CONTROL & AUTOMATION
SHAPING THE FUTURE
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC
AUTOMATION TRENDS IN THE PACKAGING INDUSTRY
Like many other industries, the packaging
sector constantly adapts to market
requirements. Changes are being influenced
by factors such as regulation, skills shortages
and digital transformation. To turn these
challenges into opportunities, innovative
companies are increasingly relying on
solutions such as human-robot collaboration
and the use of artificial intelligence to
manage intensive data processing.
are complex restart procedures required
after an emergency stop or if protective
barriers have been opened. Instead,
optical safety systems can be applied.
Laser scanners are widely used to monitor
defined zones around the robot. “A special
feature offered by Mitsubishi Electric is a
safety-relevant reduction in the speed of
movement for our industrial robots. As soon
as a human enters their outer zone they slow
down. When a person enters the area where
there is a danger of direct contact with the
robot, the robot stops immediately,” says
Malte Schlüter, describing the solution.
Malte Schlüter, Global Key Account Director
F&B/ CPG at Mitsubishi Electric, looks at four
main trends that are currently influencing the
packaging industry and will go on to shape
the future.
Instead of securing an area with light
barriers and laser scanners, entire rooms
are increasingly being monitored with
camera systems. In the future, vision systems
equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) will
recognize when and where people enter the
robot’s workspace and regulate its speed
accordingly.
COLLABORATIVE ROBOTS
Diversification, personalisation and ever
smaller batch sizes cannot always be
handled economically via automated high-
speed processes in mass production. The
corresponding tasks are often transferred
to contract packers (copackers), who tend
to employ costly human intensive resources
to perform complex processing tasks on
small batches and premium packaging.
Conventional industrial robots are therefore
more likely to play a subordinate role in this
area.
A clear trend is the increased demand for
collaborative robots (cobots) for direct
use next to humans without protective
equipment: “This is not about displacing
classic industrial robots, but about
supplementing them and adding advances
in automation - especially in the co-packing
sector,” says Schlüter. On the other hand, the
support of humans with input from cobots
presents an opportunity: Equipped with a
vision system, they can relieve people of
monotonous, tiring and physically stressful
tasks by, for example, correctly orienting parts
or lifting loads. In this way, they increase the
efficiency and quality of human work.
Cobots are designed from the outset to
be used in close proximity to humans,
that means they operate with forces and
acceleration parameters that are harmless to
humans and which are specified in the ISO
TS15066 safety guideline. “Mitsubishi Electric
is currently developing a new collaborative
robot with features including: no risk of injury
from crushing edges and a surface that is easy
to clean and prevents dirt traps - while still
achieving the same repeat accuracy of ±0.02
64
PECM Issue 36
mm as our industrial robots. The prototypes
are still under testing, but they have already
been presented to a wider audience at
international shows.” says Malte Schlüter.
A further feature of the cobots in general
is their simple control and programming
requirements, which can be carried out by
trained personnel at the end user company.
This eliminates the ongoing need for
external system integrators or programmers.
In addition, they can be used quickly
and flexibly in many application areas
within the packaging industry. Mitsubishi
Electric’s prototype offers various options
for “teaching” cobots. These range from
force-controlled manual movement of
the robot arm to the desired position - to
visual programming and user interfaces on
tablets or mobile devices for calibration and
parameterization.
ROBOTS WITHOUT
PROTECTIVE BARRIERS
For industrial robots, the market demand
is for alternative safety solutions to fences,
barriers, cages and cells. After all, these safety
precautions occupy valuable production
space, mean high additional cleaning costs
in hygienic areas, and prevent a meaningful
cooperation with workers. In addition, there
In this way, people will soon be able to
move freely and safely around robots. With
a view to achieving this objective Mitsubishi
Electric is already actively working with its
partners to develop practical solutions ready
to bring to the market.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
In robotics, artificial intelligence describes
the ability to react appropriately to
unforeseen and non-programmed situations.
If, for example, a robot receives a product
that deviates from the standard in terms
of orientation, geometry or packaging,
then without AI it could not identify these
irregularities and react accordingly. Robot
systems equipped with AI and corresponding
vision systems as sensors can now learn to
identify these deviations and adapt their
processes. Today, the new MELFA FR robot
series from Mitsubishi Electric is available
with AI functions and can increase the yield
in industries such as food and life sciences.
AI is also used where intelligent robots detect
quality defects in products to be packaged
and replace these with flawless products
during the process - even within individual
packaging units. Robots that can be moved
manually or even mounted on driverless
transport systems can also quickly detect
their new position and adapt their process
sequences using AI.