Robotic Revolution: How Fanuc Robots Put Thanksgiving Dinner on Your Table

Meet­ing the Surge in Demand

The weeks lead­ing up to Thanks­giv­ing are marked by a sig­nif­i­cant increase in pro­duc­tion across sev­er­al food cat­e­gories. Poul­try pro­duc­ers, bak­eries, and veg­etable pro­cess­ing plants, among oth­ers, ramp up their oper­a­tions to meet the height­ened demand. This is where the effi­cien­cy and reli­a­bil­i­ty of Fanuc robots become indispensable.

1. The Poul­try Process: M‑710iC Series at Work

The M‑710iC series robots han­dle tasks like pro­cess­ing, pack­ag­ing, and box­ing turkeys. Their appli­ca­tion involves auto­mat­ed cut­ting, clean­ing, and sort­ing, ensur­ing con­sis­tent qual­i­ty and hygiene.

Poul­try Pro­duc­tion Acceleration

Lead­ing poul­try pro­duc­ers like But­ter­ball and Per­due Farms heav­i­ly rely on automa­tion to keep up with the Thanks­giv­ing turkey demand. Robots in these facil­i­ties are tasked with a range of func­tions, from pack­ag­ing to pal­letiz­ing, ensur­ing a steady sup­ply of turkeys.

2. The Del­i­cate Touch for Desserts: LR Mate Series

These robots are employed for tasks requir­ing a del­i­cate touch, such as dec­o­rat­ing, arrang­ing, and pack­ag­ing pies. They ensure pre­ci­sion and care, cru­cial for main­tain­ing the aes­thet­ic appeal of desserts.

Bak­ery Oper­a­tions Scal­ing Up

Bak­eries, par­tic­u­lar­ly those spe­cial­iz­ing in pies and rolls like Sara Lee and Bim­bo Bak­eries, uti­lize robot­ics for tasks such as dough mix­ing, shap­ing, bak­ing, and pack­ag­ing. Fanuc robots, known for their pre­ci­sion, play a cru­cial role in main­tain­ing prod­uct qual­i­ty while increas­ing output.

3. Heavy Lift­ing Made Easy: R‑2000 Series for Logistics

The R‑2000 series excels in mov­ing heavy loads, cru­cial in the logis­tics of ingre­di­ent trans­porta­tion. They are used for pal­letiz­ing and load­ing, reduc­ing man­u­al labor and increas­ing efficiency

Scal­ing Up for the Hol­i­day Season

Com­pa­nies like Cargill and Tyson Foods, known for their vast range of food prod­ucts, uti­lize these robust robots to han­dle the increased load. The R‑2000 series ensures that heavy items are moved effi­cient­ly and safe­ly, reduc­ing the risk of injury and stream­lin­ing the entire sup­ply chain process.

4. Veg­etable and Fruit Sort­ing: M‑2iA Series’ Speed

These robots rapid­ly sort and pack fresh pro­duce. Their appli­ca­tion is sig­nif­i­cant in main­tain­ing the fresh­ness and qual­i­ty of fruits and veg­eta­bles by han­dling them gen­tly and quickly.

Veg­etable and Fruit Pro­cess­ing Boost

Com­pa­nies like Del Monte Foods and Dole Food Com­pa­ny, which process and pack­age fruits and veg­eta­bles, also ben­e­fit from the speed and effi­cien­cy of Fanuc robots. These robots are vital in sort­ing, cut­ting, and pack­ag­ing prod­ucts, ensur­ing they reach con­sumers fresh and in per­fect condition.

5. Pack­ag­ing Per­fec­tion: LR Mate and M‑710iC in Harmony

Com­bin­ing the strengths of the LR Mate and M‑710iC series, these robots work togeth­er to pack­age var­i­ous Thanks­giv­ing items. Their appli­ca­tion ranges from han­dling del­i­cate items to pack­ag­ing bulki­er prod­ucts securely.

Effi­cient and Safe Packaging

Pack­ag­ing com­pa­nies that sup­ply mate­ri­als for food prod­ucts, such as Sealed Air and WestRock, also depend on robot­ic automa­tion to meet the increased demand for pack­ag­ing solu­tions dur­ing the Thanks­giv­ing peri­od. Robots are used for tasks such as assem­bling box­es and pack­ag­ing mate­ri­als, main­tain­ing a con­tin­u­ous sup­ply chain.

6. From Fac­to­ry to Feast: R‑2000 and M‑710iC in Distribution

These robots han­dle the dis­tri­b­u­tion phase, which includes load­ing, orga­niz­ing, and ensur­ing time­ly deliv­ery of Thanks­giv­ing prod­ucts. Their appli­ca­tion is vital in the sup­ply chain man­age­ment of the food industry.

Ensur­ing Time­ly Deliveries

Retail giants like Wal­mart and Kroger, which see a sig­nif­i­cant increase in cus­tomer traf­fic dur­ing the hol­i­day sea­son, depend on the effi­cien­cy of these robots in their dis­tri­b­u­tion cen­ters. The M‑710iC series, with its ver­sa­til­i­ty, is par­tic­u­lar­ly use­ful in sort­ing a diverse range of prod­ucts, from per­ish­ables to non-food items.

Under­stand­ing Food Grade Robots

Food-grade robots are specif­i­cal­ly designed to meet the strin­gent hygiene and safe­ty stan­dards of the food indus­try. They are built with mate­ri­als that are easy to clean and resis­tant to cor­ro­sion. The sur­faces of these robots are smooth and often made of stain­less steel, pre­vent­ing the accu­mu­la­tion of food par­ti­cles and bacteria.

Fanuc’s food-grade robots, such as cer­tain mod­els with­in the M‑710iC and LR Mate series, are equipped with spe­cial fea­tures like food-grade lubri­cants and pro­tec­tive coat­ings. These fea­tures ensure that the robots can oper­ate in envi­ron­ments where they might come into direct con­tact with food prod­ucts, with­out com­pro­mis­ing food safety.

The use of food-grade robots in the food indus­try is cru­cial for main­tain­ing high stan­dards of food safe­ty and hygiene. They reduce the risk of con­t­a­m­i­na­tion and ensure con­sis­tent qual­i­ty in food pro­duc­tion, pack­ag­ing, and handling.

A Thanks­giv­ing Feast, Cour­tesy of Robotics

As we enjoy our Thanks­giv­ing feast, it’s fas­ci­nat­ing to reflect on the robot­ic tech­nol­o­gy that made it pos­si­ble. From prepar­ing and pack­ag­ing the turkey to sort­ing fruits and veg­eta­bles, Fanuc robots play an inte­gral role. At T.I.E. Indus­tri­al, we pro­vide refur­bished Fanuc robots, includ­ing food-grade options, ensur­ing advanced tech­nol­o­gy is acces­si­ble for all in the food pro­duc­tion industry.

About T.I.E. Industrial

T.I.E. Indus­tri­al spe­cial­izes in pro­vid­ing high-qual­i­ty refur­bished Fanuc robots. Our focus on cus­tomer sat­is­fac­tion and com­mit­ment to qual­i­ty makes us a trust­ed part­ner in enhanc­ing your pro­duc­tion capa­bil­i­ties. Con­tact us to learn how our solu­tions can rev­o­lu­tion­ize your food pro­duc­tion processes.