Using the Lely Robot Sampler - CanWest DHI Robot Manual
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Using the Lely
Robot Sampler
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
4Lely Check List
☐ First time start-up settings done?
☐ Is sampler level?
☐ Is milk line connected through sampling valve?
☐ Is air pressure to the shuttle correct?
☐ Are there enough bottles in the rack?
☐ Is spoon set in Position 1?
☐ If there is more than 1 robot, and are the racks
numbered accordingly (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4)?
☐ Is the rack type correct (i.e. 60 bottle)?
☐ Is the robot off ‘Pause’ mode?
☐ After the first sample is taken, is there the
proper amount of milk in the bottle?
If none of the above resolves sampling problem,
please call your Robot Specialist.
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
5A dealer should always inspect the valve mechanics prior
to the first test to ensure they are working properly.
Lely uses a 60 bottle shuttle (sampler) that is
connected via a small milk and air hose. The
air hose provides for a mechanical action that
moves the sampling spoon from bottle to bottle.
It starts at bottle 1 in the lower left, moves up
to the end, rounds the corner, and comes back
down weaving through all rows in an
“S” formation.
When a cow completes her milking, air is
injected into the weigh jar bubbling the milk then
draining to the 5 kg mark. The milk is controlled
by a valve and is released by gravity through a
hose into the spoon above the next empty bottle.
About 25 seconds (a good starting point) is
required to ensure enough milk gets through
the hose to the spoon for a two-thirds bottle
level. Factors such as floor height, hose length,
pinched hoses, and debris in the hose, all affect
sample volume.
Look for the number ‘1’ marked on the
top of the sampler to make sure you
have it placed in the shuttle properly.
Preparing & Hooking up the Sampler
• Order specific robot bottles with removable lids from the lab (bottles have bar code on side)
• Remove lid ensuring pill remains in bottle as you place them in the rack
• Place sampler next to the robot. Do not place it in the path of the robot arm or water spray
• Level sampler by adjusting individual legs
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
6Testing the Sampler Movement
Enough air? When a robot is installed, the air valve is typically
closed by default. Make sure the air valve is about 80% open.
1 Insert Air Valve
3 Select Test menu
2 Test
Toogle between Open and
4 Accessories 6 Close buttons to ensure proper
movement of sampler. Adjust
the air valve accordingly.
5 Sampling
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
7Initial Settings & Adjustments
Return to this screen to change sampling time. Time
adjustments do not take effect until the cow milking
in the robot is finished. Monitor the next sample and
adjust accordingly.
2 Set to 60 (see A)
For easy
reference,
3
make the rack
number the
same as the
robot number
Set to 0 (see B)
(i.e. robot 5
with be rack 5)
Set to 25 seconds
4
1
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
8Starting the Milk Test
1 Pause Robot
Press
2 Sample
Button
3 Select Yes
4 Next
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
95 Select Open
6 Thread milk line through
valve and close
7 Next
8 Verify Settings
9 Next
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
10If more than 60 cows
are being milked,
the rack needs to be
changed to allow all
animals to be sampled. • Remove and number full
bottles and replace with
empty bottles
To end sampling, turn
• Move spoon back to the
sampling off, open/close
milk valve to remove line, ‘start’ position and change
disconnect air hose, and accordingly
make sure plug is back in on robot screen (position 1).
receiving jar. Make rack number different
for easy reference
• Make sure you remove
enough full bottles to
accomodate the extra
sampling
Once sampling is active,
10 click to leave on the
Process screen
Pause Robot
Sampling has now
started so push Pause
button again so that you
can allow cows back in.
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
11Initial Setup for Sampling
It is always best practice to verify your settings before each test.
3 Choose
Milking
1 Data
Entry
4 Select
Main Herd
2 Settings
5
Change to One
Sample Per
Cow
Play it safe! To avoid changing your settings by mistake, close
this screen after Step 7 by returing to the ‘Home’ screen
6 Verify
7 that this
says 'yes'
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
12Once Sampling Has Started
To ensure your 60 bottle rack is near full by evening, start your test mid-morning. Another option
is to leave the shuttle hooked up for 24 hours (if needed) and return the next day to process
the samples. If other set-up times are being used, please notify your District Manager or Robot
Specialist.
Sampling should be monitored throughout the day by the owner.
Cows that have been
successfully sampled
showing rack number
Always check the Attention
and bottle position.
List to ensure all cows have
been sampled. These cows
should be gathered for milking
so the test can be ended.
A cow must complete a successful previous milking before the sample will
be taken. If she did not, you'll find her on the Attention List.
Milk Weights: always use 'Day Production'
when using the Lely robot sampler.
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
13Importing Created Files From a Memory Stick
Let's go surfin'! But first, always run a virus
scan on your memory stick!
1 Insert Memory Stick
2 Analysis/Reports
3
Select
Reports
4 Click Import Report
A4 Robot
5 Choose file from your
memory stick.
