ROBOTS REPRODUCING RAPIDLY

BRINGING BENEFITS TOO COMPELLING TO IGNORE, ROBOTS ARE TAKING ON NEW PACKAGING TASKS.

By Hallie Forcinio

What a difference 20 years makes. At PACK EXPO in 1988 there was one robot on display. At PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2007, it seemed like there was at least one robot in every aisle. Soon there will be a robot on every other packaging line.

“There was a fear that robots are complex and expensive,” says Pete Squires, vice president of Schneider Packaging Equipment Co., Inc. ofBrewerton, N.Y. “Now people are asking for robotic automation up front. It seems like a lot of the fear is gone, and robotics is much more accepted now than as recently as two years ago.”

Today’s robots are faster and easier to use than ever before and highly reliable. Costs are dropping too and expected to continue to decline 10 to 20 percent by 2012. But the most compelling argument for installing a robot is the benefits it can bring to the packaging line: lower costs, higher efficiency, reduced labor, increased manufacturing flexibility, shorter changeover time, ability to fit into limited floor space, improved employee safety and ergonomics and better product quality/consistency.

As a result, use of robots on packaging lines is growing and the rate of adoption is accelerating. Among the end users who added robotic systems during the past five years, 40 percent were installed during the past year, according to Robotics Study of the Packaging Industry, a report published in January 2008 by PMMI, Arlington, Va. With 77 percent of the packagers surveyed planning to use more robots, penetration on packaging lines should double from about one-fourth in 2007 to roughly one-half by 2012 with all segments participating—food, beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical/medical, durable goods and other.

Palletizing remains the most common packaging task for robots, followed by case/carton packaging and pick-and-place activities. Although palletizing may be the most popular application, the use of robots for primary package handling is growing faster. According to survey respondents, robot use for primary packaging has jumped 28 percent since 2004, compared to a gain of 17 percent for secondary packaging applications.

 

ADVICE FOR SUCCESSFULY IMPLEMENTING ROBOTICS INTO A PACKAGING LINE 1. Successful robot implementation requires good up front planning. 2. Be realistic, sometimes there’s a temptation to overspec speed. Although the robot shouldn’t be the limiting factor on the line and there should be some provision for growth, chances are the robot doesn’t need to run substantially faster than the fastest piece of equipment on the line. 3. Does the robot need vision to handle randomly presented product or validate its performance? 4. Once there’s an understanding of vision requirements, match them with the capabilities of the vision system. 5. Prove the vision solution at the front end of the project. Make sure product flow matches the functionality of the vision-equipped robot. This sometimes means “conditioning” the product flow to optimize system performance. 6. Match the robot to the environment it will work in. Does it need to withstand washdown conditions? Freezer conditions? Cleanroom conditions? 7. Do the robot vendor, systems integrator and packaging machinery supplier have experience with your type of project? 8. Who is building the robot and what expertise do they have? With expiration of the licensing agreements related to Delta-3 robots, many companies may decide to build their own without the in-depth understanding of the kinematics equations necessary to move multiple axes together or the patents related to arm design that remain in force. 9. How familiar are in-house personnel with robots? How do staff needs for training, service and support correlate with what perspective vendors offer? 10. Can the end-of-arm tool(s) be designed to handle all existing and anticipated packaging variations? 11. Should the system be set up for automated tool change due to the weight of the end-of-arm tool or changeover frequency? 12. What infrastructure is needed for power, mechanical interfaces to base and to tooling, control communications, input/output options and integration to up- and downstream equipment? 13. Are simulation tools included so travel paths and throughput rates can be optimized in a virtual environment? Current robot simulation packages give planners the tools needed to create a virtual robot manufacturing system and reduce chances of error. 14. Understanding product, corrugate and material flow is just as important on robotic lines as standard lines. 15. Attention paid up front to line layout, end-of-arm tooling design, conveyors and the operator interface will pay off in smooth startup and performance. * Based on input from ABB Inc., Adept Technology, Inc., Applied Robotics, Inc., ATI Industrial Automation, Fallas Automation, FANUC Robotics America, Inc.,Schneider Packaging Equipment Co., Stäubli Corporation and Flexicell.

