A space-saving, high-spec depalletiser/palletiser that’s perfect for heavy lifting.
Our client is an international food processing company that specializes in the production and distribution of a vast range of culinary products. They operate out of 14 different locations across Europe and currently manufacture and sell almost 58,000 tons of food every year. They are renowned for their high standards of production and are mindful that their production processes should be sustainable as well as technologically innovative.
The Challenge
The challenge they gave us was to streamline their palletising and depalletising process so that it could be combined into one easy operation. They also wanted to lower their costs by reducing the number of workers needed to run that part of the production line so that they could reallocate their skills elsewhere. Space was also at a premium, so it was important that the solution we provided was compact enough to fit in a limited area but had the potential for future expansion if required.
Finally, because our client often invites prospective customers onto the site, they wanted an automated solution that would impress with its efficiency, and also reflected their commitment to social and ecological sustainability as well as excellence and innovation.
Our Solution
Our client came to us because they knew we have the ability to design a combination palletising machine which meets all their requirements and solves all their pain-points.
Depalletiser/Palletiser for Composite Cans is the perfect solution for any business that faces similar challenges to our client. It is a combination of robotic depalletiser and palletiser that quickly and accurately lifts and manoeuvres composite cans in a single cell.
To begin with, the empty composite cans are received stacked on pallets. The KUKA KR180’s robotic arm securely lifts a single layer of the empty cans and then sweeps them onto the de-merging conveyor system, where they are formed into a single file ready to be filled with product. Once the cans are filled, capped, and shrink-wrapped into bundles of sixes or twelves, the KR180 collates them, forms them into a layer, and then repalletises them onto a fresh pallet. It also removes the layer pads from the empty can stacks and re-uses them on the full can stacks, eliminating unnecessary waste.
The cell has been specifically designed to maximize production and significantly reduce the need for manual assistance, saving on labour costs and thereby enabling a business to repurpose their workers in other essential areas. It has a narrow base frame and small footprint so requires very little floor space and can operate up to twenty cycles per minute, making it one of the fastest palletisers on the market. The KUKA KR180PA can effortlessly handle anything from 1kg to 180kg with no loss in speed, accuracy or efficiency and has a maximum reach exceeding 3000mm, enabling it to stack multiple pallets with great precision. It also integrates seamlessly with any existing equipment (in the case of our client, a powder filling line) and can be easily modified to suit any change in product type, product orientation, palletising pattern, or layer configuration.
The system is also extremely safe. It is housed in a secure robotic cell and incorporates safety guards to reduce the risk of injury and human error.
If you’d like to find out more about our extensive range of PMA robot palletisers, or any of the other factory packaging and automation solutions we offer, give our expert team a call on 01493 257070 or email