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
14Individually import
all xml files
6
When creating reports, the cow
number is always automatically
assigned to each report. You can
resort any report by clicking on
the heading you want to sort by.
Importing Files
7 Imported files
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
15Resampling a Missed Cow
Option 1
Hanging out?
If you have the time to wait for a cow to resample, follow these steps. If you don’t, see option 2.
3 Milking
1 Data
Entry
4 General
Milking
57
To find a cow, enter
2 Settings 5 her number and
click ‘search’ to
display the cow list.
If you know what group the cow is in, select that group
and change sampling method to ‘All Milkings’ and
have the cow reenter the robot to be resampled.
PLEASE REMEMBER!
After sampling is done,
make sure you reset to
‘1 sample/cow’
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
16Option 2
Have to leave?
Follow these steps if you are leaving before the cow enters the robot. Doing this
ensures you won’t collect a bunch more samples than necessary.
1 Post Milking
3 4
Select Select
‘Group’ ‘No’
You’ve now turned
off sampling for the
whole group.
2 Double-Click
on the Group
5 Click
‘Save’
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
177 Select
‘Animal’ 8 Select
‘Yes’
9 Click
‘Save’
Back in business.
6 Double-Click
on the Cow
Cow 57 is now ready
to be resampled
(see below).
Cow #57 is set to
be resampled
When done, repeat
steps 1-5 to return to
group sampling.
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
18Lely Sampler Troubleshooting
Please Note! When troubleshooting, it is best to
contact the Robot Specialist first
PROBLEM: Random samples missing
Cause 1: An airlock in the weigh jar prevents milk from flowing to the shuttle jar.
Solution: Have dealer permanently remove check ball at the top of the jar.
Cause 2: Cow didn’t produce enough milk. This is robot-install dependent; limited distance to the
shuttle affects cows producing less than 5 kg of milk.
PROBLEM: Group of missing samples
Cause 1: Blockage inside milk line (rare).
Solution: Disconnect, blow out and observe for milk flow.
Cause 2: Milk hose has come apart.
Solution: Use alcohol swab on both ends to clean before reattaching.
PROBLEM: Partially filled bottles
Cause 1: Not enough time allotted for bottles to fill.
Solution: Increase time at the robot (Settings>Milking Procedure>Sampling>add seconds).
Cause 2: Milk is being sucked out of the spoon.
Solution: Unscrew spoon ½ turn; cut off stem inside spoon; add a stainless washer under stem,
but on top of the spoon for less milk to be sucked out.
Cause 3: Milk line is too long and the weigh jar is too low to the ground.
Solution: If possible, move shuttle lower and shorten the milk line.
Cause 4: Milk Line valve is sticking. More typical of A3s or a robot that has not tested in a while.
Solution: Lubricate Milk Valve with Vaseline or have dealer replace it.
Cause 5: Bottles not straight.
Solution: Check that shuttle is free of being hit. Ensure bottles are clipped clean and inserted
straight up and down in the rack. Considering stacking bottles on their rims on every other row if
too tight.
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
19PROBLEM: Spoon is out of position
Cause: Too much sway
Solution: Check T4C and see where the spoon is supposed to be (noting the cow number) and
compare that to the shuttle. Work backwards until you get to the problem spot and determine how
many cows were missed. As you remove bottles, assign the proper cow to the correct bottle while
working backwards from the end. If this happens early and you want to continue sampling, note
the cow number on the last correctly filled bottle and continue.
PROBLEM: Extra sway
Cause 1: Cylinders lift up unevenly (sticky).
Solution: Lubricate cylinders.
Cause 2: Weak or uneven springs.
Solution: Rotate springs and put the strongest spring on the single spring side or have springs
replaced with new ones.
Cause 3: Shuttle is rocking.
Solution: Adjust the legs/prop up in order to make the shuttle level.
Cause 4: Not enough air to operate the shuttle and spoon is not advancing properly. This can
be caused by air line leaking or weak air line connectors which should be replaced, or weak air
compressor. Some shuttles may have needle valve restrictors that should be open completely.
Cause 5: Spoon is hitting the shuttle lid.
Solution: Lift and support the lid with a clipped vial lid.
• To check if shuttle is hitting the lid:
• Ensure gate is closed and no cows are milking
• On robot, push TEST; TEST MENU; ACCESSORIES; SAMPLING
• Toggle OPEN and CLOSE and watch the spoon travel to see if it is hitting a corner on the lid
PROBLEM: Some cows milked, but no sample
Cause: Cow may not have successfully completed her prior milking
PROBLEM: Sampling a missed cow.
If 1 or 2 cows need to be sampled, have the cows brought to the robot. After the cow is milked,
a sample can be obtained manually from the agitation jar by pulling the plug at the bottom and
catching a sample.
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
20Washing the Lely Sampler
The Lely sampler is cleaned using these 3 routine cycles: rinse, soapy wash cycle, final acid rinse
(if available)
Items Required:
• Rubber gloves
• Vasoline to lubricate the cylinders
• Liquid detergent or bootwash
• 50-100cc syringe
• Extra boot pail with long brush or a clean sink
1. Rinse Cycle: Disconnect sampler from robot and rinse milk hose, spoon and outside of
sampler with a spray hose.
