The following diagrams show how the LASER system works. |
 LASER system circulating chemical in the spray lines |
 Spraying in progress |
LASER or Line Agitation System with Environmental Re-circulation is a simple system that has changed the UK sprayer industry forever. Outwardly the sprayer is little different but under the surface it offers significant environmental and financial advantages.
Every farmer knows, to his cost, the problem of washing out a crop sprayer when changing products. The pipe work on the boom is particularly difficult to get clean without using large quantities of water.
After adding a new chemical the opposite problem occurs. How do you get rid of all the clean water from the boom pipe work without wasting valuable chemical?
LASER has the answer along with many advantages.
How it Works
LASER Agitation works by a patented vacuum system that draws chemical through the spray lines from the sprayer tank. This results in the spray lines containing whatever is in the sprayer tank.
The following diagrams show how the LASER system works. |
LASER system circulating chemical in the spray lines |
Spraying in progress |
Imagine two operators during a typical days spraying. One has a Knight sprayer fitted with LASER Agitation and the other a more typical modern sprayer.
1. The first operation of the day is to fill the machines with water and incorporate the chemical. Both operators will go through the same basic process to achieve this but as the chemical is incorporated into the Knight machine it will circulate through all the pipework including the spray lines.
2. On reaching the field the Knight Sprayer unfolds and starts work immediately. Meanwhile the conventional sprayer has to unfold and reverse up to the field edge to purge the residue from the spray lines and pipes. Imagine you are working at 100 l/ha with 02F110 tips fitted to a 2000 litre 20m machine. At typical settings these tips deliver 0.5 l/min each. If the sprayer pipework holds 50 litres of water this will mean standing with the machine spraying for over 2.5 minute before the spray lines are charged with chemical. It must also be remembered that you have just wasted 2.5% of your load! With LASER Agitation you could have sprayed close to one hectare of ground and wasted none of your expensive chemical .
3. Now you have finished that job and want to move on to an application of liquid fertiliser. If you chose your order of work correctly you probably don't need to wash out the machine but you still have to purge the lines with fertiliser before work can commence. The Knight sprayer will once again save you precious time and money by performing this task automatically without you having to worry about it. The conventional machine will be left standing at the headland with the operator trying to decide if he has got fertiliser to all the nozzles.
4. Half way through the day you have to make a change to another job which requires a full wash out. Both machines carry clean water on board and both can rinse out in the field. This keeps the problem of disposing of washings to a minimum. LASER Agitation on the Knight sprayer gives the operator increased confidence that the lines are clean because he can draw clean water from the wash tank direct into the lines and circulate it for as long as he likes.
5. At the end of the day you are using a chemical that you know cannot be left in the lines or it will settle and cause continuous problems for weeks to come. The conventional machine leaves the operator with little choice other than to go through the wash out process. The Knight machine uses LASER Agitation to draw clean water throughout the lines and wash them thoroughly before the machine is left overnight. The washings are retained in the sprayer tank and can be incorporated into the first load tomorrow.
It is clear that through a days spraying LASER Agitation can save you valuable time and money. This will result in more work done and more efficient application of chemical with less environmental damage.
The conventional machine has to spray to wash out the spray lines and can therefore only rinse for as long as the clean water supply lasts. If you are not able to spray the washings onto the field as with some sensitive crops this presents the problem of how to rinse out the spray lines. The conventional machine has to be taken to a suitable location where it can be opened and set to spray. The Knight machine can wash itself out without spraying from the nozzles and, at the same time, retain the washings in the sprayer tank for offloading into a disposal plant.
1. Quick start when changing chemicals.
2. Easy wash out with the minimum of fuss and the maximum cleaning effect.
3. Virtually guaranteed not to drip from the nozzle bodies even on rough farm tracks.
4. Virtually no blocked nozzles, even at low rates, because continuous circulation keeps the lines filtered and clean.
5. No time wasted at the headland waiting for the chemical to reach the nozzles.
6. Environmentally friendly - No more sterile strips where you purge the machine before starting work.
7. Saves money by putting all the valuable chemical on the field.
8. No settling out of chemical in the spray lines when working at low application rates.
9. Minimal loss of fluid from the lines when servicing a nozzle body.
10. Retention of the washings for disposal if required.