Robotic evolution creates foundation for modular packaging revolution
Recent advances in its in-house developed robotic technology has enabled Cama Group to further enhance its machine portfolio , with a solution designed to address some of industry ’ s most pressing concerns in terms of smaller packaging sizes and available plant real estate .
At the heart of many of Cama ’ s machines are its robotic solutions . Developed in-house to cater for the precise needs the packaging industry , this robotic technology sets Cama apart from other suppliers , giving it the capability to offer far greater performance , accuracy , consistency and repeatability than many other machine suppliers .
Thanks to significant research and development efforts , a new smaller , faster variant of its robotic solutions – in conjunction with an innovative approach to its phasing conveyors – has given Cama the opportunity to reinvent the capabilities of its popular IF range , with the introduction of the new IF20 monoblock machine .
Francesco Riva , Sales Engineer Director at Cama explains : “ These new technologies have been under development for a while now and are key to helping us address a major demand from our global customers . They are looking for broader capabilities in the smallto-medium-box packaging segment
Francesco Riva , Sales Engineer Director at Cama
as end consumers migrate towards smaller portion sizes , not just because of demographic changes , but also to reduce waste from unused products supplied in larger formats .
“ Key to the evolution is the newformat robot we have created . Not only is it faster , but its smaller installed size means it can be clustered closer to other robot base units . This means we can shrink the overall size of the machine and , just as importantly , change its shape to match available real estate and product flows .”
Hand in hand with the new robot is a new design of phasing conveyor . “ A typical box-forming , robot loading , and box-closing machine is linear , with a vertically mounted phasing conveyor . But by laying the phasing conveyor on its side – but still using the topmost face – we create a horizontal track within the envelope of the machine that can be exploited from two sides .
“ New carriage designs take this new flexibility to another level too . By using pneumatic ‘ suckers ’ or specially designed grippers instead of fixed , carton-specific lugs , we can supply platens / carriages that will cater for a variety of carton sizes without the need to replace or re-engineer them between batches . We have also the vacuum on board feature that hold the boxes and avoid format change .”
12 FDPP - www . fdpp . co . uk