kwiecień 11, 2022
The automation of any process in a production process can contribute to easing operational challenges, as well as increasing productivity and quality. The Yamaha Motor Robotics FA section has helped companies in various sectors of the food industry realise these benefits by introducing robots to handle packaging and labelling.
One of Yamaha’s food manufacturing customers, an established bakery brand with a history of over 100 years, recently installed a number of SCARA robots to optimise production efficiency when packing sweets into boxes of different sizes. Using conventional manual packing in the production area, a different number of workers is needed at any one time, depending on the number of boxes ordered and the number of sweets to be packed.
Figure 1 illustrates the jobs in the production area. The table shows how the optimal number of employees varies depending on the production objective. This poses a challenge for managers to ensure that only the required number of workers are present on a daily basis. Figure 1: Conventional manual packing can be inefficient if there are more than the optimal number of workers in the production area. “Our team analysed the workflow in the packaging area and proposed a layout of eight SCARA YK400XE robots, connected via LCMR200 linear conveyor modules,” – explains Jumpei Ninomiya, Sales Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe Robotics Business, Factory Automation Section. “Only one employee is needed to supervise the robots, which simplifies human resource management and stabilises production, ensuring that all orders are processed smoothly.”
At 400mm arm length and 4kg payload capacity, the YK400XE is the smallest robot in the high-performance, affordable YK-XE series. It is ideal for palletising, loading/unloading, assembly and inspection tasks and is easily combined with the Yamaha RCX340 controller to unlock the full potential of its features. These include automatic acceleration and deceleration optimisation, which increases control – especially when moving heavy loads – while optimising reliability and minimising vibration.
As a further improvement to the confectionery packaging application, the integration of the RCXiVY2+ vision system has enabled each robot to check the orientation and position of each individual item to be packaged. The upgraded production area (Figure 2) can now operate continuously 24 hours a day, with supervisory staff working eight-hour shifts. The LCMR200 conveyor modules provide the flexibility to quickly adjust conveyor stop positions to handle boxes of different sizes.
Figure 2: SCARA robots can pack sweets accurately and at a constant speed, 24 hours a day, to maintain consistent productivity.
A company spokesperson added: “In addition to achieving the expected labour cost savings, our new Yamaha SCARA robots have increased productivity, reduced costs and reduced human error, thereby improving quality. They allow us to preserve our history and tradition, while modernising our processes and delivering even more delicious, baked goods to our customers.”
Companies that process food, such as meat products, can face quite a different challenge. The environment in which meat processing takes place must be maintained at a constant temperature of 4°C. People cannot safely work in such conditions for long periods of time.
A recent Yamaha customer in the food industry has successfully automated the labelling of packages of fresh meat in cold conditions, using YK-TW SCARA robots. Production managers at the company had previously considered using a parallel-connected robot, which is a common sight in many factories. They discovered that these tended to be large and heavy machines that required a strongly designed gantry with safety anchors. Recognising that a factory installation would be impractical, they turned to Yamaha for a more suitable solution. Their new SCARA Yamaha YK-TW ORBIT robot is integrated with a vision system to recognise packages and detect positions for sticking labels (Figure 3). Figure 3: The automated system operates continuously at an ambient temperature of 4°C, maintaining consistent performance and accuracy. Specifically designed for top-mounting, the multi-directional YK-TW eliminates the shortcomings of conventional parallel-connected robots.
Its relatively low weight and lower overall height equates to significantly less inertia, so there is no need for a bulky frame. In addition, it comes with an optional, specially designed, original Yamaha mounting bracket that saves the engineering costs associated with designing a custom gate.
“This company had never used robots before, so our team helped them conduct an initial assessment with YK-TW to confirm that it would meet their requirements,” – Jumpei Ninomiya explains. “Many customers choose the YK-TW because it can work in narrow spaces. The R-axis can pass completely underneath the main unit to make full use of the working space underneath, and the moving parts are optimally balanced to allow efficient high-speed movement while maintaining consistent accuracy.”
A company spokesperson added: “Since the installation of our Yamaha robots, there has been an increase in demand for our chilled and frozen products, Thanks to the compactness of the YK-TW and its attachment, we are able to easily change the production layout of the factory and introduce additional production lines to increase productivity.” For food production, as well as semiconductor, medical and pharmaceutical applications, Yamaha also offers a selection of clean robots, including the YK-XGC/XC SCARA, the single-axis FLIP-XC and the Cartesian XY-XC. Meeting international cleanliness standards such as ISO 14644-1 Class 3 and FED-STD-209D Class 10, these robots use features such as beltless design and air suction to ensure low particle emissions.
“Our Yamaha SCARA robots enabled both customers in this study to achieve their main objective of minimising labour costs. In each case, they were also able to improve quality and productivity and simplify production and resource management. They were also able to rapidly increase production to take advantage of new market opportunities.” – Jumpei Ninomiya concludes. He concludes, “For companies in the food and beverage industry, as well as many other manufacturing and packaging industries, this first small step towards automation can start a journey that yields ever-increasing returns through continued investment.”
Yamaha Factory Automation Section (FA Section), pododdział firmy Yamaha
Motor Robotics Business Unit in Yamaha Motor Corporation, is focused on delivering flexible, high-accuracy industrial robots for precision automation challenges. With its roots in the introduction of robot technology to Yamaha motorcycle assembly activities, the division has over 40 years’ experience solving automation challenges from factory-scale to micron-level. Yamaha’s industrial robots are now trusted by leading corporations worldwide, in activities as diverse as semiconductor fabrication and assembling electronic products, domestic appliances, automotive components, and large liquid-crystal panels. Yamaha Motor FA Section offers a unified range of solutions for robotic assembly, including single-axis robots, SCARA, cartesian, and articulated robots. Innovations such as the LCMR200 linear conveyor module; a smoother, space-saving and more versatile successor to conventional belt and roller conveyors continue to set the pace in factory automation. Core robotic technologies as well as key components and complete robot systems are all produced in-house, ensuring consistent quality and control over lead-times. Headquartered in Neuss, Germany, Yamaha FA Section serves customers in all Europe.