The New Hampshire-based propagator D.S. Cole Growers offers a wide variety of species and cultivars which are rooted weekly in small batches. Because of the weekly sticking of these small batches, it has been difficult to justify a sticking robot. With the advent of the new TTA-ISO sticking robot, the CuttingEdge, Cole is now able to change varieties quickly with little down time.
"The machine software is very nimble since it learns as it gets new varieties and it stores what it has learned. When the machine learns how to handle a new variety at one grower's facility, that information can be used at another grower's greenhouse. In addition, there is no yearly charge for this capability", says Doug Cole president of D.S. Cole Growers.
So, the first driving factor is that it can handle many different cuttings, without damaging them. "There are many adjustments that can be made to the way a cutting is stuck. This is determined by the shape of the cutting and how the leaves are configured on the stems. For example, some cuttings are picked up by having the gripper come onto the cutting on a different angle than it would for another species. Because of the arrangement of the metal fingers, a soft cutting such as Calibrachoa and Bacopa can be stuck without the fear of damage to the cutting. The fingers gently hold the cutting while the metal fingers are making the hole and bringing the cutting along with it. It is the metal fingers that actually make the dibble (hole) so that no damage is done to the plant. In addition, since there is no need for a dibble to be made prior to sticking, the cuttings always make good contact with the substrate without the fear of air gaps."
The other driving factor to make this purchase is that the TTA machine can handle tissue culture quite well, he continues. "We visited AllPlant's young plant facility in The Netherlands to be sure we knew what the machine could do. After installing the machine at D.S. Cole Growers, we weren't disappointed. The tissue culture plants are handled so easily and quickly by the TTA robot".
When pursuing automation, the goal is to reduce labor costs without compromising quality. And so far, they are pleased to see the machine ensuring uniformity in sticking both traditional cuttings and tissue culture products. "When looking at the pay-back period, it is more efficient to have a number of machines. The man hours per machine decreases as you increase the number of machines. Humans can share jobs and move between the robots to handle the different tasks needed." Cole will be accessing the system and the labor savings at the end of the spring busy season to determine the next steps in the setup and purchase of more machines.
For more information:
D.S. Cole Growers
info@dscolegrowers.com
www.dscolegrowers.com
TTA-ISO
sales@tta-iso.com
www.tta-iso.com