Robotic packaging line from Schubert with fully automatic tool change

The trend towards ever shorter production cycles can be seen in nearly every industry. As a result, the time required to carry out a size change is becoming increasingly more important. In the shown case study, the requirement for a fully automatic size change within just 15 minutes using a complex packaging task became a real challenge. Various two-chambered cups were to be taken over from an Ampack filling line and packed either into small trays or 4x sleeves and then into larger trays. In addition to a specified output of up to 21,000 cups per hour (350 per minute), an assortment of up to three product types was desired. As is frequently the case, the Transmodule was also the key to success for this task. The project team was satisfied with the technical concept. Then a little “ artooning ” was carried out in a brainstorming session with the customer. Couldn’t Schubert’s flexible technology also be used for fully automatic changing of the size parts of the upstream machine? The customer’s fantasy appealed to the Schubert engineers. The fun of following new paths brought about the technical solution. The “cell boards” (as the product carriers are known), which cycle the yogurt through the upstream machine, now no longer need to be exchanged manually by two people over a period of about 3 hours, as is usually the case. The monotonous and difficult task is now handled by Schubert TLM components. Incidentally, these are precisely the same components responsible for transferring and transporting products during production. Thus the size parts of the upstream machine and Schubert tools can be exchanged following the same motto: If the robots are already there anyway, why not use them for size changes as well? This is made possible thanks to Transmodule technology, which now transports size parts and tools, rather than products or packaging, during size change. Only one additional TLM cell at the end of the line is required for stowing away the last-used size set in a tool cabinet and removing the size parts of the next required tool set. The Transmodule transports the respective tool sets to the respective TLM-F2 or F4 robots with millimeter precision so that the tools can be hooked up fully automatically. Naturally, all tools are encoded, signals and the power supply are not transferred over vulnerable plug connections, but rather inductively. This prevents errors from occurring.