Fisheries & Aquaculture News

Lindgren-Pitman’s Stingray Brings Aquaculture Net Cleaning Innovation

On a tour of an aquaculture farm in the 2000’s Peter Lindgren, mechanical engineer, founder, and president of Lindgren-Pitman, saw the inefficiency and high cost of traditional high-pressure water net cleaning.

He saw an opportunity to bring a technological solution to a vital industry with potential for growth and began to develop it with his team of engineers and fabricators. Since then, Stingray net cleaners have been performing daily net cleaning on farms across three hemispheres for 8 years.

The Stingray “Flyer” is an all-electric net cleaner from Lindgren-Pitman, Inc. that is an innovation in aquaculture technology. The neutrally buoyant head cleans a 2-meter-wide swath with low-speed propellers with patented “VibraClean” stainless steel knuckles. This technology vibrates the net and knocks off all types of fouling including but not limited to mussels, kelp, and hydroids. VibraClean is also proven to be safer and lower impact on the net than traditional high-pressure water washers.

The operator can control cleaning and locomotion of the head via a corded remote control with a touchscreen and joystick. The “Safetrak” patented tracks are highly engineered urethane and stainless-steel designs made to navigate all types of non-metal net: predator, rearing, and smolt. The tracks reliably climb in any direction in any orientation including steep or shallow angles, upside-down or upright. However, they fold over and release the net past a certain load to prevent damage or tearing. The Stingray “Flyer” can clean above and below the surface line of rearing nets with one propeller and track out of the water in combination of these patented technologies.

Operation is easily performed by two personnel from a vessel with a small crane. The components occupy a smaller footprint than other similar cleaners. The quiet running brushless DC motors have the advantage of not freezing in extreme conditions and do not require the heavy maintenance of high-pressure water pumps and hydraulic systems. The generator required is only 10 kW and that makes the Stingray the most fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly unit compared to similarly sized cleaners. The estimated savings are 39,800 L or 10,500 gallons of diesel per year. With a cleaning speed of 2300 to 4600 m2 per hour it is also one of the most effective.

Owners and operators can concentrate on efforts to strengthen and expand their cleaning operations without worrying about costly required maintenance and fuel consumption.

About Lindgren-Pitman, Inc. (LP)

LP has a 40-year-plus long history of American engineering, manufacturing, and customer service in the global marine technology industry. Our aquaculture net cleaners continue the story of meeting challenges and creating solutions that lead the industry in performance.

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