| GB |

EAR CORN
DRYING &
PROCESSING
TURNKEY

CONVEYING | DRYING | SEED PROCESSING | ELECTRONIC SORTING | STORAGE | TURNKEY | SERVICE

EAR CORN
DRYING &
PROCESSING

OPTIMAL UTILIZATON OF NATURE’S

RESOURCES RECEIVING
Handling, drying and processing of ear corn requires
CONVEYING & ASPIRATION

in-depth knowledge to avoid damage to the seeds and HUSKING

CONTROL & AUTOMATION

to preserve the germination ability.

DRYING
Cimbria is one of the world’s leading manufacturers
of equipment and plants for seed processing. Based SHELLING
on in-house technology and experience, we have the
PRE-CLEANING
capability to carry out full design and supply of ear-corn
projects on turn-key basis. STORAGE
A firm project management control supports the PROCESSING
assurance for the security and quality that lies in our
products and project execution. From placement of the CHEMICAL TREATMENT
order to the guarantee expiration, the responsibility for
your project lies in the hands of an experienced and
PACKAGING
dedicated senior project team.
 CIMBRIA | TURNKEY | EAR CORN DRYING & PROCESSING | 3 |

RECEIVING, HUSKING & SORTING

The ear corn is received directly from the field and enters an area Prior to entering the receiving area for unloading, the trucks pass
for sampling, testing and quality control. a weigh bridge for control.

RECEIVING AREA
The ear corn is tipped directly into the intake pit.
The intake pit is equipped with a walking floor for gentle and even
transfer of the ear corn into the belt conveying system from where
it is conveyed into the husking and sorting area.

HUSKING & SORTING

A distribution conveyor fills the pre cells above the huskers, from
where the ear corn is conveyed to the husking process by means
of a shaker feeder and a belt conveyor.

Side by side husking rolls removes husk and silk from the ear
corn. The waste products are collected and conveyed to a dump
area, alternatively for chopping.

Loose kernels can either be collected by a loose kernel belt

conveyor and re-covered, or they can be discharged by the waste
conveyor.

HANDSORTING
After the husking process, the husked ear corns are visually
controlled and inspected at the sorting table. Un-husked ear corn
is re-run for re-husking. Bad and low germination ear corn are
removed and discharged into a waste belt conveyor.

OPTICAL SORTING
Optionally an optical sorter can replace the main part of the
manual inspection. This reduces the labour force by approx. 75%.
| 4 |

EAR CORN DRYING PROCESS

Drying of ear corn is a complex process, which in the past

traditionally depended on operator experience. Given the high To design and operate the dryer, it is important to understand and
value of good quality seeds the process must be optimized in control the nature and characteristics of all these parameters.
order to secure quality and minimize energy consumption while
at the same time maximizing the plant capacity in a controlled The Cimbria dryers are built as a modular chamber system and
manner using the latest automation systems to monitor, control can be designed as either single-pass dryers or double-pass
and finally save all process data. dryers.

Seed corn is usually harvested as ear corn with a moisture content The dryer walls are made as trapez-shaped steel profile. The
of 30% to 40% and it subsequently needs to be dried down to inclined bottom is made of perforated sheet steel which allows
12-13% for safe storage. With such huge moisture reduction, the drying air to pass through.
very gentle and accurate drying is crucial in order to avoid craks
in kernels, which will reduce the chance of germination rate. The The dryers are supplied with filling doors, entrance doors to air
optimal values of bed-depth, the up- and down air flows and channels, air dampers, shell out doors and staircases and and
temperatures are of great importance for the drying process. catwalks. Filling doors, air dampers and shell out doors can be
supplied pneumatically or actuator controlled.
The drying process is influenced by many parameters:
• Ambient temperature Design and supply of steel construction, roof construction,
• Relative humidity access etc. is tailor made so each dryer is designed according to
• Air flow and Air distribution the individual demands and requirements of the client.
• Seed variety / hybrid
• Bin depth
• Initial and final moisture requirement

FILLING OUTLOADING
The filling of the drying cells takes place on the upper deck where the conveying The discharge of the dried ear corn is either to the side or into the centre of the dryer.
system is fitted with slow down filling belts to reduce speed and impact of the cobs
into the drying cells
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SINGLE PASS DRYING

The single pass reversing dryer is constructed with two rows of The ventilators blow hot air into the plenum. First upwards
drying bins arranged opposite each other. The area between the through the drying bin and out to atmosphere, later down through
bins is used for transport of ear corn out of the dryer. the drying bin and out into the atmosphere.

