Carrot wash line processes 40 tons per hour

In 2019, Wyma Solutions completed the final phase of a new line for the team at Rocky Lamattina & Sons in Wemen, Australia — the most complex project ever undertaken by the company.

Believed to be the largest carrot wash line in Australasia (requiring 49 containers shipped from the factory in New Zealand in addition to components made and shipped locally), this multiphase project was the result of a collaboration between Rocky Lamattina & Sons and the Wyma team. Rocky Lamattina & Sons was involved in the entire design process and made key decisions throughout regarding technology, type of equipment and line layout all based on a multitude of operational considerations.

“When it came time to build our new line, I approached Wyma with three main focuses — low maintenance, simple to use and gentle on the product,” said Angelo Lamattina, General Manager of Rocky Lamattina & Sons.

This two-year project involved a range of custom-made machines that were specifically designed to meet Lamattina’s team’s requirements, including:

• extra-wide Mega Wet Hoppers;
• Wyma’s largest ever Rotary Screen Filter;
• a new-design Roller Sizer;
• a 20 m Hydrocooler, the longest in Wyma’s range;
• a 40 m conveying system;
• a Hydro Cyclone without paddle; and
• a rotating flume gate.

The Lamattina carrot wash line processes 40 tons per hour (with a capability up to 60 tons per hour if required), and was built to run automatically and require minimal labour. The majority of the equipment is wired back to two main control systems located in a climate-controlled room, with 13 other electrical cabinets designed to be field-based.

The development of the vast project led Wyma’s team to a large number of innovations and improvements, which it have since implemented in several other projects. Over this period the Wyma team also designed and introduced a completely new piece of equipment — the Clean Wet Hopper — which has been successfully used as a storage solution at other sites.

Image credit: iStock.com/Mercedes Rancaño Otero