Future-proof robot solutions for wide-ranging applications

Pick & place is one of the most important packaging functions, especially in the food and confectionery sectors. Although other industries such as cosmetics also use pick & place applications. This is because where highly efficient yet flexible packaging is required, automation with pick & place robots is the solution ‘par excellence’. It is the only way manufacturers can achieve profitable packaging performance while meeting the increased demands for diverse product assortments such as mixed packs and changing packaging formats. This is especially important in fast-moving, consumer-driven industries. There is now an additional requirement for manufacturers: the pressure to use sustainable packaging materials. What is needed, therefore, are highly flexible and highly efficient packaging machines equipped with robotic technology that offers manufacturers long-term security in all these respects. Only then can machine performance be scaled, formats expanded as needed, packaging materials replaced with sustainable variants, and quality maintained at the highest level.

In addition to its proven F4, four-axis Scara robots, the packaging machine manufacturer has now developed another robot type for its pick & place machines: the T series. The design of the new T4 robots and their related T5 models is based on the familiar Delta robot type, but they differ <<significantly>> from other robots on the market with this kinematics profile. Their limited rectangular working area makes them ideal to deliver high performance in the tightest of spaces: up to six of the new four- or five-axis Delta robots can work simultaneously in a single TLM frame. With this robot density, Schubert can cover a larger working area within one sub-machine. This results in more output over a shorter distance, more flexibility in machine layout and, ultimately, more compact pick & place lines. This compact design represents a decisive advantage, especially when space on the production floor is at a premium. The T5 robot features a fifth axis that can be used to tilt and swivel products – ideal, for example, for pastries that need to be placed vertically into a tray. The additional arm movement increases flexibility in the packaging process and enables difficult processes to be carried out with outstanding efficiency and reliability. This ensures product quality even in the case of more complex machine processes.

As with Schubert’s F4 Scara robots, the new T robots work mostly in teams and can be scaled as required. With the different F4 and T4/T5 robot types, Schubert can now offer its customers the best solution for their specific projects. The large working area at right angles to the direction of belt travel makes the F4 robot especially suitable for wide or very wide product belts. This is particularly true for pick & place machines that only require a tray or carton conveyor on one side. All pick & place robots are equipped with quick-change tools, some of which are manufactured using 3D printing. Using the PARTBOX part streaming platform, Schubert customers can keep these format parts in stock as a virtual warehouse and, if required, reprint them themselves using a standard 3D printer via a certified print job.

The T series is already proving its value with an international confectionery manufacturer, for instance. There, a lightline Pickerline with T4 robots packs various types of pastry into trays. To accommodate the pick & place machine from the preconfigured lightline series in the limited available space, the machine builders used a 1,600-millimetre-wide product conveyor and integrated eight T4 robots into the line. In this case, the robots’ high performance density saves one metre of space over the total length of the line and delivers the desired output despite the limited space in the production hall.

For the fine biscuits with or without a chocolate base, a round suction cup is used to gently pick up the products. The T4 robots are capable of placing the biscuits safely and efficiently into the plastic trays, even in different configurations and counts. To ensure that only perfect pastries are packaged, a 3D scanner is integrated into the lightline Pickerline. It not only records the exact orientation and surface of the products, but also the height, with an accuracy of about 0.5 millimetres. Even pastries with a flawless surface are checked for the specified height criterion. This enables the system, for example, to determine whether the cream filling or sponge base is actually present in sandwich products. This improves process reliability and ensures that the quality of the confectionery remains consistently high. As the product portfolio is expanded, the confectionery manufacturer can easily produce new formats with other robotic tools. The changeover to more sustainable cardboard trays is also possible at any time with the lightline Pickerline, making the system a secure investment for the future.