An innovative automatic tomato grafting machine prototype

The paper presents an innovative automatic tomato grafting machine prototype developed following an extensive investigation on devices involved in grafting operations. The machine features a modular structure, with a module dedicated specifically to picking up the seedlings and cutting and splicing the rootstock and scion. One or more modules can be connected in parallel to a station which sorts, loads and unloads the seedlings. The grafting module has an innovative geometry and cutting station, original geometries of the gripper fingers (realised after several studies and tests) and it is controlled by means of an electro-pneumatic circuit and a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). The system showed a good performance in the preliminary tests here presented, carried out on this grafting module.