SIG Combibloc has introduced a new fully automated sleeve magazine for high-speed filling machines that is capable of filling up to 24,000 carton packs every hour.
The new R-Cam robotic magazine loads the filling machine with carton sleeves automatically, improving workflow efficiency and reducing the amount of manual labour required. The solution “offers customers a crucial component on the road to greater automation,” the German packaging technology manufacturer said.
The robotic magazine is presently available for the CFA 724 high-speed filling machine for filling products in the CombiblocSmall carton format, but will later be made available for the CFA 124 for filling CombiblocMini carton packs. Fully automated solutions for the CFA 512 and CFA 312 filling machines for medium-sized carton packs are also planned, SIG Combibloc revealed.
The first R-Cam 724 prototype is in operation at Arla Foods Germany at its Pronsfeld factory in the west of the country.
Peter Bratsch, who is in charge of the R-Cam prototype for Arla Foods, said: “With the new robotic magazine and an optimised line configuration in which the tray packer is positioned close behind the filling machine, we’re now able to operate the entire high-speed line very efficiently with one machine operator.”
SIG Combibloc global product manager Jan Gansow said: “The aim was to develop an automatic magazine for the high-speed filling machines similar to the Combibloc Automatic Magazine (CAM) already available for other types of SIG Combibloc filling machine. With the robotic magazine, we’ve even gone a step further and developed a fully automated magazine. The shipping boxes are removed from the pallet and opened, and the filling machine is loaded with carton sleeves. This process does not require any action from the machine operator. Thanks to the robotic magazine, workflows are more efficient, saving working time and costs.
“The robotic magazine is a key component in building the fully automated filling line of the future, in which automatic guided vehicles transport the pallets of packaging material automatically from a central store to the R-Cam. It’s a major step towards fully automated lines for the ‘smart factories’ of tomorrow.”
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