Each bin has its own independent heating source and drying Advantages of Single Pass Dryers
ventilator which are installed at the air plenum on the outside of • Very flexible as each bin has its own ventilator and temper
the drying bin. ture control and can be individually controlled
• Useful for different hybrids with different drying temperatures

AIR CHANNELS SINGLE PASS DRYING INSTALLATION

Remotely controlled air louvers for guiding hot air bottom and up, or top down and Single pass reverse dryer including individual gas burner and ventilator.
to the atmosphere. Access doors located under the bins for easy cleaning out and
inspection.
| 6 |

DOUBLE PASS DRYING

The double pass dryer is constructed with two rows of drying bins The ventilators blow hot air through the bins containing the driest
arranged opposite each other. Ear corn is transported from the ear corn and into the lower plenums and then upwards through
dryer from shell out doors on the external bin walls of the dryer. the high moisture bins and out into the atmosphere.

The drying bins have a common heating source and drying venti- Advantage of double pass dryer:
lators which are installed at both ends of the dryer. Depending on • Low power consumption
the dryer size the double pass dryer is supplied with two or four • Lower capital cost
ventilators and heating sources.

DOUBLE PASS DRYING INSTALLATION AIR CHANNELS

Double pass reverse dryer including common heating systmes and ventilators. Remotely controlled air louvers for:
• guiding hot air bottom and up
• guiding hot air top down and to air plenum to bottom up to atmosphere
• equalizing air pressure between upper and lower air plenum
Under the bins access doors for cleaning and inspection are located.
 CIMBRIA | TURNKEY | EAR CORN DRYING & PROCESSING | 7 |

BOX DRYING AND HEATING SOURCES

BOX DRYING
Box dryers are mainly used for small batches and loose kernels
recovery. The boxes are loaded into the dryer in the front end by
a forklift. The box dryers are either for one or two rows of boxes.
At the rear end, the heating and fan systems are placed. The
distribution takes place via the common air channel in the dryer.

HEATING SOURCE
For the drying process, we provide heating systems for heating by
liquid or natural gas, oil, steam and hot water.

HEATING WITH GAS

The most common used heating source is the gas burner system.
It is supplied as a package which includes a pre-assembled
module, temperature sensors and PLC Control Panel with VLT
controlled motor for the ventilators.

HEATING WITH OIL

The oil burner package includes an oil burner module, tempera-
ture sensors and PLC Control Panel with VLT controlled motor for
the ventilators.

HEATING WITH BIOFUEL

This heating system offers an opportunity to use waste products
from the husking and sorting process and cobs from the shelling
process as fuel to deliver hot water or steam to heat exchangers
on single and double pass dryers.
| 8 |

SHELLING AND PRECLEANING

Shelling is a mechanical process where the corn kernels are

separated from the cob. The shelling process must be done as
gently as possible to reduce kernel damage to a minimum.

SHELLING
The Cimbria sheller operates with a corn on corn shelling action
and is equipped with a sturdy steel housing with a forged rotor.

The shelled cobs are conveyed to a cob bin for truck load out or
to a dump area.

PRE-CLEANER
A Delta pre-cleaner is used for scalping of corn cobs and other
large impurities in the upper screen layer. The lower screen layer
is used for sifting smaller particles, soil and broken kernels etc.
The pre-cleaner can be supplied with an aspiration system for
removal of light impurities.

OPTIONS
BULK SCALE
A bulk scale can be incorporated for recording the amount of
pre-cleaned shelled corn being transferred to bulk silos.

BIG BAG WEIGHING UNIT

A big bag weighing unit can be incorporated for big bagging of the
pre-cleaned corn being transferred to warehouse for intermediate
storage prior to conditioning.

AUTO SAMPLER
An auto sampler can be incorporated for taking seed samples of
pre-cleaned corn for transfer to a to laboratory for quality control.

ASPIRATOR
If the pre-cleaner for scalping is operated without aspiration, a
separate aspirator must be installed to remove lighter particles such as
bee wings and other light impurities prior to big bagging / bulk storage.
 CIMBRIA | TURNKEY | EAR CORN DRYING & PROCESSING | 9 |

STORAGE

During the process the corn must be stored for temporary storage When filling the cells, the corn is cascaded at reduced speed in
and dosing. order to prevent damage because of high velocity.
The product temperature in the single cells can be monitored
The silos are integrated into the plant flow for storing of continuously and the measurements are logged in the SCADA
• Shelled corn system. The cells are designed with aeration which facilitates the
• Per-cleaned corn possibility of ventilation of the single cells.
• Treated corn
• Cob waste

For the storage, Cimbria offers a wide range of silos tailor made
according to the actual request in the single projects.

