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More freedom of movement in production of drinks crates |
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| Starting point / Task definition |
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| In a system that has to produce more than 5,300 Hasseröder Pils crates per production cell per day, Linpac Stucki Kunststoffverarbeitung GmbH decided for the first time on the application of the in-mold labeling process.
In this process ultra-thin films printed with the crate decoration are used, which fuse with the plastic during injection molding. As a result the technique produces particularly clear and radiant decorative images, offering the additional advantage of being tough and scratch-resistant. The task was to produce a crate in the shortest possible time, which required parallel plastic production and rapid cycle times for opening and closing. |
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| Implementation / Solution |
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 | | More freedom of movement in production of drinks crates |  |
The decision to opt for the six-axis robot instead of a linear robot was taken by Husky on the strength of the peripheral activities required, such as the weighing of the crates or the swiveling of a crate to enable inspection by a camera, for example. The main reason behind the decision to employ a jointed-arm robot was its flexible removal and pick-up of the labels/films from the rack.
In order to guarantee an optimal use of space, the robot was set up with a maximum handling weight of 30 kg (type KR 60 L30 K) on the injection molding machine. The jointed-arm robot removes the label and puts it into the machine. After the injection molding process, the crate with its completed decorative label is removed and weighed directly next to the machine. The weighing at the machine requires a vibration-free disengagement from the injection molding machine. Husky machines are especially suitable in this respect, as they are generally low-vibration because their mechanisms make no use of toggle levers and only require minor movements and distances for locking operations. The complete system consists of three production cells, each equipped with its own transport conveyor. The conveyors supply the main conveyor that ultimately leads to a stacking robot (currently not installed). The stacking robot then removes the crates and checks them with a camera to ensure the correct fitting of the label, before stacking them on a europallet. |
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| System components / Scope of supply |
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| Husky was the comprehensive supplier of the injection molding machine, robots and full periphery for the in-mold labeling process. DAT served as systems integrator, responsible for the design and construction of the gripper / robot wrists. The injection molds were produced by Haidlmayr. |
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| Results / Success |
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| Despite the high demands set by the in-mold labeling process for automation, due to the extreme thinness of the labels, the entire production cell was successfully commissioned. The problems posed, like the danger of the labels becoming charged with static electricity, the extremely precise positioning of the labels, and the handling of the drinks crates with the integrated weighing process, could all be solved with a single robot. With the integration of the additional stacking robot into the system, the full automation of the entire process will be achieved. |
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| Industry |
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Food and beverages
Rubber, plastics |
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| Application |
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Handling, loading and unloading
Plastics processing machines
Other handling operations |
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| Customer |
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| Linpac Stucki Kunststoffverarbeitung GmbH, Germany |
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