Industrial automation provider FANUC UK has announced that it has collaborated with Festo and Pacepacker to develop a single-arm robot palletiser for the food and beverages industry.
The robot can handle bags, boxes, crates, trays and slip sheets, and features a ‘hand’ that seamlessly adjusts to products through a combination of gripper fingers and sets of vacuum suction cups.
Software applications provided by FANUC complement the robot palletiser. The programmable machine controller allows control of the cell; the dual check safety software helps the robot manage obstructions in an environment with space constraints; and Roboguide enables users to visualise and pre-programme the machinery in a virtual 3D world before applying the machinery in real life.
John Rainer, FANUC UK’s regional sales manager, said: “Food packers with space and budget constraints are looking for compact palletising systems capable of handling a variety of pack types. In the last 12 months we’ve seen enquiries for multi-tasking robot palletisers increase by 35%. We’ve strengthened the business case for robot adoption by providing the necessary functionality that a food producer needs”.
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