If you’re challenged with labor issues in your packaging and
palletizing area, you’re not alone. These applications are often
tedious and can lead to repetitive motion injuries. In a tight job
market, it’s especially difficult to fill jobs that people consider
dull and strenuous. Now more than ever, companies are looking
for automation solutions that will allow them to resolve labor issues and
increase their flexibility to quickly adapt to market demands.
Can cobot packaging help your end-of-line operations? Here are a few
areas to consider:
Cobots for Case Erecting
Some companies have very limited space
or they have "oddball" box sizes that can’t be erected with a
traditional case erector. In these instances, using a collaborative
robot to erect cases is an ideal solution because they are not only
flexible, but quick to implement, and easy to program. So, when box
sizes change, it’s a simple program adjustment and the cobot is back
up and running in a few minutes.
Cobots for Case Packing
For low to medium volume production,
companies continue to use people to pack product into cases, which is
another good example of a job for cobot packaging. Space and flexibility
are often major concerns in these applications, so the fact that a
collaborative robot does not require safety fencing makes them very
appealing. In addition, because programming is so easy, you can
cross train a variety of employees to run the cobot - so if someone
calls in sick, another person can step in and get the job done on
time.
Cobots for Palletzing
Stacking boxes all day is monotonous,
and employees are very prone to repetitive motion injuries. A
collaborative robot palletizer is a great solution to this problem, and
it allows manufacturers to redeploy their workforceto perform
other roles in their facility.
What about palletizing speed?
Speed can be an issue for cobots, but the main limiting factor is the
combination of speed and load capacity. Based on the packaging
cobot’scapacity you can address the speed issue by picking
multiple products at one time. For example, if you have boxes that
weigh four pounds coming on a line at 16 boxes per minute, you can
potentially pick and palletize four boxes at a time.
What about company size?
Even large companies have lower rate production lines. For example, a
large food or beverage manufacturer may havea number of high-speed
lines for their well-established products, but they also have slower,
manual
lines that produce new/emerging products. The same can be said for
just about any industry. All manufacturers are facing the same labor
issues regardless of their size, and cobots for packaging may be the
solution for many manufacturers.
FANUC CRX Cobots
FANUC recently expanded its line of CRX cobots, including the new CRX-25iA,
which offers a long reach of 1,889mm, a 25kg payload,and is both
flexible and scalable to handle a wide range of palletizing or
de-palletizing processes, including mixed cases, making it a great
contender for manufacturers seeking cobots for packaging.
All CRX cobots are extremely robust and able to run for
up to eight
years without maintenance. In addition, interactive
programming enables users to teach points using hand guidance or a
tablet interface with drag-and-drop icons.
In addition, the CRX series supports several of FANUC’s
advanced features including iRVision®, and is
a perfect fit for any company looking to achieve higher efficiencies
– even those that have yet to use their first robot.
Time to Automate? Consider a FANUC CRX Cobot
FANUC understands that manufactures and co-packers may not have
enough labor to run every dedicated line simultaneously.
That’s why our CRX cobots have become so popular – they
use standard 120v power, have a small footprint that fits into tight
spaces, and can be easily moved or rolled from line to line to take
on new tasks in a matter of minutes.
Automating end-of-line applications with cobots allows you to
redeploy workers to help solve the current labor shortage
situation. Instead of workers performing repetitive tasks,
they can take on more challenging, complex and rewarding jobs that
only people can do.
If you’re looking to automate packaging with a cobot, trust
FANUC.
Our cobots are based on a long history of reliable, high-quality
automation products supported by the industry’s top team of
automation experts. For more information visit crx.fanucamerica.com .