 

In primary packaging, robots are even beginning to move into the strictly controlled environments of isolator-protected filling lines for vials and syringes. One of the first users of robot technology for sterile filling, Sanofi-aventis of Paris, France, has installed a Stericlean robot from Stäubli Corp. of Duncan, S.C., on a syringe filling line at its vaccine plant in Le Trait, France. The six-axis Stericlean TX60 robot is rated ISO Cleanroom Class 4 (Class 10 under U.S. Federal Standard 209E) and withstands vapor hydrogen peroxide (VHP) sterilization. Other sterile environment-compatible features include a smooth surface coating, lip seals at joints, internal lines/connections and a round, smooth base.

TIPS FOR SELECTING THE RIGHT ROBOT Prioritize the Basic Selection Criteria As with any complicated and multi-faceted endeavor, a good place to start is to review the basics, which in terms of robot selection criteria have not changed a great deal over the last few decades. Work Closely with the Robot Manufacturer First and foremost—remember that robot manufacturers’ specifications are based on average conditions so it is important to work with the manufacturer to define how a particular robot will perform in a particular facility with a particular process. Seek Advice on End Effectors End effectors tend to be a weak link in robot technology. Customers have a choice of how to get an end effector designed and built, but rarely is the service available through robot manufacturers. Don't Forget Service While robot manufacturers continue their efforts to promote all of the latest improvements, such as more flexible motion control, user-friendly teach pendants and easyaccess service ports, end users consider training, service and support from the robot manufacturers to be a very high priority. Plus, service must be available everywhere, and it must be delivered fast. Understand the Total Cost of Ownership No matter what manufacturing process is used, it is always important to understand the total cost of ownership. In manual operations one must consider the cost of ongoing training of personnel. Likewise, automated processes have upfront costs such as training, and the recurring cost of replacing wear parts that the uninitiated might not expect. Jim Berretta Marketing Manager ATS Automation

In the work cell at Sanofi, ATS Automation Tooling Systems of Cambridge, ON, Canada, integrated the robot so it performs tasks formerly done by half-suited human operators via glove ports. Working faster and more consistently, the robot boosts throughput by more than 100 percent. The VHP-compatible robot “opens up a lot of opportunities where operators are the bottleneck in the process or there are other issues [such as product toxicity or repetitive motion concerns],” says Gerald Vogt, R&D manager for Stäubli. The Stericlean design can be adapted to many of the robots in the Stäubli line.

Another clean-room-compatible robot is the LR Mate 200iC from Fanuc Robotics America, Inc. of Rochester Hills, Mich. Initially designed for lab use, the vision-equipped robot meets Class 100 clean room requirements and offers a unique rack mount controller that fits into a standard electronics rack.

Increased use of robots for primary packaging tasks like wrapping or tray loading is being spurred by availability of higher speed robots and expiration of patents on Delta robots, which excel at high-speed pick-and-place. “We’re seeing many applications of higher speed robots feeding downstream packaging equipment,” says Clay Cooper, engineering manager at Applied Robotics, Inc. of Glenville, N.Y., a maker of end-of-arm tooling, or grippers, that make it possible for a robot to pick up objects.

One application currently under development at Applied Robotics involves a unique gripper for a Delta robot that picks raw meat or poultry from an infeed and loads it into a tray sealer from Multivac, Inc. of Kansas City, Mo. The robot not only accommodates the variations inherent in pieces of raw meat and poultry without bruising or other damage, but also withstands the cleaning regimen required in plants overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

In another example of how well robots can handle randomly presented, irregular product, a team of high-speed, five-axis, vision-guided robots from Fanuc picks and places frozen dough, one layer at a time and inserts sheets between layers. The flexible work cell switches easily between different shape products and different size cases.

“With traditional automation, you have to make sure product is lined up just right,” says Squires of Schneider Packaging Equipment. For example, with a conventional case packer, a series of belts and sensors may arrange and group pouches in preparation for loading into cases. Today, a robot with built-in vision and force sensing sees its target and picks it up regardless of how it’s presented, eliminating complex mechanical action or manual handling and performing tasks that were once beyond its reach.

