Second user robot is half the cost of new
Responding to manufacturers’ demands for more economical automation solutions, Pacepacker Services has launched a second user robot range. It says the Blu-Robot pick and place systems are typically half the cost of a new robot.
Incorporating a second user robot arm, Pacepacker’s economical Blu-Robot range comes with over 20 different end effectors to suit bespoke pick and place applications from tubs, trays, netted products, pots and bulk bags, with pick-up speeds of 30 cycles per minute. Throughput speed will depend on the second user robot selected for each application.
“We realise that new automation systems can be cost prohibitive particularly for low volume packers or seasonal producers,” explains Dennis Allison, MD of Pacepacker Services. Hence the second user robot offering. “The Blu-Robot second user robot pick and place system, which is typically half the cost of a new robot, presents an affordable option for smaller packers looking to benefit from automation and still achieve a realistic ROI.”
Second user robot advantages
As a robotics systems integrator, and an active supporter of BARA’s Automating Manufacturing Programme which aims to increase robot uptake in the UK, Pacepacker launched a second user robot palletising system in 2011 which provided both automation-shy SME manufacturers and seasonal packers with an economical alternative to first-user systems. The success of this initiative has led to the launch of the Blu-Robot second user robot pick and place system as Dennis explains: “Pick and place is an area of automation which has historically been widely overlooked due to the complexity of packing irregular products. However it is also a labour intensive operation which can lead to product wastage due to human error.”
The second user robot arm, typically FANUC, originates from the automotive industry and is approximately 35% of the way through its expected 100,000 operational hour lifespan. Pacepacker reprogrammes, services, paints and fits the appropriate end effector to the second user robot ready for its new occupation before installing this system with full servicing, spares and a one year warranty. “I’d defy anyone to identify that we’ve installed a second user robot; it came delivered as new,” said Blu-Robot customer and potato grower/packer Preva Produce managing director Ian Anderson.
Winner of six prestigious industry awards in 18 months for its achievements in automation solutions, export and customer service, Pacepacker’s second user robot pick and place range was recently launched by its local Braintree MP Brooks Newmark who cited, “Pacepacker is a great example of British innovation and technological excellence.”
Visit the Pacepacker Services website for more information on the Blu-Robot second user robot pick and place system.
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