For more than 20 years, Ecoma Maschinenbau has specialized in the development of systems and special machines for numerous industries. The company, which is based in Weyhe-Dreye near Bremen, has a particular focus on the (animal) food sector and the transport and handling systems used in this environment. Robots have become an important part of the product and service portfolio in recent years: Customized solutions for customers such as Aldi Nord, Vitakraft, Böklunder and Heinen are developed in the company's own 1200^m2 robot laboratory.

The double cells went into operation at the spice manufacturer for the first time back in March 2018. Each of them is not only able to process two product types in parallel, but also to sort them automatically. The trays, each packed in units of five spice tins, are still loaded manually onto the infeed conveyor belt by employees. A barcode reader identifies the product type and automatically feeds it to the correct conveyor belt via a pusher - unreadable or incorrect items are immediately sorted out by the system.

The trays are then fed to the pre-assigned pallet and positioned on a table in groups of four for the robot's gripper. At alternating intervals, the gripper packs the four trays onto the pallet provided and loads them up to the intended capacity limit. As soon as this limit is reached in one half of the cell, this is indicated. The cell operator can then remove the finished pallet and replace it with a new one - a semi-automatic cell concept.

The system positions the trays in groups of four for the robot's gripper.

© Kawasaki

As soon as the door of one half of the cell is opened, the robot immediately stops its activity and continues working in the other half without interruption. The Cubic-S safety system from Kawasaki ensures that robots and workers can work together without hesitation or danger. The software makes it possible to set up particularly space-saving applications and safety areas without the need for complex external safety measures. Cubic-S combines eight individual safety functions - including an individual definition and precise limitation of the available workspace, which the robot cannot exceed at any time. The individual axes of the robot are also monitored electronically: predefined axis values form the limits of possible movements. If a predefined speed is exceeded, previously stopped axes are moved or tools leave their intended orientation, Cubic-S automatically switches the robot off. Also practical for maintenance and ongoing operation: despite the space savings created by Cubic-S, additional safe zones for employees can also be set up within the work area.

Up to 14 cycles per minute

The robot currently performs eight cycles per minute. Steffen Siol, Head of Electrical Engineering at Ecoma, still sees potential for optimization here: "We are still looking for ways to improve the programming and save valuable seconds - for example by leaving the robot in waiting positions." Siol and his team's aim is to use the installed Multipack palletizing software to carry out 14 packs or cycles per minute and cell half and to expand the trays to eight cans each. The aim is to have a total of 28 packs on the belt at any one time.

But that's not all: once the twelve double palletizing systems have been successfully implemented, the next step is to fully automate the loading of the cells using robots. This means that where employees currently feed the trays manually, an automatic filling system will ensure significantly faster and more efficient processes. While the palletizing systems currently place the trays directly onto Euro pallets, the system is soon to be converted for use with plastic containers in accordance with the European standard. A feeder installed between the two halves of the cell will ensure that the containers are constantly replenished so that the robot can automatically move them into the correct position.

Author:
Carsten Stumpf is General Manager Sales and Marketing at Kawasaki Robotics.