INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT FOR INSECT BREEDING, FEEDING AND PROCESSING FOR THE AGRI-FOOD INDUSTRY

TCM - THOMAS CONSTRUCTIONS MECANIQUES, developer of innovations, designs automated and semi-automated equipment for breeding insects and transforming them into ingredients for animal and plant feed for the agri-food industry

These modular units are ideally suited to insect breeding in vertical farms, in fully automated or semi-automated industrial facilities specialising in the production and manufacture of insect proteins :

• Vertical farm management system
• Feeding system, feed preparation and distribution system
• Insect/substrate sorting and separating system
• Insect feed processing plant (sterilisation, separation, etc.)
• System for treatment, recycling and processing of waste/by-products/frass/insect fertiliser
• Conveyor and transfer system for by-products
• Cleaning system
• Packaging and wrapping unit

ORIGINAL FEATURES OF OUR EQUIPMENT

The original features of our equipment include:

• the industrialisation of a generally manual or semi-manual process
• various functions
• the complete automation of processes
• a high rate of productivity
• the highly-modular design of the unit, which can be adapted to many types of insect breeding (type of production and breeding)
• the focus on animal comfort
• eco-design: waste minimisation and treatment
• the potential for technical scalability

EXAMPLES OF FUNCTIONS INTEGRATED INTO OUR EQUIPMENT

• Feeding of different components
• Dosing of different components
• Preparation of the feed mixture
• Mixing
• Stabilisation of the substrate (homogeneity & phase shift)
• Temperature control
• Sampling/quality control
• Automated Clean in Place (CIP system) with temperature control
• Rinsing
• Distribution and volumetric dosing of substrate
• Wastewater filtration
• Recovery of surplus for further processing

EXAMPLES OF EQUIPMENT CHARACTERISTICS

1. Operation:
   • Animal comfort:
     • Substrate homogeneity and quality
     • Sanitary and quality control and management
     • Control and management of dosage and distribution
   • Environment:
     • Minimisation, control and management of surplus (waste)
     • Waste treatment
     • Wastewater treatment
   • Productivity:
     • Automated system
     • High and adjustable yield
     • Agile design: flexible and adaptable to the customer’s evolving needs and technological developments (Factory 4.0, handling equipment, etc.)
2. Basic technical characteristics:
   • Productivity
     • Continuous operation, option for frequent pauses
     • Modular maximum capacity depending on the process
     • Option for additional additives
     • High yield
     • Modular volume production batch
     • Multiple-recipe management
   • Cleaning:
     • Automatic Clean-in-Place (CIP) in closed and secure circuit
     • Option for intermediate cleaning or pressure cleaning with water
   • Material compatibility:
     • Materials in contact with food products:
       • 304L STAINLESS STEEL
       • Food-quality seals
       • Food contact certification
   • Waste treatment