Kuka, a German manufacturer of industrial robots and systems for factory automation, is supporting the production of baby food by Malaysian system integrator Modu System.
The process works using two KR Delta robots that pick up measuring spoons from a conveyor belt and place them on a second belt, with each holding a food bag with baby food.
In the unoccupied space next to each bag, which the robot can see using a camera, there is a sticker that includes bar code. A second machine then places the bag and spoon into a box.
This automation replaces the interaction of several systems involved in the manufacture of baby food.
The KR Delta is regarded as critical to the system as it can come into direct contact with food due to its stainless steel body.
The solution has a reported cycle time of 0.5 seconds and is supported by Kuka software designed to support high precision and reduce manual errors.
“The customer has great confidence in the automation solution that Kuka and Modu System have developed,” said Rajinderjit Singh, regional manager of Modu System.
“We are very impressed with the stainless steel design of the KR Delta and believe that the application is ideally suited to the food industry, which places great emphasis on hygiene.
“The system is very easy to operate, looks good, and the stainless steel robot design convinced our food-industry customer.”
One of major initial challenges was reliable calibration, which is a necessary precondition for the two robots to grip the spoons correctly at high speeds.
Before automation, this step was completed manually, which created potential hazards.
