ACE Issue 36 2024 | Page 31

Faultless operation
Takeda ’ s human employees now successfully work side-by-side with their cobot colleague , letting it take the physical strain of their role . Small glass bottles filled with tablets are packaged in multiple cartons , which are moved to the packing table by two workers , five packs at a time , and set in a box .
The cobot scans the label , then grabs the box from the conveyor belt and stacks it onto the shipping pallet with the label facing outwards , in a configuration of eight boxes per layer and four layers high .
With a reach of 1,441 mm and a maximum load capacity of 15kg , the cobot fulfils this task effortlessly , working 24 / 7 – around 8,000 packages have already been processed since its installation , and the system has run without a hitch .
Meeting demanding hygiene standards
Of course , hygiene is also a key factor in any purchasing decision for a pharmaceutical company , and to this end , the FANUC CR-15iA more than meets this demand .
Its extra smooth surfaces help to minimise dust and dirt build up , and with IP67-protection on its arm and wrist axis , it is well suited for environments where the highest standards of hygiene are required .
The success of this collaborative cell , installed by Berlin-based system integrator and FANUC partner SKDK , is now serving as a template for all packing stations in the facility and has inspired other Takeda sites to examine the use of robots , too . “ There is already a wish-list for further robot projects ,” enthuses Robert Gundlach .
FANUC UK Ltd , Sapphire Way , Ansty Park , COVENTRY , CV7 9DR Phone : + 44 ( 0 ) 24 7605 3130 Email : marketing @ fanuc . co .. uk - www . fanuc . eu / uk / en
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