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Robot packaging food: Hygienic food handling by KR AGILUS HM robots
13 October 2022
Assembly line work hasn’t been attractive to workers for a long time – Great Britain’s sandwich industry is also feeling the effects. To fill gaps and relieve teams, a British system integrator has developed an automated line with a robot packaging food. Two KR AGILUS HM pack 50 to 60 sandwiches per minute – hygienically, precisely and cost-effectively.
Patented packaging solution for food handling
The sandwich market is growing and growing. The sale of hygienically packaged slices of bread alone, in bags or containers as well as boxes, generated $13 billion in revenue worldwide in 2018.
According to experts, this figure is set to rise to $18.2 billion in 2025. Incidentally, a third of this is accounted for by the US, which has the world's biggest appetite for sandwiches. But even in Great Britain, which is considered the home of sandwiches, this meal still has a special significance. According to the British Sandwich Association, a total of 11 billion packaged sandwiches are bought or freshly prepared here every year.
KR AGILUS HM well suited as a packaging robot
Whether it's the classic sausage and cucumber sandwich, with cheese or with bacon and egg, billions of slices of toast have to be topped, cut and packaged in plastic, paper or another material.
For the last two steps, the British system integrator Active8 Robots has developed an automated solution in which the tasks are performed by two KR AGILUS HM, among others. The company, which has 12 employees, began the first tests back in 2017. Today, its sandwich packing solution is patented.
Food packaging: How robots help in times of skills shortage and Brexit
The biggest challenge facing the industry in the UK, especially after Brexit, is the shortage of skilled workers.
"Assembly line jobs in particular are very unattractive and across all sectors. It is hard to find and retain skilled workers long-term," says Michael Codd, Sales Director at Active8 Robots. Therefore, there was a noticeable need to provide relief and automate processes in the sandwich as well as the entire food industry.
The system integrator, which specialises in advanced robot technologies and intelligent automation, talked to various players in the industry at first. Active8 employees then built a 3D-printed model which presented the process in an automated way. This made it possible to check adherence to speed and hygiene requirements, for example.
Food safety: Automation of food packaging to reduce contamination
After all, both criteria pose challenges for companies in the food industry time and again. Not least because of the coronavirus pandemic, awareness of the importance of hygiene has grown. No bacterium should contaminate food, no virus be transmitted, and no fungus should spread.
Robotic packaging systems are independent of people's personal hygiene and offer clean solutions. They have been specially developed or adapted for hygienic environments and prevent contamination, preserve freshness and provide relief here. So, Active8 Robots tried to mitigate the consequences of two challenges with a single automated system: the shortage of skilled workers and the pandemic.
A machine with continuous precision and speed
After successful tests and discussions with potential customers, Active8 Robots finally looked for the right business partner to put the model into practice.
Michael Codd reports: "We had already worked with KUKA on other projects. In terms of speed, precision, service and quality, their robots [were] suited best to our system, so we decided to work together this time again."
The decision was made in favour of two KR AGILUS HM, which, thanks to their robust design, deliver maximum repeatability and continuous precision. And they also work fast and can thus meet the high demand for sandwiches.
Packaging robots deliver high performance and high quality
No sooner said than done. With the support of KUKA, the system model was replicated and optimized at Peasedown St. John, Bath at Active8 Robots. The two KR AGILUS HM were equipped with rotating end-of-arm tools made of food-safe stainless steel to meet the strict hygiene regulations.
Michael Payne, Food and Beverage Sector Manager at KUKA UK, emphasises the advantages of this robot in regard to this application area of the sandwich industry: "Thanks to the integrated energy supply system, the KR AGILUS HM achieves the highest precision and also requires very little space due to its compact design." This makes it the ideal robot for meeting the challenges of handling generously filled slices of white bread.
This is because "the sandwiches must not be squashed or slip during the process," adds Michael Codd from Active8. After all, the lunch snack should not only taste good, but also look appetising. This requires repeatability of the movements at always the same strength when gripping. Only a robot can offer this – human beings can’t.
Packaging robot can be used in many ways
Currently, the first robotic packaging system for food from Active8 is still waiting for its first commissioning in a large bakery. However, Michael Codd is already thinking about possible extensions for this application.
In order to support the sandwich industry, as well as food safety, even more, the first part of the process – preparing the sandwich - could also be automated in the future. This could be done by delta robots such as KUKA's KR DELTA, which was designed for direct contact with food, pick-and-place and food handling. It could be integrated into the existing system.
Last but not least, robotic packaging does not only work for sandwiches: Active8 Robots sees numerous areas of application for similar systems that could package snacks or other food hygienically, quickly and cost-effectively, or even completely prepare them.
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