The problem faced by our customer was all about weight. Salt is heavy; salt bags weigh 50 pounds. Without a palletizing robot, an employee had to lift 50-pound bags all day and stack them on a pallet. By the end of the day, production slowed; throughout the year, employee injuries resulted in down time and higher costs.
Using a Fanuc S-420iF/RJ2 Robot, KC Robotics designed a system consisting of four conveyors and a specialized gripper to lift the bags. To begin the process, employees bag and seal crushed salt on the first conveyor. Bags of salt continue on a route to the second conveyor to be re-oriented for a vibrating conveyor. The vibrating conveyor vibrates the salt in the bags until the bags lay flat. The flattened bags transfer to a locating conveyor where the robot picks up the bags with a custom-made gripper. The gripper palletizes the bags on a skid in seven layers. A forklift operator moves the skid and replaces it with a new skid. The process begins again. Review out Palletizing Robot video to see the whole process:
Palletizing Robot Moving Salt Bags
This customer benefits from robotics in several ways:
1. The process is smoother and faster than a manual operation.
2. The robot eliminated a difficult to fill employee position by doing the heavy lifting.
3. Employee health problems and injuries associated with heavy lifting are eliminated.
4. The vibrator packs the bags flatter, allowing more bags per pallet.
The customer should expect this palletizing robot system to pay for itself in less than eighteen months.
Popularity: 67% [?]
In every successful manufacturing or distributing company there comes a time when production needs exceed current employment and output capabilities. For a small or medium sized company, the decision to expand now includes a variable not thought of even ten years ago: ROBOTICS. Expansion leaves managers with two choices: add employees or automate the system. In today’s marketplace, industrial robots are now affordable to the first time buyer, offering advantages in reliability and cost justification only available to large manufacturers a decade ago.
Buying your first robot is more affordable than ever. The first decision is whether to purchase a new or used robot. The number of reliable used robots available makes owning a pre-owned robot a widely accepted concept for both small and medium sized companies. The savings associated with pre-owned robots allows the buyer to spend more of their resources on integration and tooling. These two components of robotics are what make the system work.
Finding a reliable dealer/integrator is the single most important decision a new buyer must make. If you choose wisely, this company will support your automation throughout the installation, maintenance, and service life of your robot. Choose a reputable company with knowledgeable service technicians, customer-oriented management, and qualified references.
There are many things to consider when choosing a robot for your application. Features like payload, reach, repeatability, and work envelope all affect the success of your automation project. Choosing and engineering the end of arm tooling is critical in making the system work. A reliable dealer will work with you through each of these options, helping you to make an educated decision.
Finally, investigate the safety issues of robotics. It is important to install the robot according to safety standards established by OSHA. A well-planned robotic cell will increase the overall safety of your operation by eliminating human errors that cause industrial accidents.
By Bobby Griffin & Connie Carrier
Popularity: 43% [?]
