The Benefits of TFM

While the savings of any milk collection system can be very subjective and are based on a range of variables, there are many factors that remain constant throughout all applications which can be used to calculate your ROI.

Speed & Accuracy
  • The speed of pick up is directly linked with accuracy and fuel consumption.
  • The TFM uses cascade PID loop control and rule based fuzzy logic algorithms to optimise pumping speed. Milk has a viscosity that affects the way it discharges from a vat and flows through pipes.
  • The design of a vat is very important when trying to maximise pumping speed, but because vats are built differently the pumping needs to be dynamically tuneable.
  • The TFM will go through a series of speed comparisons using flow meter and air detector feedback to determine the optimum speed throughout the collect and adjust pumping speed from initial purging through to the final litres of milk being discharged from the vat.
  • To achieve this the TFM uses information from its air detection system, flow rate, historical data, and calculates predicted flow behaviour to control the pumping effort from 0 to 100%. Pumping speed is controlled with updates that occur within 10 milliseconds of a change occurring and the rate of change is managed proportionally to the speed error.
  • The result is the milk is pumped as fast as possible with a controlled ramp up and ramp down to avoid cavitation and void damage to the milk. Other systems have a two-speed pumping method that makes pumping slow during the start and end or too fast when the vat is unable to keep up, causing cavitation and over statement of volume collected due to air introduction.
  • The two stage versus the proportional control method can result in the pumping taking up to 8.9% longer and the over speed pumping can result in over measurement of up to +3.1% milk volume error.
  • To determine the cost that this implies you need to factor in additional costs of fuel, driver waiting time, milk damage and milk volume over recorded due to air being pumped in the milk. Two controlled pumping tests were carried out with the same vat filled to 3,400 litres of milk.
Fuel & Time
  • Fuel consumption and time lost also factor into the total cost equation so the faster the collect, the more cost effective it will be.
  • As the TFM is capable of pumping at up to 2000 litres per minute (4” pipe work and gullet bottom vats), the turnaround time is dramatically reduced. The TFM time for pumping is shorter further due to its dynamic pumping control algorithms, and therefore less fuel and time is required.
  • The process is fully automated from the time the hose is attached to the vat to the time the hose is back on the tanker and ready to roll, again saving fuel and time. Alarms are clearly displayed so they can be dealt with rapidly to get pumping back on the go.
Reliability & Durability
  • Reliability is essential when it comes to control technology for these types of applications. A milk tanker operates in harsh conditions and therefore the system needs to be able to withstand extreme cold or heat and withstand shock and vibration. It also needs to be impervious to water and dust.
  • The TFM is all of that, built to Mil Std 810g with 501.5 High Temperature, 502.5 Low Temperature, 514.6 Vibration, 516.6 Shock. Enclosures are IP rated to resist water and dust ingress and every aspect of the product design has been carefully engineered to withstand the environmental conditions, making it extremely durable. By using a product of this nature, you immediately have fewer breakdowns which equates to greater on the road time.
  • You require less support infrastructure which is lower cost. Remote technical support means issues can mostly be resolved without the need to recall a tanker or send out support staff, all amounting to lower running costs all round.
Data Transfer Speed & Accuracy
  • The TFM is connected to the factory scheduling system over a sophisticated 4G router designed for critical mission applications. Unlike other 3rd party products that rely on cloud services, the TFM connects directly to the scheduler and transfers data over an Application Programming Interface (API).
  • This means that the dedicated URLs return pure data responses — meaning the responses won’t contain the kind of presentational overhead that you would expect in a user interface like a website, are more reliable and robust and not subject to data corruption as is the case with 3rd party cloud server interfaces.
  • No sooner has the collect been complete, the collect data is delivered to the scheduler, providing cell coverage is available. If cell coverage is not available, the data is stored until it is available and then sent as soon as it is established. With no manual records required the data is correct every time.
Power Outage & Data Backup
  • Every now and again something goes wrong, and power down occurs. If this is in the middle of collection it can cause problems having to manually record the collected information.
  • With the TFM data is saved to non-volatile memory every 10 seconds and when the repower occurs the first thing requested is if you want to recover the last state. If you do not state yes or no to the recovery request the TFM will automatically recover to the last state after a predetermined time.
Sampler Accuracy &Integrity
  • Sampler accuracy and reliability can also be a great time waster so the TFM has been engineered to the highest degree to ensure it accurately provides the exact measure required for laboratory testing as a proportional representation of the total load and the farm collect.
  • Data capture of the collect is not left to chance, it is electronically written to the EID tag on the vial at the time of collect. The samplers are engineered to withstand the environmental conditions, chemical cleaning process and duty cycle needed.
  • Every aspect of the sampler has been carefully scrutinised to ensure vial insertion and tube changes can be done effortlessly and quickly. Again, time is of the essence if you want to minimise your costs and maximise returns.
System Hygiene (CIP)
  • Ensuring the barrels are maintained and cleaned on a regular basis and electronically record this event for verification is paramount in the food industry. The last thing you can afford to have is bacteria build-up in a vessel that is used to transport food products.
  • The TFM keeps track of the time between cleaning and ensures that the cleaning requirements are met each time. Electronically recording the CIP event provides the history needed for a hygienic operation.

You can read more by downloading our Benefits document here:

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