Case-loading methods for retailers and food factories at Foodex

Three new inventions, using FANUC and Festo robots, will demonstrate how Pacepacker has successfully automated laborious manual retail case/crate loading tasks found in many food factories.

With a fast ROI, Pacepacker's Cartesian Case Loader Cell can pick and place an array of packaged foods- from trays of fresh meat to punnets of fruit - with precision and efficiency. The robot cell incorporates a Cartesian style robot and a multi-purpose FANUC M20-iA/35M articulated robot arm to harmoniously load and palletise retail crates simultaneously.

Paul Wilkinson, Pacepacker's business development manager says: "For the first time we will reveal to Foodex visitors two different options for case loading - using Cartesian and articulated systems. By bringing these two robot types together we are showing that there is more than one way to achieve the same end result."

Incorporating Festo mechatronic motion, the twin-axis Cartesian Case Loader robot picks individual products from a single line or entire layers and packs them into secondary trays or cases. Capable of speeds in the region of 120-180 packs per minute, the system allows users to pick and place with different accelerations, decelerations and an infinite number of positions - proving that there are cost-efficient options for high-speed pick-and-place applications beyond a delta or six-axis robot.

Working alongside the Festo Cartesian, a FANUC M20-iA/35M articulated robot arm, fitted with a multi-purpose gripper, will pick retail packs out of a tray and place them onto a moving conveyor for recirculation. The M20-iA/35M shows Foodex visitors the efficiency benefits that can be realised by using the same robot to carry out both pick and place and palletising duties.

To see the automated case loading systems from Pacepacker Services visit Foodex stand L229, and for more information go to www.pacepacker.com.