About development of automation of the milking equipment, development of the basic concept of milking robots, their advantages and problems there is a speech in article.
Milking robots: advantages and problems
Automatic systems drew attention of producers of the milking equipment in the late eighties. However development of the basic concept of milking robots became complicated, first of all, that unlike robots industrial, dealing with inanimate objects, they should cooperate with live organisms in which variability is inherent. It became possible only after creation enough sensitive sensors, analyzers and the corresponding software for the computer – an integrated part of automatic milking system. Besides actually milkings, robots should assume still a number of the operations which are carried out earlier by operators and employees of various laboratories.
Automatic milking systems, or milking robots, appeared for the first time in the Netherlands in 1992. Considerable labor input of process of the milking, steadily raising requirements to quality of milk, and high compensation of hired workers stimulated investment in production of the hi-tech and knowledge-intensive equipment for dairy farms in this country. Robots were urged to reduce approximately in two operating time of farmers, having given them opportunity to receive additional earnings outside of own economy. The Dutch LelyNV was the first company which has begun industrial production of milking robots. Now them make according to the Fullwoodi Bou-Matic firm license Lely. And the AMS Liberty, DeLaval companies and others let out systems of automatic milking on own technologies.
Today’s systems of automatic milking differ, generally on number of at the same time served cows. Robot bodies - it is a hand, capable to make three-dimensional movements, system of cleaning of nipples and an udder by means of brushes and washing solution, the device for putting on and removal of milking glasses, control and touch devices, scales (for automatic weighing of cows, milk and concentrates), the computer, the interface, the software, the monitoring system of quality of milk (determines its color, an elektroprovodnost, temperature, acidity, speed molokootdachi, volume, etc. by separate shares of an udder that allows to reject production of undesirable quality), system of identification of animals. For detection of nipples, processings of an udder, putting on and removal of milking glasses are used the laser, optical, ultrasonic or combined systems. Some firms let out monitoring systems of quality of the milk, defining number of somatic cages.
All automatic milking systems can be divided into three groups conditionally: one milking boxing with one robot and one hand; the robotized system consisting of several milking boxes, served by one robot with one hand; the system equipped with two-three robots, each of which serves some milking boxes.
Now a number of firms conducts development of the robots, capable to function on milking machines of the Roundabout type.
Milking robots operate 24 hours per day from which 21 hours are taken away on milking process, and 3 hours are necessary for two cycles of a sink and cleaning of a laser sensor. One robot is capable to serve 50-70 cows.
According to German experts, by 2025 robots will dominate on farms with a livestock from 50 to 250 cows.
For determination of economic feasibility of use of milking robots level of efficiency of herd matters.
Within the last 15 years interest to systems of automatic milking grows in the countries with the developed dairy cattle breeding because of obvious advantages in front of traditional group milking machines and the Roundabout type complex.
The main advantage – reduction of expenses on compensation approximately on 2/3 in comparison with "Fir-tree" use that at high cost of labor is of great importance for farmers of the European countries.
Introduction of automatic milking machines on small farms with traditional double milking, according to the Dutch experts, raises nady milk to 15 % at the expense of increase in number of milkings at an open entry of cows to the milking machine that in turn promotes rather fast economic return on it. However in itself automatic milking doesn’t raise nadoi in comparison with usual thrice milking. Important plus of robots – almost new technology of "voluntary" milking which gives to an animal an option of time and frequency of visit of milking boxing.
For production of milk, especially on small family farms, rigid communication of labor and working hours is characteristic – it is one of serious shortcomings in comparison with other branches. German experts are convinced that the progressive dairy enterprises, mastering modern equipment, receive additional motivation for investments in improvement of milking machines. Such investments took place upon transition from the fastened maintenance of cows to besprivyazny of which share 70-85 % abroad are the share.
Along with obvious advantage of automatic milking systems in the course of their operation a number of problem points is found.
First of all – it is their high cost. In Europe the price of the robot, capable to milk 50-70 cows, on different sources, fluctuates from 80 to 170 thousand euros. However, the price of robots constantly decreases.
German experts showed that today investments into one skotomesto on farms with the besprivyazno-boksovy maintenance of cows and automatic milking system are much higher, than with traditional milking machines. It is most economic at all sizes of herd the milking machine of the Fir-tree type. The Roundabout installation comes nearer to it, but at number of 200 cows. At installation of robots with one boxing on farms from 35-50 by cows skotomesto rises in price very strongly. However available experience shows rather high efficiency of the milking robot. The profit received at its application, allows to pay back for only some years installation even at the high price. And as human labor in Europe remains to the most expensive, the aspiration of producers of milk will save on its payment to stimulate interest to milking robots.
One more important problem at introduction of robots – a special approach to doyny herd. First of all, the careful vybrakovka of cows on udder parameters as a whole and nipples in particular is necessary.
Most often cows approach to the robot in the morning. Number of approaches of certain animals very variously. On the average at the stall contents 2,4-2,7 approaches are the share of one cow to the robot, at pasturable – 1,9 approaches. Duration of milking – till 8 minutes. Duration of a break between milkings – on the average 9,2 hours with fluctuations from 6 to 12 hours.
Use of milking robots allows to estimate a condition of each of quarters of an udder and in due time to reveal symptoms of mastitis. For diagnostics of subclinical mastitis two parameters – an elektroprovodnost and milk temperature are used. Some researchers consider measurement of an elektroprovodnost of milk by rather effective method of detection of mastitis in a clinical stage. For best accuracy mastitis diagnostics the Dutch scientists developed the computer analysis of three variables – nadoya, temperatures and milk elektroprovodnost.
Even more to release the farmer from routine work, started to let out the equipment for a milk condensation by a return osmosis that allows to reduce frequency of sending of raw materials to a pererabotchik.