Collaborative Robotic solution – packing bread into crates with a suction cup gripper

Why are collaborative robots so attractive for small and medium-sized food producers?

First, it is predominantly due to the collaborative robots’ cost affordability. SMEs find a perfect match between their needs for automation and required investments. Usually, smaller productions do not look for full line automation, rather what is more valuable for them is the automation of some single manually performed tasks within the existing line space.   

Here come collaborative robots as the perfect fit for medium-sized food manufacturers regarding cost-efficiency, effective space utilization, and quick deployment. 

Gripper for packing bread
The Case

Robotic solution for packing and palletizing

Grau Engineer Aps, a specialist in the design and construction of automation solutions, has developed a robotic solution that provides automation of two previously manually performed tasks.

Their client, a mid-sized bakery, requested a solution for combating the labor shortage problem.

Moreover, the solution must be compact and within a particular budgetary framework. 

pick and place gripper

Through a comprehensive analysis, the specialists from Grau Engineering and their partners have identified processes where automation will make the most difference while meeting the client’s requirements. 

The solution introduces the integration of two cobots, one for packing bags with buns into crates and the other for palletizing crates.

The overall constellation is very compact, where two cobots run side-by-side.

At the beginning of the conveyor, a worker packs bread buns into bags manually that afterward travel to the secondary packaging and palletizing station.

The capacity of a given robotic solution is equal to the work of one worker, allowing the bakery manufacturer to address its labor issues.

 

The Gripper Tool

Gripper for packing bags into crates

GRIPWIQ provided a gripper for packing bagged products into crates. In this case, there are two types of products. The first product is a bag with eight unarranged bread buns, weighing approximately 800 g per bag. The second one is an oblong, tight-packed bag with ten buns, weighing around 400 g per bag. 

The gripper tool consists of a dome-shaped shell and a silicone lip, providing a firm yet ultra-soft grip on the product. The tool dimensions are custom-tailored and correspond with the specifications of the products and the robotic setup. 

 

Key advantages

Suitable for various products

Easy to change

Ultra-soft grip

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