2. Half-fill boot pail with very warm water and add Leminee® boot wash or dishwashing soap.
3. Use the syringe to force soapy wash water through milk hose and fill the spoon. (A syringe
that can screw onto the milk hose works best.) Move syringe in and out to force water and air
into the milk hose. If you discover a pinhole leak, replace the hose, repair it, or cut it shorter.
4. Leave the milk hose and spoon full of solution. Remove the empty syringe and put the end of
the milk hose into the top of the spoon to soak the milk hose. Soaking will help get rid of milk-
stone build-up which can sour the next milk samples taken.
5. Drain soapy water from the hose and spoon. Use boot brush to wash entire sampler and
cover with wash solution. Note: edges of the samplers can be very sharp so a long brush
should be used to prevent injuries.
6. Using a brush, wash rack inside the boot pail or sink. Use a flask brush to clean the middle
part of rack. After sampler is washed and rinsed, remove the end of the milk hose from the
spoon and thoroughly rinse out the acid wash solution if it was used.
7. Disconnect the milk hose from the spoon and drain all water. Blow out water from the milk
hose manually to dry it. Ensuring the hose is dried is important as any remaining water
could freeze on route in winter, and bacteria could grow in summer months.
8. Disassemble the spoon and hand-wash with a brush either in a sink or in the boot pail. Be
careful not to lose the ‘O’ ring and gasket.
9. Once cleaned and rinsed, reassemble the spoon making sure not to over-tighten (always
leave it slightly loose).
10. Whenever possible, allow the sampler to air-dry before reassembling or putting the lid back
on. This is especially important for the older style samplers where not all the parts are made
of stainless steel and the moisture will cause rust.
11. Before the next test, push down on top of all 3 cylinders to ensure none are sticking and if
springs are stiff. A weak spring can cause the spoon to not move forward properly and
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
21ruin the milk test. If any cylinder is sticking, use Vaseline on the cylinder shaft. Never use
WD-40 as it will ruin the cylinder seal.
12. Position spoon in ‘Down’ position (not hanging), disassemble hose from spoon and
turn feet inside.
Handling the Lely Sampler
Park your vehicle close as possible to where robots are situated and use a trolley or cart where
provided to bring samplers close to the robot.
Ask for help carrying over gates if no other options are available.
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
22Avoiding Milk Carry-Over
We want quality samples and test results!
In robotic milking systems, milk carry-over from one DHI sample to another can
possibly affect test results. This should be kept in mind when interpreting any
pregnancy, disease, or mastitis test results from DHI. By keeping the following
information in mind, you will help ensure both quality sampling AND test results.
Milk Drip
Figure 1 Figure 2
There are three areas for possible milk carry-over: spoon, hose, and weigh jar.
1) Spoon
Spoon ‘fill times’ may need to be adjusted to insure the spoon does not overfill with milk and spill
over into other vials. This adjustment is part of the normal setup for sampling. Therefore when
starting the sampling, observe the spoon fill level and the vial fill level after the first couple of cows
to ensure levels are normal. Make adjustments if needed to the fill time in the robot software.
Older robots move the spoon from sample to sample fairly gently with enough time in between
samples to allow drainage of the milk into the vial. An area of concern is milk from the surface
area of the spoon dripping into the next bottle (Figure 1). This should not affect lab test results.
On A4 robots, the vacuum to the shuttle is much higher and could result in spillage of milk from
the full spoon as it drops down to empty. An air control valve can be installed on older robots to
reduce vacuum.
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
23Figure 3 (A3 Robot) Figure 4 (A4 Robot)
2) Hose
After filling the spoon, the robot sucks out any remaining milk leaving traces on the inside lining
which will collect in the lowest section of the hose
(Figure 2). The residue milk in the hose is blown back into the weigh jar during the milking of the
next cow. It is best to limit potential milk residue by keeping all hoses as short as possible.
3) Weigh Jar
This is the most likely point for possible milk carry-over. The amount of visible milk residue may
be greater for high component, fast milking cows where more foam is created. Figure 3 shows an
example of a well-drained weigh jar in an A3 robot.
The pumping process is similar in A3next robots, however, there are more elbows below the
jar for possible milk to be trapped. Be sure to take a close look to ensure all milk is drained. If a
problem exists where significant milk is left in the jar, it can be corrected by extending ‘pumping
time’ at the robot.
In A4 robots, a bladder tank with compressed air is used to empty the weigh jar through suction
(Figure 4). If this is not working well, contact the dealer to make adjustments.
To further minimize the risk of milk carry-over, you can have the robot system automatically ‘rinse’
between cows. However, this may not be practical as it would slow down the milking process. To
learn how to activate this option on sampling day, please contact your service dealer.
CanWest DHI Robot Manual
Copyright © 2018 by CanWest DHI. All rights reserved.
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