Feasibility Study of Oil Palm Harvesting using Pulse Fibre Laser System with Different Lenses

Malaysia is currently experiencing a labour shortage in oil palm plantations, estimated to account for 46% of the total industrial workforce. The industry is striving to increase worker productivity by adopting new technologies using a variety of work methods. Increment of fresh fruit bunch (FFB) production in oil palm plantations has created a demand for improved harvesting technique. Some of the technologies that have been developed are practical, yet they impose several technical issues that must be solved. The potential of oil palm frond cutting using pulse fibre laser was explored. The optimisation of the laser cutting system was made using a 250 mm and 63 mm focus lens. A better cutting rate was achieved using 63 mm focus lens due to its shorter focal length (compared to the 250 mm focus lens) and capability to retain stability at a higher pulse laser frequency. The same lens was able to perform complete cuts on oil palm fronds with power and speed of 50 Watt at 500 kHz and 1 mm/s, respectively. Good consistency was also exhibited with an average cutting rate of 0.1024 mm/s. Perhaps with further investigation and optimisation, such technique can be a viable alternative to the FFB harvesting methods that the industry is practicing today. (author)