A & K Development Company designs and manufactures equipment for the food processing and agricultural industries. Founded in Eugene, Oregon in 1981, A & K also has facilities in Drain, Oregon and Arcadia, Florida as well as in Argentina, Brazil, China, Hungary, and Thailand. A & K is the world leader in husking equipment for the sweet and seed corn industries and also manufactures pre-cleaning equipment for carrots, citrus products, potatoes, radishes, beets, garlic, and onions.
The new research project is being conducted by the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (MIME) at Oregon State University, using "model-based design and validation" - a new mechanical engineering design technique. It replaces the traditional design-build-test-revise approach with computer modeling in which machines are designed and tested prior to being built. Using this innovative software, virtually every aspect of a mechanical system is translated into data that can be mixed and matched in sophisticated computer systems, greatly reducing development time and the costs of new products.
The new research project is being conducted by the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (MIME) at Oregon State University, using "model-based design and validation" - a new mechanical engineering design technique. It replaces the traditional design-build-test-revise approach with computer modeling in which machines are designed and tested prior to being built. Using this innovative software, virtually every aspect of a mechanical system is translated into data that can be mixed and matched in sophisticated computer systems, greatly reducing development time and the costs of new products.
This approach is being applied to A&K's Half Transfer Shaker Feeder, a vibratory conveyor table which uses a novel patented drive mechanism to transport and align food products during processing. "We are now testing a third-generation machine with a ½ horsepower motor (one-third the energy used with previous designs) and we'll be moving 15-20 tons of product per hour across the pan. This means we can generate a lot of force with very little energy. A&K is interested in maximizing our own use while having OSU explore other possibilities for this concept," said Ron Anderson, A&K's founder and owner.
The Oregon Metals Initiative (OMI) , a state government program that supports research at Oregon universities for Oregon metals companies, is matching the funding provided by A&K, which will support an OSU graduate student and provide an opportunity to work with industry.
