Soybean & Wheat Seed Conditioning

McKilllip Seeds had outgrown their aging cleaning line and were looking for ways to improve the quality of their seed, a hallmark of their North Central Indiana seed business. McKillip Seeds’ were familiar with Bratney from the work we had completed for another AgVenture company, Wehmeyer Seeds, in Mascoutah, IL. Wehmeyer gave the team at McKillip Seeds very positive feedback about their experience with Bratney and that’s all it took for McKillip Seeds to seek our guidance on designing a new seed conditioning line.

Project Background

After listening to McKillip Seeds’ goals for the new soybean seed and wheat seed receiving and cleaning line, Bratney’s project team developed multiple process flows for the McKillip Seeds to consider. Ultimately it was decided that the most efficient and cost-effective way to reach the quality goals they had outlined were to move forward with the flow that eliminated the gravity tables and their high cost of operation.

To ensure finished seed would deliver the quality associated with the McKillip brand, Bratney opted for a Cimbria Delta 106 screen cleaner and a SEA.CX, six lane optical sorter in the 500 bushels per hour cleaning line. While the building was contracted to a local building manufacturer, Bratney provided the design and engineering for the seed conditioning line, millwrights crews to install the equipment as well as guidance on the optimal building size to house the cleaning line.

img_Cimbria-Seed-Food-processing-plant img_Cimbria-Seed-Food-processing-plant
Enclosed Truck Receiving Lane

Enclosed Truck Receiving Lane

Cimbria Pre-Cleaner

Cimbria Pre-Cleaner

Remove large foreign material to protect downstream equipment and prepare product for precision cleaning steps.

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Cimbria Super-Cleaner

Cimbria Super-Cleaner

Precision cleaning step to remove over and under sized kernels along with unique aspiration system to remove low density foreign materials.

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Cimbria Indents

Cimbria Indents

Length separation step to remove any remaining sticks, stems and pods.

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Cimbria Cleaner

Cimbria Cleaner

2nd cleaning high-quality screening to remove split kernels and small fines.

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Cimbria重力表

Cimbria重力表

Density separation step to remove low-density split and broken kernels as well disease and insect damaged kernels - simple to operate with honeycomb deck for even air distribution and fans that move with the deck.

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Cimbria SEA Color Sorter

Cimbria SEA Color Sorter

Optical sorting for precise removal of the smallest defects as well as removal of off color or incorrectly sized kernels.

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Color Sorter Rerun Conveyer

Color Sorter Rerun Conveyer

2nd pass color sorting of first round rejects to reclaim any good product caught in first pass rejects.

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Cimbria Treating & Coating System

Cimbria Treating & Coating System

Batch or continuously treating systems and drying conveyors for pulse seed producers.

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Project Scope

  • process engineering

  • project management

  • equipment selection and procurement

  • millwright services
  • equipment installation

  • equipment startup and commissioning

  • operator training

Project Details

  • 2,000 bushels per hour receiving line

  • Dedicated 'seed clean' bins maintain separation between treated and non-treated seed and allow full cleanout between products

  • 500 bushels per hour cleaning line with precision cleaner and color sorter

  • An efficient process flow eliminated gravity tables and their high cost of operation

  • SEA.CX color sorting technology increased finished seed quality - a major goal for the project

  • Bratney worked with building contractor to ensure building was sized correctly for the cleaning line, there was easy access for maintenance, and operators had space to bag or tote finished product

Equipment Solutions

  • Receiving pit with drag conveyor

  • Bratney fabrication bulk receiving bins

  • Cimbria Delta 106 air screen cleaner

  • SEA.CX 6 chute color sorter

  • Bratney Fabrication seed clean bins

  • Bratney Fabrication tote bag and seed box fillers
  • Bratney Fabrication– surge bins, equipment platforms, stairs, transitions, valves

  • Continuous cup elevators

Other Services

Contact Us

Get in touch with our team about your next project! We are eager to share our 50 years of industry expertise with you to take your facility to the next level of efficiency, safety, and quality.