MECHELEC MOVES FORWARD
WITH UNIVERSAL TROLLEY
PACKER
Bedfordshire‐based Mechelec Automation
have taken their revolutionary new bottle
collation and trolley packing system for
the dairy industry to new heights.
The TP1002 Trolley Packer is designed to
provide fully automated, cost effective
trolley loading, and since its release in
May 2017 has been in production in a
dairy in Wales running at speeds of up to
250bpm and packing 4-pint bottles in a 5
x 4 format.
The Mechelec engineering team has a
wealth of experience in the automation
industry, having worked for many years
with robots, servo systems, pneumatics
and PLC control. This experience along
with their open minded approached has
resulted in the TP1002.
This innovative system offers flexible
throughput at faster operating speeds.
The system’s robotic arm and servo driven
collation unit can quickly and efficiently
load two trolleys simultaneously, offering
double the packing speed of conventional
automated systems with a comparable
footprint. The use of robotics eliminates
the problems relating to variable height
packing, offering free movement
through multiple axes and avoiding the
compatibility issues arising from differing
designs or damaged trolleys.
The simplicity and open construction
of the robotic system also allows easier
access, helping to minimise downtime for
wash down and routine maintenance. The
system is IP67 rated.
Mechelec engineers have vast experience
in using motion control solutions from
the major OEM’s such as Rockwell and
Siemens. On this occasion they chose to
partner B&R for their motion solution due
to its integrated architecture bringing
PLC, HMI, Motion and Safety together as a
seamless package.
John Salisbury, Director at Mechelec told
us “Now we have a proven track record
with a production machine it is time to
take the TP1002 to its next level, as it
was always our intention to make the
TP1002 more than just a trolley packer.” He
continued “We chose to use an industrial
robot in our initial design knowing that
robots are a tried and proven solution,
what is more with our engineers
having extensive experience with robot
programming this was a logical step.
An additional benefit of using robot
technology is the flexibility for expanding
the range of the TP1002. We now have an
interest in an add-on unit which provides
functionality for shrink-wrapped bundles
to be loaded to trolleys.”
John explained “Shrink wrapped product
is collated into the correct format,
loaded to the head of the robot and
then transferred into the trolleys in the
same way collated bottles are loaded.
This feature offers a very cost-effective
solution that is easily added to an existing
TP1002.”
Asked where the TP1002 goes from
here John told me “We have already
been asked if we could palletise the
shrink-wrapped product. This additional
functionality would naturally fulfil our
long-term objective to make the TP1002 a
truly universal packer.”
Mechelec Automation designs,
manufactures and maintains fully
integrated mechanical and electrical
automation systems for a diverse range of
sectors.
If you would like any more information
on our TP1002 or any of our other
products, please contact:
[email protected] or
visit: www.mechelecautomation.com
Issue 32 PECM
73