This thesis delineates the redesign process of a very high-capacity selective egg transfer device. The device is used in hatcheries to selectively transfer eggs with living embryos from incubation trays into hatching baskets, while other eggs are left in the trays. Reliable and hygienic selective transfer is essential to achieve high hatchability and low mortality of embryos by preventing bacteria such as Salmonella from spreading, but this is compromised by problems encountered in the current design.

The research contains a comprehensive analysis of the current device and environment, which revealed several shortcomings, especially with the grabbing mechanism of the current device. Thorough literature and patent research was done to identify important design limitations and possibilities for handling eggs. Several designs were then constructed, which were assessed and compared using the weighted criteria method and defined design objectives.

The best-scoring design was then designed in detail. It consists of a removable vacuumbox with movable rods, which can avoid contact with eggs infected with bacteria. The removability of the vacuumbox enables thorough inspection and cleaning, theoretically eliminating most of the problems encountered with the prior art while improving its capacity.

The redesign described in this thesis was thus successful, contributing to a more effective and hygienic selective egg transfer process in industrial hatcheries.