What is it?
The STF Cutting Planter Machine is an automated cutting equipment developed by the Dutch company TTA-ISO. Its purpose is to automate the recognition, capture, planting, and compaction of cuttings.
How does it work?
The equipment is composed of seven automated modules, being: 1. Buffer for cuttings with a humidifier; 2. Forks used for the separation of sprouts; 3. Vibrating conveyor belt; 4. Robotic arm equipped with cutting bridge clamps; 5. Tray transport conveyor belt; 6. Control monitor and Camera system utilising Artificial Intelligence (AI). The evaluation monitored the machine for 10 hours of continuous operation, during which 29,760 cuttings were planted. The study assessed both the operational performance and the quality of the cutting operation.
Operational parameters for the machine include:
Parameter Specification
Air Pressure - 6 to 8 bars
Power Supply - 3 x 400v
Cuting size - 5 to 15 cm
Leaf Pairs - minimum 2
Planting depth - 10 to 25 mm
The average productivity recorded for the STF Cutting Planter Machine was 3220 cuttings per hour. This speed was achieved when the machine was operating at 85% of its total capacity. The average time required to complete a single 96-cell tray was 1 minute and 48 seconds.
Rooting and Survival Comparison (STF vs. Manual):
Both the manual and automated methods performed at the same level, achieving greater than 98% rooting. The mortality rate remained low at 0.3% in both models, demonstrating that the automation of the operation did not result in a loss of quality
