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The Robot Advantage for End-to-End Packaging

The Robot Advantage for End-to-End Packaging

Posted: 17/08/2021 05:58:50 p. m. by Sarah Mellish
Topics: Collaborative, Consumer Products, Food & Beverage, Handling, Machine Vision, Packaging, Palletizing, Pick and Pack, Trade Shows

In an effort to remain competitive, manufacturers continue to optimize packaging operations with fast, flexible and reliable robotic automation. Delivering exceptional speed and precision for picking, packing and palletizing applications, robots are addressing stringent requirements for food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, specialty items and more. Highly advantageous, the use of versatile robots and their peripherals for end-to-end packaging provide amazing benefits:

High-performance operation – ideal for meeting primary, secondary and tertiary requirements, powerful robots with robust capability are built to perform in the most challenging situations.

Efficient and steady performance – extremely reliable, high-speed robots are capable of operating 24/7, and excel at reducing cycle times for greater product throughput.

Maximum quality products – highly consistent and precise, robotic technology helps optimize product quality for meeting high customer standards.

Better floorspace utilization – from compact or ceiling-mounted industrial robots, to flexible human-collaborative robots and everything between, an array of options exists to improve production workflow.

Rapid scalability – easy-to-use robots with intuitive programming are easily deployed and redeployed on demand, providing manufacturers with a viable way to handle high-mix, low-volume production requirements.

Programming flexibility – providing a user-friendly approach to automation integration, versatile platforms like the MLX300 software option enable robot programming and control in a standard PLC programming environment. Firm control over every component in the network is also gained.

Robust operating system – robots, such as Yaskawa robots, that are ROS (Robot Operating System) compatible help provide advanced robotic capability for challenging tasks. A blend of state-of-the art algorithms, software, drivers, functions and more, ROS is a free-to-use open source repository supported by Open Robotics at ros.org.

Join Yaskawa at Pack Expo 2021

A growing number of products and technologies designed to make it easier to configure, program and integrate an ideal robotic solution exist. The best way to learn about the various options available is to see them in person.

Whether you are looking to add robots to existing automation or if you are still on the fence when it comes to robot implementation, our industry experts look forward to helping you discover the right solution to suit your application needs. To learn more, stop the Yaskawa booth (#C-4040) at Pack Expo Las Vegas (September 27-29).

At the show, we are exhibiting:

IP67-rated, 20 kg payload collaborative robot – the industry’s first IP67-rated collaborative robot, the six-axis HC20XP is featured in a palletizing workcell. Ideal for a variety of tasks, this robust robot has an impressive 1,700 mm maximum reach and can enable the palletizing of full 80-inch pallets without requiring an elevator or lift mechanism. The IP67 rating and easy-to-clean surface allows use in sanitary environments, and NSF H1 certified food-grade grease enables use in spaces where there is the possibility of incidental food contact. Offering four modes of collaborative operation such as Power and Force Limiting (PFL) technology, the HC20XP meets established safety standards, allowing humans to work with or in close proximity to robots. A through-arm Category 6 cable facilitates a wide selection of communication options, and hand-guided teaching enables fast implementation of a robot system.

Precise, high-speed SCARA robot – the SG-series SCARA robots enable extremely fast and precise operation for small part processing. Featured in a mixed process demonstration with a six-axis GP7 robot, the four-axis SG650 has a 650 mm radial reach, 210 mm long U-axis stroke and a 6 kg payload capacity. Ideal for assembly and sortation, as well as multi-process systems requiring pick-and-place capability, this highly flexible and repeatable SCARA model can be easily integrated with feature-rich vision functionality, such as MotoSight™ 2D.

The SG650 robot is controlled by the compact YRC1000mircro controller that has a small footprint (425 W x 125 H x 280 D mm), and it can be installed in either a vertical or horizontal position, as well as within a 19-inch rack. It also uses a lightweight standard teach pendant with a user-friendly touchscreen interface, enabling fast and easy programming.

Easy-to-program, hand-guided collaborative robots – highlighting PFL technology, this hands-on demonstration features three HC10DT (direct teach) robots that are designed to work with or in close placement to human workers. Hand guiding for fast deployment or redeployment on demand, and an easy-to-use touchscreen Smart Pendant, make the HC10DT ideal for novice robot programmers. Utilizing patented Smart Frame technology, the innovative Smart Pendant radically changes the way a robot is programmed, eliminating the use of conventional coordinate (X, Y, Z) frames for easy command of robot movement.

Feature-rich 2D vision functionality – helping manufacturers solve complex vision issues, MotoSight 2D is a cost-effective and easy to integrate hardware/software solution. Featured with a small footprint IP67-rated GP8 robot in a handling demonstration, this powerful vision tool is well-suited for general robot guidance, error proofing, part identification, part inspection and high-speed picking tasks. An ultra-compact Cognex In-Sight® 8401 camera provides high resolution, and leading PatMax® pattern recognition software helps to recognize structured and semi-randomly placed parts.

Fast pallet pattern generation – enabling fast deployment of complex palletizing systems, PalletSolver® is featured with two highly efficient GP7 robots in a handling demonstration. An easy-to-use PC-based software solution, PalletSolver allows users to quickly generate ideal pallet patterns offline for virtually any mix of SKUs. An online component optimizes execution of pattern files and robot operation. Single and complex multi-line palletizing is easily handled.

High-speed picking for intelligent logistics automation – featuring Mujin’s patented 3D perception system with AI technology, this demonstration highlights fast and precise piece picking of various shapes, materials and packaging patterns. Featuring the extended-reach Yaskawa GP35L robot with a 35 kg payload, 2,538 mm horizontal reach and a 4,449 mm vertical reach, this solution provides consistent labor with the highest level of accuracy, accelerating fulfillment operations.

Robust Singular Control – leading the world in the manufacturing of variable frequency drives, servo systems and machine controllers, our sister division – Yaskawa America Inc., Drives & Motion – will showcase multiple mechanisms being run from a single MP3300iec machine controller programmed in MotionWorks IEC using ladder logic and function blocks. The workcell on display will feature:

  • a GP8 robot with the YRC1000micro controller

  • a delta-2 mechanism using Sigma-7 single- and dual-axis SERVOPACKS

  • Sigma Trac II, driven by a Sigma-7 SERVOPACK for world-class linear motion

  • a GA500 VFD for compact conveyor control, integrated with the MP3300iec machine controller via an EtherNet/IP network

Comprehensive support services – providing customer assistance at every stage of the project life cycle is critical to our mission. At the show, our Yaskawa Support Services (YSS) experts look forward to sharing how our diverse support offerings (24/7 technical support, field service, parts availability, training, repair and retrofit, and life cycle management) can help maximize uptime, accelerate ROI and ensure long-term performance.
 
Be sure to register and join us at Pack Expo!



Sarah Mellish is a Marketing Content Specialist


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