DCC Automation, a machine builder and system integrator and part of the Rockwell Automation Partner Network programme, designs material handling equipment, conveyors and turnkey systems including custom-built primary and secondary packaging solutions. A nutrition supplement manufacturer selected DCC Automation for a new case packing solution after the existing equipment reached end of life.
“All our solutions start with a partnership,” says Horia Saulean, director of robotic solutions at DCC Automation. “We work with customers to understand their needs and then develop solutions that deliver the most value. Increasingly, those solutions include robotics.”
The original system
The existing case packer ran on the manufacturer’s high-speed line handling its best-selling product. The semi-automated system relied on multiple controllers and conveyors that were approaching end of life and experiencing up to 10% downtime per shift. Changing over from one product size to another required 40 to 45 minutes. The case erecting and packing functions were combined in one compact machine with little room for product accumulation, which prevented the system from achieving the 25-cases-per-minute throughput required. Two or three workers had to manually pack cases on the side to compensate.
A more efficient design with robotics
DCC Automation identified both the obsolete control system and the fundamental machine design as contributors to the performance problems. “While many solutions combine case erecting and packing in one machine, we typically separate the two technologies in high-speed applications to create more space for product accumulation,” says Saulean. In this instance, the case erector was placed in another part of the room, allowing products to accumulate and be divided into efficient multiple streams depending on the pack pattern required.
For the pick-and-place function, DCC Automation selected two-dimensional delta robots. “On-machine robots open up many more possibilities than a strictly mechanical solution. The system presents the pack pattern fully formed and the case fully erected. The robots pick-and-place the complete pack pattern,” says Saulean. Packed cases are inspected, top-sealed and exit to the palletiser.
Unified control platform
The turnkey solution runs on a Rockwell Automation platform based on Allen-Bradley Compact GuardLogix controllers, Kinetix servo drives and motors, and FactoryTalk View HMI software, integrated on an EtherNet/IP network. DCC Automation used Emulate3D software during the design process to simulate and confirm system functionality before commissioning.
A separate robotic control platform was not required. The Compact GuardLogix controller handles all machine operations including safety functions. “This approach delivers significant engineering efficiency. We use standard components and do everything in the GuardLogix controller,” says Saulean.
Results
With the new case packer in place, the machine runs at 99 to 99,5% uptime, and changeover takes approximately five minutes rather than 40 to 45. The supplemental manual case packing operation has been eliminated, with the workers previously assigned to that task redeployed to other duties.
DCC Automation continues to work with the customer on future improvements, including a transition to a fully recipe-driven automated changeover process, and a migration from some pneumatic operations to servo-driven technology.
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