PACKAGING VIABLE AUUTOMATION SOLUTION
BRILLOPAK
Brillopak meats industry challenges with UniPAKer
Brillopak is launching its award-winning UniPAKer robotic crate packer into the meat , fish & poultry sector following design enhancements that make the system both affordable and efficient in tray-sealed meat applications . The development of a new generation end-effector that offers increased suction and control when handling trays and skin packs coupled with a new dual-pick configuration have made the UniPAKer a viable automation solution for this sector for the first time .
Availability of labour has steadily declined since the Brexit vote in 2016 and now with COVID , staff can no longer work in close contact with each other . Both of these factors have conspired to challenge meat , fish & poultry packers , who rely heavily on overseas workers and do not have the space to accommodate social distancing , whilst maintaining production levels . Automation presents an obvious solution to this situation .
However , as Brillopak director David Jahn explains , it is not as straightforward as replacing two or three people with a robot . “ Automating the secondary packaging operation is a logical solution , but it is not as simple as it might seem . Any robotic system has to be extremely compact to fit into very tight spaces and must offer complete flexibility in terms of packing different pack formats and crate sizes . The solution must be able to pick and place consistently and accurately at high speed , without dropping any packs . Hygienic design is a given .”
Brillopak has risen to the challenge , optimising the design of its UniPAKer robot to meet the specific demands of meat , fish & poultry producers and packers . This trailblazing robot has already revolutionised the packing of bagged fresh produce such as apples , sprouts and potatoes into crates and now looks set to be a game-changer in the meat , fish & poultry industry .
By optimising the cycle speed and developing a new range of end effectors , a single robot with a dual-pick head , Brillopak has shaved 25 % off the cost of a typical robotic crate packing system . In this configuration , the robot performs two picks , then places the packs in the crate , two at a time . becomes a cost-effective and spaceefficient machine capable of packing tray sealed meat packs in excess of 70 packs per minute .
88 PECM Issue 48