Main Components

Identifying opportunities for exploiting robotics in packaging and handling operations requires a fundamental reassessment of manufacturing strategy. As their tangible benefits become ever more apparent, it is widely expected that robotic solutions will be adopted at an increasingly higher rate in industries such as food and pharmaceuticals. The hygienic design of robots not only improves food quality and safety, but can also extend the life of machinery and equipment whilst reducing labour and maintenance costs.

One of the prime concerns of the food industry is the risk of contamination of a microbiological or chemical nature, or resulting from foreign bodies. The same can be said of the pharmaceutical industry, not just during production but also in the handling of tamper-proof packaging. Here, the costs associated with product recalls and loss of consumer confidence are potentially crippling. There are several aspects to hygienically-designed production lines that engineers should take into consideration, but one of the fundamental principles is that machinery must be  easy to clean.

As with any machinery application, end users need to be able to justify the capital investment. The most obvious benefits associated with the installation of robots derive from labour savings, reduced sickness benefits, the overcoming of potential and existing labour shortages, better product quality, reduced risk of injury or strain and improved working conditions. Less obvious are the secondary savings that result from a reduction in personnel, such as the freeing-up of floor space and the need for fewer facilities. In many cases a work area reduction alone offers real savings in terms of real estate costs.

Perhaps your application is unique, such as the ABI Automation-developed Cognex-based vision system that is designed to analyse the colour of baked product in the bakery environment. Other solutions devised by ABI Automation include:

An application to verify that chocolate bars have been ejected from moulds
A checker to isolate defects in hotdog buns
Tortilla inspection equipment
Cracker defect detection
Vision system for cracker shade comparison
Broken and cracked cookie detection

Automation is an attractive option, and picking and packing robotic solutions represent one of the fastest growing markets in the automation industry. ABI Automation has an installed base of operating delta robots, specifically designed for this type of application, making it a leader in picking and packing technology. The newly-developed second generation FlexPickerTM will ensure that ABI Automation remains at the forefront of the packaging industry, helping customers to improve productivity and reduce overheads.

10 Good Reasons to Invest in Robots

• Reduce operating costs
• Improve product quality and consistency
• Improve quality of work for employees
• Increase production output rate
• Increase product manufacturing flexibility
• Reduce material waste and increase yield
• Comply with safety rules and improve workplace health and safety
• Reduce labour turnover and difficulty of recruiting workers
• Reduce capital costs
• Save space in high value manufacturing areas

The advanced motion control of the ABI Automation delta robot allows for rapid, smooth, precise and reproducible movement. However, a high-speed picking robot can typically be expected to make 130 pick-and-place operations a minute. For a production line employing eight robots, this equates to over one million cycles in a day, and over 200 million cycles per year. Even with a low failure rate of one in a million, the probability of a malfunction becomes a daily event. Such a failure rate is unacceptable, and it can only be reduced by making the robots extremely robust.

Universal joints, theta axes and screw fixings are critical elements requiring full optimization. Our components have been made stronger so that they last longer and require less maintenance. Improved design features, such as enlarged screw dimensions and guiding sections, ensure that the replacement of parts can be carried out easily and correctly, even by relatively unskilled technicians.

One example of a design adaptation to improve ease of use is the relocation of the brake release button from its relatively inaccessible placement in the centre to the outside, making it easier for the operator to reach it when working with the robot. Another improvement is the elimination of re-lubrication following cleaning, through the use of low-friction plastic bearing.

Reliable -- High production up time.
Optimized motor power and motion performance ensure significantly shorter cycle times than competing products.

Fast -- Short cycle times.
Standard packaging software minimizes programming time.

Accurate  -- Consistent parts quality.
Outstanding position repeatability (± 0.03mm) and excellent path accuracy.

Maximized utilization.
High speed version capable of handling 180kg at full speed; 250kg version for high through-put with 3.15m reach.

Robust -- Handles the harsh production environment.
Rugged design and IP67 dust and water tightness make for steady performance in even the toughest of environments.

Versatile -- Flexible integration and production.
Impressive reach enables servicing of up to four in-feed conveyors, two pallet stacks, one slip-sheet stack and four palletizing out-feeding lines.

The IRB 660 has the versatility, reach and handling capacity to meet the demands of virtually any palletizing application.