Chilled Beef Shank Cutting – Osso Bucco – Stage 2

Summary

Background
The cutting of bone for the production of the Osso Bucco product as well as shank cutting is a repetitive and hazardous process due to the close proximity of the bandsaw operator and the cutting blade.  This initiative aimed to develop semi-automatic cutting aids.  The benefit to the supply chain is more consistent products, and increased workplace safety which supports labour supply sustainability.
Research
In the 2009 project (P.PSH.0452), MLA and Scott Technology Australia (STA) funded the research into the key principles that are required to produce a beef and veal shank “Osso Bucco” cutting system and tested these principles by constructing a  feasibility level prototype in the NCMC workshop environment.
In a follow up project (P.PIP.0273), Scott Technology intended to convert the prototype, via redesign, into a robust user friendly solution. This was undertaken by NSI with JBS as the client, but was terminated before completion.
In a further project P.PSH.0732, a Beef Heavy Bone Saw (BHBS) was designed to semi-automate the Osso Bucco portioning process, with the aim of reducing the hazards associated with the task, improving product dimensional consistency and maintaining a consistent throughput.
The BHBS was built on learnings from the earlier Osso Bucco machines developed by NS Innovations. This earlier Osso Bucco machine never progressed beyond the testing and development phase.
Outcomes
The design and build of the BHBS was completed successfully and factory acceptance trials, including limited in-factory product testing, have been concluded. The testing indicated that there remain some opportunities to fine tune the operation of the BHBS and some of these have already been implemented. The BHBS can be tested more rigorously (volume and variability of product) during full scale production tests at a processing site.