Turner were showing two new machines, one based on existing technology and another which was entirely new with the patent only recently registered. The first machine, the Descarnar 2 is a fleshing machine which provides flatter skins and therefore better fleshing. There are two grip rollers to ensure a good tension and throughout the skins are tensed against a grooved ebonite roller; the principle being that the smoother the skin, the better the fleshing.
This fully automated machine has been designed for sheep, goat, pigs and calf and can process 400/hour. Turner have a standardised range of machines for skin processing and the Descarnar 2 is based on the same framework. The prototype, at the show, had already been sold to J&T Beavan of Trowbridge.
The second machine is the Selectra whereby skins placed on the conveyor are assessed for damage by computer. The version on display at the show, illustrated here, is for crust but there is also a version for wet-blue. The machine only requires one operator and can handle 300 skins/hour.
The Selectra can pick up the tiniest damage such as pinholes. Customers can devise their own list of defects which they require to be identified. Many faults are not even visible to the naked eye so it is necessary to formulate a realistic range of faults which the customer wishes to be made aware of.
The Selectra features a vacuum cylinder to flatten the skin and allow it to be photographed on the round. The parameters are set by the operator depending on the quality requirement. There are three weights of skin plus the chosen number of classifications to be taken into account. The machine has a working width of 1,600mm and the prototype has already been sold to an Italian company.