The silos are delivered with statically documentation for the

calculations and manufacturing according to the local building
regulations (i.e. EN1090 within the European Union)

The design of the Cimbria silos is optimized for corn and other
types of seed, which must be handled very gently to preserve the
germination ability.

The corn is delivered to the silo cells by means of a belt conveyor. The belt conveyors are
equipped with manually or electronically positioned discharge cars. The bins are filled through
inlet pipes which are connected to the filling chutes in the cells for very gentle product handling.

The silo hoppers are designed to be completely self emptying. The outlets can be
equipped with pneumatic or motor controlled shutters for capacity control.

The silo cells are rectangular in a modular system. The cells are constructed for
preventing kernel lodging. The sizes and number of the cells are according to the
requested number of different charges and badge size.
 | 10 |

CLEANING

In the fine cleaning process, under size as well as over size corn corn kernels. Again the corn is aspirated for removal of light
kernels which are not suitable for seed are separated from good particles.

FINE CLEANING
It is of outmost importance that the corn
seed is well cleaned. The Cimbria range
of Delta cleaners are able to perform
the best cleaning due to vibrator feeder
securing an absolute even feeding and
distribution on the screens. Moreover
the highest % apertures on the market
ensure maximum utilization of each
square meter of screen. Finally a very
efficient airlifting system will remove all
light material.

FLAT SCREEN GRADING

When using a Cimbria Delta flat screen
cleaner, width, length and thickness
grading will be carried out by combining
the optimal screen aperture and screen
slope with the length and frequency
stroke as well as very efficient air lifting
system. The corn will be separated into
the fractions required.

CYLINDRICAL GRADING
When using a Cimbria Cylindrical
screening machine for grading the
product is sorted according to its width or
thickness. Each single cylinder is built as
a self-supporting steel construction and
can be combined in various configura-
tions by means of the simple modular
system. This offers a huge spectrum of
sorting options possible. By combining
a number of cylindrical machines,
calibrations can be made into as many
fractions as required.
 CIMBRIA | TURNKEY | EAR CORN DRYING & PROCESSING | 11 |

GRADING

In the process of grading by size, seeds can be separated Calibration into different fractions can be made by the use of flat
according to the criteria of width and thickness on one hand, and or round screens.
length and particle shape on the other hand.

WEIGHT SEPARATION
The separation by weight is performed
on a Cimbria Gravity tabel which
efficiently will remove any stones or
foreign seeds having the same length
and width as the good product but a
difference weight. The gravity table uses
a fluid bed principle combined with
a combination of adjustable inclined
motions.

OPTICAL SORTING
By the use of the very latest technology the
Cimbria SEA optical sorter will finally remove
maize kernels having a different color or
visual damages. In the optical sorter, the
feeding system carries corn through oblique
chutes where it is further separated.

The product then falls through an

analysis section where each particle
is checked by a number of optical
devices facing each other. Any color
characteristic electrical signal is taken to
a control unit which converts it. Should
non-designated particles be present,
these are shunted off to the discard bin
by means of an air blast fired by ejectors.

The sorters are controlled by micro

processors and their sophisticated
software allows the use of up to 600
different sorting programs storable
on board. Thanks to this they apply
to manifold production needs, since
the same machine is able to carry out
different sorting process of the same
product or of different products, in a
matter of a few minutes.
| 12 |

CHEMICAL TREATMENT

Seed Treatments is a chemical or biological substances or physical Application of a chemical to seeds is a very well-targeted method of
processes applied to seeds or seedlings. They help to protect the seeds reducing attacks on the growing plant by insects and diseases.
and assure optimum emergence of the crop. Fungicide treatment to control seed and soil borne diseases. Insecticide
based treatment for season pests in a broad range of crops.

The Cimbria centricoater is designed for the most precise and

uniform application of costly seed treating materials. The system
is a continuous batch operation utilising a highly accurate
electronic scale together with an equal accurate chemical dosing
system all controlled by a PLC. The system provides a uniform
distribution of the treatment materials on the seed.

POWDER FEEDER
Integrated powder feeder for injection of powder materials, talcum
or other substance for weight gaining.

