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Handling of drink packs |
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| Starting point / Task definition |
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 | | Handling of drink packs |  |
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| Implementation / Solution |
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| That is why the company opted for a KUKA robot, which can be switched over to new products quickly and easily. While a layering palletizer is very time-consuming to convert in such a situation, with a robot all that one has to do in most cases is select the appropriate software program, and, if necessary, exchange the gripper. In addition, setting up a robot at a different location is faster. This user chose a KR 160 PA Long Range robot, which is notable for its exceptionally long reach. As a palletizer, the robot handles soft packages which Hauser loads onto cardboard trays. This involves either twelve 1-liter packages with wine, or eight 1.5-liter packages with iced tea. Two conveyors bring the trays, separated according to package size, from the production area to the robotic cell. First, the carriers are turned by a fixture to a position where they can be gripped properly. When palletizing 1.5-liter packages, the robot, which stands between the two conveyors, stacks per pallet layer two rows of six trays crosswise, and one row of four trays lengthwise. This palletizing pattern is offset from layer to layer, thus producing a stable structure. The KR 160 PA can create stability by means of varying pallet patterns with trays of 1-liter containers, too; with these the robot uses the same fork-shaped gripper to pick up six trays lengthwise. It rotates some of the trays in the gripper to the crosswise direction to achieve the desired layer pattern. For this purpose the end-effector is divided into three sections, each of which can be used by the robot to shift two trays. Another important factor for the stability of the loaded pallet is the high repeatability of the layer pattern that the Long Range robot achieves. |
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| System components / Scope of supply |
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- KUKA KR 160 PA Long Range robot
- PC-based KUKA robot controller, including control panel with
Windows interface
- Independently moveable fork-shaped gripper
- Incoming and outgoing conveyor systems
- Robot programming
- Commissioning
The complete robotic cell was designed and installed by KUKA system partner RST Roboter-System-Technik GmbH, Barbing near Regensburg, Germany. |
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| Results / Success |
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- High flexibility
One of the main features of the robot used here is its high flexibility. The robot works to two sides, alternately stacking two sizes of soft packages on europallets.
- Stable load units
The method of operation of the independently moveable fork-type gripper makes it possible for the robot to vary the stacking pattern, greatly enhancing the stability of the palletized load.
- Low maintenance requirements
Another major advantage of the KUKA robot is its low maintenance requirements, which result in significantly less idle time. Also contributing to significantly shorter downtimes is the fact that the robot – in contrast to those from other suppliers – returns to a defined position after an emergency stop situation has been resolved; this makes restarting easier.
- Greater cost-effectiveness
Hauser expects that the entire robotic cell will have paid for itself in about three years. The figures for a layering palletizer would have been similar, but with markedly higher maintenance and operating costs. Furthermore, conventional equipment would have required a significantly larger area for pre-accumulating the trays. The cost-effectiveness of this new concept can also be seen from the fact that the Long Range robot can handle about double the workload compared with the layering palletizer previously used. Thanks to this advantage, and its strong effect on production efficiency, today Hauser is able to operate not two, but four filling machines in parallel. At full capacity, the robot palletizes 1,850 trays per hour; approximately 40 million soft packages pass through the cell per year. The robot moves loads at only 90% of its maximum speed, however, and the empty gripper at 100% speed. Faster handling of products is not desired, since the cycle time of the robotic cell is within that of the filling cycle, and faster sequences would compromise the integrity of the packaging.
- High stacks
The height of the load units is determined by the user individually for each customer. Since the KR 160 PA’s reach of 3.8 m in every direction greatly exceeds the 2.5 m required for this application, even higher stacks would be possible.
- Automatic safety
Attention has also been paid to safety; should the gripper encounter an obstacle, the system is automatically switched off. |
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| Industry |
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| Food and beverages |
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| Application |
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Handling, loading and unloading
Palletizing
Packaging and order picking
Other handling operations |
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| Customer |
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| Hauser GmbH, Fischach, Germany |
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