Development of Autofeeding Device Applicable to a Biodegradable Pot Tray

In this study, a pot autofeeding device for a biodegradable pot tray was developed. The tensile strength and bending strength were measured to identify the physical properties of the biodegradable pot tray. As a result of the measurement, the tensile strength and bending strength of the biodegradable pot tray were 0.06 and 0.17 times smaller than those of the plastic pot tray. Therefore, a new type of pot tray extraction mechanism was designed, considering the physical properties, dimensions, and geometry of the biodegradable pot tray, and it was applied to the pot autofeeding device. The developed pot autofeeding device consists of a pot slot, pot-separating blades, pot holders, air cylinders, and a conveyor device. It can supply 240 pot trays per hour to the seeding process without deformation or damage to the biodegradable pot tray.