The Langhoff family breeds giant redworms, which anglers use as food worms for animals, for example. In order to fully automate the feeding and watering process, Martin Langhoff, owner of Superwurm, developed a completely new machine. This includes two robots, a conveyor belt and an automated guided vehicle (AGV). The system allows feeding and watering to be carried out around the clock, even when staff are unavailable.
The AGV collects stacks of Euro containers filled with soil and worms from the bearing to the new feeding and watering system. Once at the new feeding and irrigation system, the AGV moves the containers to the first robot, which places them one after the other from the trolley stack onto a conveyor belt. The containers are then automatically watered on the conveyor belt and feed is scattered on the ground. At the other end of the conveyor belt, a second robot lifts the watered and fed containers from the conveyor belt back onto a trolley, the AGV picks them up and drives them back into the warehouse.
For the system, Langhoff was looking for components that would function reliably and permanently under difficult operating conditions with dirt, soil and moisture, as the machine was designed for 24-hour continuous operation. In addition, they should not require lubrication so that worms and soil remain undamaged. This machine in particular allows soil and moisture to reach the bearing points.