World Patent: Seed metering unit for precision spaced planting
In 1981, WINTERSTEIGER was granted a worldwide patent for the precision spaced planter. The precision spaced planter originated from the “Plot-Äromat”: In cooperation with the University of Hohenheim, an agricultural seeder manufactured by Becker Landtechnik in Germany was converted into a seeder for seed breeding. The tractor-mounted Plot-Äromat operated using air pressure and was developed for precision spaced planting of corn. Next, WINTERSTEIGER conducted research on a precision spaced planter for grains and, as an intermediate step, developed a scaled-down Äromat system. However, the results were disappointing: the system was very slow and had low output. Intensive research and improvements continued.
From a Vacuum Cleaner and a Tin Can to a World Patent
Franz Spiesberger, a design engineer at WINTERSTEIGER, continued his experiments at home: Using a vacuum cleaner, he tried to move large quantities of grains through a double slit so that they would fall through one by one. These experiments led to the idea that the seed metering unit could be developed in the form of a disc—when building the prototype, Franz Spiesberger used the lid of a tin can for the radial slotted disk.
Johann Wintersteiger and Franz Spiesberger successfully refined this promising idea, and in 1980, the Seed metering unit was finally submitted to a patent attorney in Linz. The attorney conducted a worldwide search, and objections were raised from Russia, as the Russian Seed metering unit operated on a similar principle. Fortunately, the opposition did not hold up—the technology was, after all, too different—and the WINTERSTEIGER seed metering unit was granted a patent in 1981. A tremendous success!
Since then, the patent for the precision spaced planter has been continuously renewed, and improvements have been patented subsequently. Initially, the element was modified into a double-slot disc. Alternating planting allowed for a significant increase in speed. At that time, WINTERSTEIGER was in a race against its competitor Almaco, USA, which also used a double element.