Gripping system for automated de-panning

Vacuum cup grippers for Pick-and-Place of bread

Choosing the right vacuum gripper for the robotic or automatic handling of bread usually depends on the product type and the nature of the manufacturing process.

White bread loaves, for instance, are well known for their non-porous and imprint-sensitive surface, which requires the use of cups made of soft material with increased flexibility and incorporated skin.

Rye bread, in turn, has a denser texture with a more porous and sometimes seeded surface. That means a gripper has to provide an ultra-seal capacity without damaging the product.

vacuum cup gripper
THE CASE

Automatic de-panning of fresh rye bread

The objectives of this project were to develop a solution that improves working conditions, addresses the current labor shortage, and, just as importantly, contributes to the optimization of production.

Danmatic, a leading company specializing in the design and production of bakery and other food processing equipment, has teamed up with Gripwiq to develop a pick-and-place application performed by processing machinery.

The collaboration resulted in an installation of equipment at the family-owned Jensen Bread bakery that just in 6 minutes can collect and empty 20 pans, with ten fresh loaves each. The machine picks the pan from the rack, feeds it to the vacuum gripping system, and returns the sheet after the tailored-made grippers emptied the molds.

vacuum gripping system
vacuum gripping system
The built-in vacuum gripping system takes ten loaves of rye bread out of the molds and stacks them on a conveyor belt in a perfectly even order for further transportation into the cooling chamber. Later, the rye bread will leave the chamber for packaging application and transportation to customers.

The vacuum source is a pump that generates a difference in the air and supplies it to the distribution head of the gripper system.

Without this machine, a fifteen-kilogram bread pan had to be lifted and turned over on a conveyor belt by hand, which required more time and the physical skills of the operator. Usually, this procedure requires several workers to empty and align the products on the running conveyor, whereas today it can be done by one person who brings the trolley rack with bread to the machine and assists with minor technical errors.

The Gripping System

Vacuum Gripping System

The gripping system consists of two rows with 5 SofTouch suction cup grippers per each. The distance between the cups is determined by the loaves’ order on the pan.

To match the characteristics of the product’s surface, the grippers are round and have a low number on the Shore A scale. This design and the softness of the material ensure stable and secure application while protecting the product from external damage.

The cups mount on the Gripwiq standard mount, which gives increased flexibility when changing. For cleaning or replacement, it usually takes 30 secs to pull the vacuum cup off and replace it with a new one.

 

Key advantages

Hygienic design

Easy to change

Soft material

Tailor-made

soft robotics

Meat mover

Hygienic suction cup gripper

soft robotics

Meat mover

Hygienic suction cup gripper

soft robotics

Meat mover

Hygienic suction cup gripper

soft robotics

Meat mover

Hygienic suction cup gripper

soft robotics

Meat mover

Hygienic suction cup gripper

soft robotics

Meat mover

Hygienic suction cup gripper