LIQUID DOSING SYSTEM

Glass cylinder for direct dosing, simple manuel directly Flow
Meters or Mass Flow Meters for volumetric or gravimetric dosing,
amount programmed by recipe.

FORMULATION SYSTEM
Fully automatic mixing and formulation systems are tailor made
according to your requirements. The system typically consists of:

• A rack system containing a number of IBC chemical containers,

JOG CONVEYOR DRYER
including spill try and pumping arrangement (Cruiser, Poncho, If the treatment process applies large amount of liquids and
Insecticide, fungicides etc.) powers, the seed needs to be dried before it is further handled.
• Mixing Tanks (MT) 1,2,3 etc. on load cells for mixing formulation
from IBC tanks, and pumping system to deliver recipe to work The jog conveyor dryer operates with a gentle jog motion and can
tanks at centricoater be heated by gas, oil, or electricity. As an option the dryer can be
• Rinse water tank for clean out piping system and avoid cross equipped with a sifting section for separating any loses powder
contamination of chemicals and light material. The jog conveyor aspiration system must be
• Wash water tank for holding rinse water and add to waste water connected to red dust filter.
to mixing tank for those chemicals that can be allowed
• Waste water IBS tank for disposal of waste water which cannot
be re-used
 CIMBRIA | TURNKEY | EAR CORN DRYING & PROCESSING | 13 |

PACKING AND ASPIRATION

PACKAGING SYSTEM
From a simple netto bag weigher with open mouth bag, manual
The treated seed corn is packed in a number of different bags
sewing and stacking of bags on pallets to the more advanced
depending on region, tradition, bag size, bag type etc.
systems including automatic bag placement and flattening,
automatic sewing and robot palletizing and wrapping systems.
The packaging systems are very individual in their lay out ranging.

DUST FILTER SYSTEM

Dust appears in all seed plants especially at the transfer points
where the seeds are conveyed from one machine to another.
Dust and bee wings are separated from the seed and create an
unpleasant and dangerous environment for the workers, including
the risk of a dust explosion. Therefore a correctly dimensioned
and integrated aspiration system is an absolute must in any
modern seed plant.
The dust filters are equipped with filter bags which separate the
air before discharge to the atmosphere.
Dust aspiration piping must be properly designed according to
air quantity, air velocity and pressure. The ventilators create the
under-pressure that extracts the air from all extraction points. The
air-locks discharge the dust to either bag or to a conveying system
to a dust bin. The red dust from the treatment process requires
separate dust filters. These filters are equipped with collection
baskets as the toxic waste must be disposed of in a safe manner.
| 14 |

AUTOMATION

A modern facility is not utilized optimally without an effective and This is your guarantee that all installed machines operate at their
reliable control system. A Cimbria control system combines our optimal performance thereby ensuring the best economy of the
many years of process experience with the latest technology. entire system throughout the life time of the plant.

SCADA SYSTEM
The Scada system is tailor-made for operation, monitoring and
alerting and it can be controlled by the operator from one or
several locations. To secure the daily operation, all routes are
saved and stored and can be easily accessed.

Our preferred system is WinCC from Siemens. A powerful, user

friendly, high performance PC based Human-Machine Interface
(HMI) together with Microsoft Windows.

TRACEABILITY
Seed represents a great value, therefore traceability is extremely
important. A very well-tested and stable database system is
normally built in Microsoft SQL. The logging is typically done using
a barcode system, but other systems such as RFID systems are
also available.

SERVICE PROGRAM
To minimize the risk of breakdowns and plant downtime,
operating statistics on each machine can be set and monitored
enabling scheduled service and preventive maintenance to be
done on time.
 TEMPERATURE MONITORING SYSTEM

UNITEST® SOFTWARE
The Cimbria Unitest system is an important tool to ensure
the products during storage in silos. Based on experiences
from thousands of installations all over the world, the system
monitor the storage conditions.

The Unitest is available in various applications:

SINGLE HOST:
A complete functional UNITEST 5G to run on a single PC
without connection to a LAN and the Internet.

SEVERAL HOSTS:
Collection, storage and presentation can be distributed on
several PC hardware connected by LAN.

MULTIPLE SITES
In this topology several sites are connected to a central
“Super Site”
 A/S CIMBRIA
Faartoftvej 22
P.O. Box 40, 7700 Thisted
DENMARK
Phone: +45 96 17 90 00
[email protected]
www.cimbria.com

SOLUTIONS.
TOGETHER. Cimbria Inhouse 02.15

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