Delta robots are particularly well-suited for high-speed picking of randomly oriented product. Pushing speed and payload limitations, Adept Technology, Inc. of Livermore, Calif., has developed the Quattro, a patented four-arm Delta-style design that moves 20 percent faster and carries five kilogram payloads. The unit also is equipped with vision. A built-in controller eliminates the need for a separate control cabinet and the cables in between. 

The clean-room-compatible Class 100 Stericlean robot from Staubli is designed to work on vial and syringe filling lines inside isolator enclosures.

As demonstrated by the previous examples, food packaging lines are a popular application for robots. To meet demand in this market, Fanuc has introduced a quartet of food-grade robots, two light payload units, the M-430iAI2F and the LR Mate 200iC Food Option and two heavier payload units, the M-710iC and the M-410iB/700.

The M-430iAI2F combines high speed with cleanability and configuration flexibility since it can be ceiling or pedestal mounted. The LR Mate 200iC Food Option robot combines compact size with speed and cost-effective price. The robots can work together with the M-430iAiAI2F units picking randomly fed product and arranging it in orderly rows for layer picking by the LR Mate 200iC Food Option unit. The M-430iAI2F ranks as Fanuc’s fastest robot. It’s capable of 100 cycles per minute with a two kilogram payload, 120 cycles per minute with a one kilogram load. Designed to meet IP67 requirements, the units withstand washdown and are constructed to eliminate any areas that could retain food particles and foster bacterial growth or rust. Units also are manufactured with food-grade grease.

The medium range M-710iC is designed to handle larger product or cases as does the M-410iB/700, which is targeted toward the beverage industry. The latter is built to handle heavy payloads like a layer of ready-to-drink tea in glass bottles. In fact with a payload of three quarters of a ton, multiple layer handling might be possible with some products.

The washdown version of the new IRB 360 FlexPicker from ABB, is one more food industry robot that handles heavier payloads at higher speeds in less floor space than its predecessor, the IRB 340 FlexPicker. The washdown-compatible unit meets IP 69K requirements and specifies stainless steel for all exposed parts. A more contoured, domed top housing eliminates any entry points for water or washing solutions and eliminates nooks and crannies that could collect water or debris.

Another trend in robotics for packaging is such close integration of the robot and packaging machine that the robot is built into the machine and may not even be readily visible. To support this tight integration, Adept Technology and others “offer control solutions . . . so the robot in the machine is transparent to the end user,” says John Dulchinos, Adept’s president and chief operating officer. With this combination of software and controls, the robot-equipped machine works just like a traditional packaging machine.

An example of this type of integration is the servo-driven Adabot case packer from Fallas Automation of Waco, Texas. A proprietary Delta-style robot serves as the heart of the patent-pending unit, which includes a continuous-motion product conveyor and an intermittent-motion case conveyor. “It can pick up product on the fly and place it anywhere in the case in any orientation,” explains Chris Calabrese, sales manager at Fallas. This flexibility makes it possible to arrange pouches in unconventional pack patterns like a U pattern with two packages in one direction and a third placed at 90 degrees.

The patented, four-arm Quattro robot runs faster and carries heavier loads than traditional Delta robots.

Setup is a simple matter of creating a recipe in the operator interface. This is done by inputting the length, width and height dimensions of the case and the bag, as well as the pack pattern of each layer. With this data stored, the recipe is given a number, which can be recalled whenever the product is run. At changeover, the operator recalls the recipe so the robot knows how to pick up and place bags and changes two mechanical settings to adjust side guides to the width of the case and position the case stop pin. Five minutes later, the Adabot is ready to accept the new product. Maintenance is minimal too and consists of visual inspection of vacuum cups for wear and hoses for leaks, plus weekly greasing of bearings. 

The case packing robot handles five pound payloads at up to 80 cycles/minute. If higher speeds are needed, additional modules can be added. Up to four modules can be run from a single PacDrive automation controller from ELAU Inc. of Schaumburg, Ill. ELAU also supplies the servo drives for the unit. Typically close-coupled to form/fill/seal equipment, the compact Adabot case packer can handle the output of two baggers and load two products simultaneously. With a footprint of less than 25 square feet, the system generally fits into the same space allotted for hand packing. It carries a price tag similar to the cost of a traditional drop packer.  

 

Hallie Forcinio has been covering trends in the packaging industry for more than 20 years.