Brazil: Less Labor, Better Grafting Results
At this Brazilian nursery, the JFT-B1200TA replaced the grafting workload of five manual workers, with graft survival above 98% under suitable seedling-matching and healing conditions.
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China | Four-Station Grafting Case
Four Grafting Robots, One Watermelon Seedling Production Line
Watermelon grafting: the crop-specific joining process
Scale the Workflow, Not Just the Number of Machines
For a commercial watermelon nursery, adding grafting machines is only part of increasing output. Prepared rootstock and scion must reach each operator, and finished seedlings must leave the stations without interrupting the next grafting cycle. This case focuses on four grafting robots linked within one organized production line: parallel, operator-fed grafting stations with coordinated material supply and finished-seedling collection. It is a semi-automatic workflow, not an unattended grafting system.
Application
Commercial watermelon seedling production in China
Line Type
Integrated Seedling Grafting Production Line
Reference Configuration
4 x JFT-B1200TA; JFT-CL(G/Q) line series
Nominal Combined Capacity
4 x 1,200 = 4,800 seedlings/hour
Operator Arrangement
8 seedling-loading operators + 1 shared collection and tray-stacking operator.
Planning Boundary
Preparation, material replenishment and healing labor are additional. Crop setup, layout and actual output require project evaluation.
Four-Station Line: Capacity and Staffing
Nominal machine capacity and operator planning are different measures. The figures below describe the reference configuration, not independently measured customer results.
| Planning Item | 4 Independent Stations | 4-Station Linked Line |
|---|---|---|
| Grafting stations | 4 | 4 |
| Nominal combined machine capacity | 4,800 seedlings/hour | 4,800 seedlings/hour |
| Rootstock and scion loading | 8 operators | 8 operators |
| Collection and tray stacking | 4 operators: one per station | 1 shared operator |
| Loading + collection subtotal | 12 operators | 9 operators |
Staffing basis: the supplied operating plan of two loading operators and one collection operator per standalone machine, versus eight loading operators and one shared collection operator for four linked machines. The subtotal excludes preparation, logistics, breaks, quality control and healing. It is not a whole-nursery labor-saving measurement.
See the Integrated Grafting Line Workflow
Additional demonstration from the integrated production line product page. This product-reference footage is separate from the original watermelon case video above.
Four Stations Need One Coordinated Material Flow
The objective is to keep four grafting stations supplied and collect finished seedlings through a shared workflow, rather than duplicate every handling task at each machine.
At each semi-automatic grafting station, one operator loads rootstock and another loads scion. Four stations therefore require eight loading operators. The machines perform the configured cutting, alignment, joining and fixing operations in parallel; a seedling is not passed through all four machines in sequence.
The linked arrangement uses one shared operator for finished-seedling collection and tray stacking, according to the staffing configuration provided for this project. This reduces duplication at collection compared with four independently staffed machines. It does not remove the work of seedling preparation, material supply, quality checks or healing.
AiGRAFT lists a nominal rating of 1,200 seedlings per hour for each JFT-B1200TA station. Four stations therefore give a nominal combined capacity of 4,800 seedlings per hour. This is a configuration calculation, not a measured output claim for a full nursery shift. Actual production depends on the crop, seedling condition, loading rhythm, interruptions and line configuration.
See the integrated seedling grafting production line specifications for station options, capacity planning and project configuration requirements.
Plan the Line Around the Nursery
- Prepare compatible seedling batchesReview rootstock and scion varieties, stem diameter, growth stage and grafting method before setting the four stations.
- Balance supply and shared collectionArrange eight loading positions and the shared collection role around available floor space, tray movement and material replenishment.
- Measure usable output over a full shiftRecord loading pauses, tray changes and rejected plants. Evaluate accepted seedlings after healing, not only the nominal machine cycle.
