Packaging Robots Are Worth While

Pack­ing box­es, car­tons, crates or cas­es: pack­ag­ing automa­tion is the fastest way to ensure flex­i­bil­i­ty, pro­duc­tiv­i­ty, and reli­a­bil­i­ty in pack­ag­ing oper­a­tions. To com­pete with demands for short­er cycle times, new pack­ag­ing designs, mul­ti­ple pack sizes, and batch man­u­fac­tur­ing, pack­ag­ing robots are the solution. 

Pack­ag­ing robots are being increas­ing­ly incor­po­rat­ed into the machine con­trol sys­tem, and the entire appli­ca­tion is usu­al­ly now con­trolled from the system’s PLC. With new devel­op­ments in vision track­ing, pack­ag­ing robots are more use­ful than ever. From food and bev­er­age pack­ing to phar­ma­ceu­ti­cal pack­ag­ing, robots are more accu­rate and reli­able than their human coun­ter­parts. They ensure prod­ucts arrive at their des­ti­na­tion with­out any dam­age or hygiene issues, and accel­er­ates pro­duc­tion simultaneously.

ABB offers a range of 4‑axis and 6‑axis pack­ing robot mod­els with best-in-class con­vey­or track­ing. The robots are equipped to per­form robot-based case pack­ing, which is when small­er box­es are packed into larg­er ones. Race­track pack­ing, when many items are picked simul­ta­ne­ous­ly with the aid of grip­pers, is also a pos­si­bil­i­ty. ABB’s robots have been used to pack med­i­cine at Astra Zeneca, chick­en fil­lets at Steggles Foods, and sausages at Scan. Their ver­sa­til­i­ty is appar­ent, and which mod­el should be used depends on the con­di­tions of the appli­ca­tion. Some of the most pop­u­lar mod­els are the IRB 260, IRB 2400, and the ABB Flex­Pick­er.

Fanuc​’s M‑420iA robot, equipped with iRVi­sion track­ing, is designed for high-speed man­u­fac­tur­ing appli­ca­tions: not just pack­ag­ing, but also pick­ing, pal­letiz­ing, mate­r­i­al han­dling, machine load/​unload, and parts trans­fer. It boasts the fastest times for a 4‑axis pack­ing robot at 57 cycles per minute. The M‑420iA was cho­sen to pick and pack box­es of Oreo cook­ies, and its dex­ter­i­ty allows it to work on mul­ti­ple pack­ag­ing lines with one unit.

The Motoman HP20‑6 is a dynam­ic, high-speed robot with a com­pact design. It can be placed close to the work­piece and requires min­i­mal instal­la­tion space. How­ev­er, it offers the widest work­ing enve­lope in its class. The NX100Controller offers mul­ti­ple robot con­trol capa­bil­i­ties, allow­ing up to four robots to be used togeth­er to opti­mize productivity.

Regard­less of the pack­ag­ing require­ments, pack­ag­ing robots are fast and effec­tive at their job. Robots​.com offers a large vari­ety of pack­ag­ing robots. For help in choos­ing the right one for your facil­i­ty, con­tact Robots​.com online or call 877−762−6881.