made up of processing modules installed along an overhead conveyor. The system produces a wide range of breast meat products (with and without back meat, with and without tenderloins) for retail and industrial customers.

Automated from start to end

From start to end of the FHF line, products and by-products are harvested automatically. No manual action is required, from neck cutting to tenderloin harvesting.
The FHF FlexControl deboning system is fed with front halves with wings or at least their inner joints left on. This allows eye meat to be harvested for maximized yield. The system will cut whole wings into individual wing joints. These are harvested separately. Apart from the fillet/wing harvesting module, FHF FlexControl features a tenderloin harvesting module, capable of harvesting remaining baby tender along with the tenderloin. Valuable by-products such as skin, crop fat and breast tendon meat are also harvested automatically.
High hourly capacity, unbeatably high yields and low manning levels set new standards in the kgs per man hour possible. 

Monitoring and tracking

The implementation of PLC technology enhances the performance of the FHF modules, while also being user-friendlier. PLC control provides line monitoring and accurate tracking of the front halves through the modules, ensuring a consistent job done with correct timing and stable accuracy. This improves the reliability of the FHF FlexControl system and benefits uptime.

Touchscreen

The HMI touchscreen gives access to the PLC-driven, pneumatically activated modules of the FHF FlexControl system. Entering a recipe for the weight of the flock about to be processed is straightforward. The timing of the PLC-controlled actions in the deboning line will adjust accordingly. By clicking the appropriate flock weight on the touchscreen, the relevant FHF modules will automatically set themselves to the weight range.

FHF FlexControl is more robust and safe than ever. The latest techniques have been applied to benefit performance, yield, line efficiency and cost of ownership. 

• Overhead conveyor based system - great layout flexibility
• Modular setup - can be extended
• Recipe controlled
• Seamless integration into downstream trimming, bone detection and further processing operations

A basic system to produce whole fillets with back meat attached but with tenderloins harvested separately will be fitted with the following modules:

• Wing stretcher
• Neck cutting/trimming module
• Wing skin incision module
• Breast skinner
• Back skinner
• Neck fat removing module
• Back meat separation module
• Wishbone removing and shoulder joint cutting module
• Fillet/wing harvesting module
• Tenderloin tendon cutting module
• Tenderloin separation module
• Tenderloin harvesting module (capable of harvesting remaining baby tender along with the tenderloin)
• Breast tendon harvesting module
• Carrier washer
       

For lean half fillets, the following modules should be added:

• XC fillet trimming module
• Fillet halving module (with or without tenderloin attached)
     

For harvesting back meat separately from the breast fillet, the following modules should be added:

• XC fillet trimming module
• Back meat harvesting module
     

Where the system is fed with front halves with the whole wing left on, the following wing cutting modules can be added:

• Wing tip cutting module
• Wing second joint cutting module

• FHF FlexControl for front halves with wings
• FHF FlexControl Compact for front halves without wings (footballs)

System software allows for easy monitoring of FHF performance. Once product has been loaded onto a carrier, this carrier will be followed through the line. The software knows what enters and leaves each module. For example, on the HMI touchscreen it is easy to see which carriers feature the highest product loss or ratchet failure. It is also possible to visualize on the HMI screen product loss per individual module (and per unit of the wishbone module). Once a defective product carrier is detected, it can be diverted to the in-line service station, where it can be replaced during a break in production.

Marel offers a range of service solutions to prevent failures, maximize performance or in case of unexpected breakdowns remote or onsite assistance.

Marel has offices in 30 countries across all regions, and a global network of highly skilled professionals that provide remote as well as onsite service support. We provide quality spare parts and customized service agreements for our customers to ensure optimal performance of Marel equipment.