PRECISE DELIVERY OF FOOD

FEEDING SYSTEMS: There are big financial risks involved if a pig feeding system fails, and old systems often do. Daltec has seized the opportunity by developing a simple and reliable feed delivery system, without toothed wheels or V-belts, which delivers doses to each pig by means of small computers

A key factor in the economy of pig production is optimal exploitation of the feed. A proper feeding system is therefore essential. Thøge Dall recognized this back in 1978 when he established Daltec A/S. His career in the sector started by importing feeding systems from countries like the USA to Denmark, and the experience he gained convinced him that it was possible to do it much better.

Long service life
“A feeding system is basically a transport system,” says Thøge Dall, who today is still the managing director of Daltec A/S. “The feed needs to go from A to B in the right quantity, at the right time, and in the right mixture. What I experienced going around the farms, both with the 

systems I imported and sold, and with others, gave me the shivers. There was, and still is at many places, an enormous waste. The financial risk is huge if a feeding system fails and transport systems with for example toothed wheels and V-belts do fail far too often. A feeding system must be reliable and precise, and I have invented such a system.”

 
Two of Thøge Dall’s three sons, Michael and Christian, both trained civil engineers, are important staff at Daltec when it comes to developing computer programmes for controlling the feeding systems.

     Thøge Dall’s patented invention is based on a drive unit which runs a wheel with driving rings made of hard-wearing polymer. A transport wire of synthetic fibre with cast-on cable disks is pulled by means of friction between the driving rings and the cable disks. The system provides a uniform pull, which translates into a long service life and low maintenance.

Also for food
“Our unique friction system for conveying the feed is the simplest on the market,” says Thøge Dall. “In addition to the unique conveying system, Daltec’s flagship product is the portion feeding system. Computer controlled portion units together with an electronic “empty detector” in the feed dispensers, can control the individual portioning of feed to the individual sty. In this way the feed is individually adjusted to the pigs’ current appetite and growth stage. There will always be fresh feed in the dispensers because refilling occurs when the dispensers are almost empty.” Regarding supply of feed additives such as vitamins and minerals, Daltec has also developed dosage units. These have been developed for both “wet” and “dry” additives which can be difficult to dose. The challenge has been to construct a unit which can constantly dosage accurately.

     The friction transport system has also turned out to be highly suitable for the food industry. Daltec has sold a number of systems for transport of for example rice and coffee.

http://www.daltec.dk

Baby-Cup for piglets
In connection with the development of Daltec’s different feed systems, the company has marketed a unique drinking cup for piglets called Baby-Cup. The small water trough is shaped so it fits to the piglet’s needs. The drinking cup delivers 0.6 litre water per minute through a built-in flow regulator. This is exactly the rate at which a piglet can drink, so water waste is avoided as well as an unnecessary load on the slurry plant.