TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to Package This — your guide to packaging machinery and materials. Today’s episode highlights packaging robots that handle tasks like picking, packing, material handling, palletizing, and more.
Collaborative robots (cobots)
First up, collaborative robots. Also known as cobots, these robots are designed to work alongside humans in a shared workspace safely and efficiently due to built-in safety features like force sensing, motion sensing and collision detection.
Pacteon’s collaborative palletizers are equipped with safety features allowing operators to maintain close proximity and save space by eliminating the need for additional guarding.
Here you see an operator removing one pallet load while the cobot continues to operate, placing cases onto the second pallet uninterrupted.
These cobots can also be configured as a single cell palletizer, integrated with AMRs and automatic stretch wrappers, and many other end-of-line applications.
Pacteon implements these 6-axis collaborative arms for gentle pick-and-place product handling within a compact footprint.
Cobots excel at repetitive and physically demanding tasks and can adapt to changing production needs quickly, making them flexible and efficient.
Delta robots
Delta robots have three elongated arms forming a triangular shape that is connected to a base on a moving platform. They move swiftly and precisely and are known for excellent accuracy in high-speed pick-and-place tasks, but are also well-suited for applications such as sorting, aligning, and orienting objects on moving conveyors before packaging.
Gantry
Next up: Gantry robots. Featuring a horizontal beam supported by vertical columns, the robot's arms or end effectors move along the beam, called the gantry, enabling it to cover a large workspace and complete a wide range of tasks.
Articulated Arm/ SCARA Robots
Articulated robots have joints -- multiple connected arm segments -- providing flexibility and a wide range of motion. Articulated arm robots can move in six different directions. The robots end-of-arm tool or end effector is designed for tasks like picking, sorting and assembly at high speeds.
SCARA robots, which stands for Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm or Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm, are designed for tasks that require fast and precise horizontal movements. SCARA robots have a rigid arm that moves in a horizontal plane, with a vertical joint allowing vertical motion.
Both articulated arm and SCARA robots can be integrated with other automation equipment to enhance packaging and processing applications.
Mobile/AGV
Mobile robots and AGVs or Automated Guided Vehicles are autonomous or semi-autonomous robotic systems used for transportation tasks in the warehouse or facility. Equipped with sensors for perception to help them navigate the plant, they are great for pallet handling and inventory management. Some AGVs can even be equipped with robotic arms and tools to pick and place inventory before transporting it.
As we’ve seen, robots like the ones mentioned here help consumer packaged goods brands solve their efficiency, space, and productivity challenges.
For more videos on packaging machinery and materials, please subscribe to our full Package This series on YouTube. And for a deeper dive into all packaging robots, explore PMMI ProSource, a searchable directory with 1,000 packaging and processing suppliers. Thanks for watching!
