Automated Pick-and-Place Food Processing Solutions

One way food processors can enhance efficiency, improve rates and reduce costs is by automating their pick-and-place processes.

At EnSight, we define “pick-and-place” as the process of someone or something continually picking up an item, i.e., container, packaged food or unpackaged cooked or raw food, from a conveyor and putting it down in a different spot/orientation. The destination can be a pallet, another conveyor, a compartmented container, a vacuum-formed container and more.

On the packaging side, it’s easier to choose an automated solution as the processor doesn’t need to worry as much about hygienic design–the robot often won’t come into contact with food items. On the primary processing side, though, the machine is more likely to maneuver food products. This means the food processor needs a solution that meets their more thorough, and often caustic, cleaning processes.

Some processors might use the automated solution on their further protein processing line to realign proteins to ensure consistent, proper slicing or tenderizing. Others might use them to pick specific parts of a chicken out of a pile and place it into a carton. And many use them to pick a wide range of food items, e.g., individual candies and cooked proteins, into pockets, trays or thermoform containers.

Let’s take a closer look at automated pick-and-place solutions for primary food applications, including robot options and what processors should consider.

 

Pick & Place Robotic Solutions

The EnSight Solutions automation team focuses on developing pick-and-place robotic solutions around 6-axis or Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm (SCARA) machines.

6-axis robots are ideal for larger/heavier applications. They have much higher load capacities than SCARA robots. In addition, they have a much larger range of motion, which allows them to bend and/or rotate to pick up objects from angles. That makes 6-axis robots also more adept at picking items out of a pile.

Depending on their size, SCARA robots have an 8.4-kilogram (approximately 18.5-pound) load capacity. But, they are the fastest of the two robot designs EnSight specializes in. They can pick up and place objects extremely quickly and extremely accurately. Unlike the 6-axis robots, SCARA robots can’t rotate or tilt. Instead, their action is limited to picking up the product, moving on a single axis and placing it in a different location. This does result in a smaller footprint, though. The robot can sit just to the side of the conveyor, not over the product. 6-axis robots also sit to the side of the conveyor, but they require bigger stands and more room for movement.

Sometimes, customers ask about Delta robots as a possible solution. EnSight focuses on food-grade robotics, and Delta robots are not ideal for food processing environments. Their design features a lot of moving parts, nuts and bolts and nooks and crannies. This provides harborage points for bacteria growth, even if washed down regularly. They are very fast, but they are also very big. Instead of sitting to the side of the conveyor, a Delta robot is mounted directly over the action-zone.

End-of-arm tooling (EOAT) is the part of the automated solution that will “grab” the product and hold it for relocation or reorientation. That means the EOAT is just as important as the robot–the correct type of EOAT is necessary to ensure satisfactory, accurate performance without damaging the food item. When EnSight is developing an automated solution, our team designs our own tooling and/or works directly with industry experts like Soft Robotics to develop and source the proper EOAT for the task.

In some situations, the robot might have trouble identifying singular items to pick up. In these situations, EnSight would recommend the Soft Robotics 3D AI camera. The camera can scan the products and quickly identify individual pieces for the robot to grab. The cameras can do everything from picking a single rib out of a pile of ribs to identifying and picking the chicken legs from a pile of mismatched chicken parts.

 

Pick-And-Place Considerations

An automated pick-and-place solution can help a processor increase efficiency, improve quality and save costs … if the right one is picked out for the job, that is.

When choosing a solution, food processors have a lot to consider, starting with the integrator. First and foremost, look for an integrator with food industry experience. They will have the knowledge you need to ensure your robot is designed hygienically so you can properly wash it down per your needs, including with caustic chemicals if applicable. At EnSight Solutions, we like to work closely with Staubli on these applications. They have the only hygienically designed robots in the industry-their robots feature a unique design and coating to withstand water ingress, bacteria growth and caustic cleaning chemicals.

A good integrator will work with you on a full solution, which might end up including ideas and components that you hadn’t originally thought about. This ensures you’re getting a full solution that works with your line and product for the long run. A bad integrator, though, will just work for you and provide you what you ask for, regardless the consequences down the road.

When helping you develop a solution, the integrator will take a number of factors into consideration. One very important one is your production rates. Consider what your current rate is. Is that your ideal rate? Are there machines or processes in place that keep you from going faster? Some machines feature ethernet ports, which would allow the integrator to connect the robot to the surrounding machines, which can help improve speeds.

In addition, the integrator will take into account your facility’s footprint. This will determine the size of the solution, as well as the components–how much room is upstream can determine how the robot is set up. Of course, your actual product will also greatly affect the ultimate solution in many ways.

 

At EnSight Solutions, we work with food processors to develop and design tailored solutions that meet their particular needs. We have decades of experience in the industry working with some of the biggest food processors around. We use that expertise to ensure your new pick-and-place solution will improve your processes for years to come.

To learn more, contact our sales consultants.