According to a market research report by Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies entitled Trends in Food Processing Operations, half of the companies surveyed will be increasing their level of automation over the next three to five years. Despite this, many manufacturers admit they don’t know where to start. Here, Nigel Smith, CEO of industrial […]
In September 2017, VDMA increased its growth forecast for the current year for German robotics and automation from 7% to 11%. The industry is also booming internationally. With this positive outlook and numerous innovations ready to be shown, the world’s leading companies are going to meet at Automatica in Munich from June 19 to 22, […]
Fanuc UK has launched a new robot for cleanroom and food-handling environments. The M20iB/25C has been specifically designed to ISO Class 5 standards, bringing automated picking, packing and handling to applications for which hygiene and cleanliness are paramount. As well as incorporating Fanuc’s drives and controls, including advanced servo technology – which can increase cycles […]
Highly commended at the 2017 PPMA Group Industry Awards for robotic innovation, an automated turnkey installation from end-of-line automation specialist Brillopak has provided McVities with a flexible, small footprint, multi-line palletising solution that has paid for itself within 15 months through reduced labour costs. The seven Brillopak C2 KT400 robotic palletisers, located on a mezzanine […]
Ocado Technology, a division of online supermarket Ocado, has revealed a new robotic system capable of picking a wide range of grocery products from the 50,000 different items available on Ocado.com. The new system uses a proprietary computer vision system designed by the Ocado Technology robotics research team to calculate grasping points for a given […]
The new MOTOMAN GP7 and GP8 food grade robots from Yaskawa are a good example of the drive to apply the benefits of increasingly sophisticated automated handling and robotics solutions to the widest possible range of applications, including the food industry. The GP7 and GP8 robots are designed to meet the specific requirements of food, […]
Brillopak director David Jahn has highlighted the potential crisis farmers, produce and soft fruit packers and meat packhouses face with a hard Brexit and how automated case loading can help to counteract the loss of EU seasonal labour and curb rising costs. Between May to September each year, more than 28,000 EU workers come to […]
Brillopak has chosen PPMA 2017 as the setting for the UK premiere of its new fresh produce punnet loading line, Meteor. It is the first food packing end-of-line system in the UK to integrate Omron’s new four-arm Delta robot, Quattro – said to be the fastest and most dexterous robot in the world. OEM Brillopak […]
There’s never been a better time for food and drink SMEs to invest in robots for the workplace. Sales and exports are booming, and robots are more powerful than ever. Paul Wilkinson, Commercial & Information Systems Manager at Pacepacker Services, examines the current challenges of the food and drink industry and details how robots can […]
Mitsubishi mobile robots put manufacturing on the move
An autonomously guided vehicle (AGV) equipped with a robot arm has been developed by Mitsubishi Electric and Mirage, making it possible to deploy the same robot at multiple workstations. The system has been designed to give unprecedented flexibility to assembly lines and boost plant productivity. An articulated arm robot fixed in a static position can […]
Mitsubishi’s enables intelligent, flexible conveying
Mitsubishi Electric’s latest Linear Transfer System (LTS) with Smart Carriage technology can increase productivity and flexibility, while maintaining plant safety and improving responsiveness. The innovative line transfer solution, combined with the unique Smart Carriages, provides an intelligent transport system for the integration of production and packaging lines. The LTS and its Smart Carriages bring product […]
Mitsubishi pictures the factories of the future
Factories populated by autonomous vehicles delivering parts and sub-assemblies across the shop floor, robots working alongside human operators to assemble customised products – all scheduled automatically by live orders placed online. While this is a utopian vision of manufacturing for many and there are certain industry sectors where the journey to smart manufacturing is a […]
ABB’s YuMi serves coffee at Smartech Selfridges
The Selfridges store in London’s Oxford Street has long been known for showcasing the latest innovations. Throughout its 109-year history the famed department store has played host to a variety of new technologies including the Bleriot XI airplane, the first to cross the English Channel; the first ever public demonstration of a television set; and […]
Igus makes automation easy with new motion concept
New from Igus is robolink Apiro, a new modular motion system which enables design engineers develop low-cost automation systems. Consisting three lubrication-free worm gears for standard movement, inverted movement and linear movement, the system can be configured to perform simple linear motion to complex humanoid and animatronic robotic tasks. “The name says it all: Apiro […]
ABB launches single-arm YuMi cobot
ABB has expanded its collaborative automation offering with the launch of a new single-arm YuMi robot. The IRB 14050 single-arm YuMi is ABB’s most agile and compact robot and is designed to easily fit into existing production lines to increase flexibility while working safely alongside people. The new collaborative robot is one of the first […]
Robotics and automation solutions: RARUK Automation is a long established expert in the supply of a wide variety of industrial robot and automation solutions for a myriad of customer applications. Among
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Robotics is the future for the food and drink industry
According to a market research report by Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies entitled Trends in Food Processing Operations, half of the companies surveyed will be increasing their level of automation over the next three to five years. Despite this, many manufacturers admit they don’t know where to start. Here, Nigel Smith, CEO of industrial […]
Food and beverage solutions at Automatica 2018
In September 2017, VDMA increased its growth forecast for the current year for German robotics and automation from 7% to 11%. The industry is also booming internationally. With this positive outlook and numerous innovations ready to be shown, the world’s leading companies are going to meet at Automatica in Munich from June 19 to 22, […]
Brillopak and Omron highlight smarter factories
In food produce environments and packhouses, the benefits of automation when it comes to workforce health and safety are uncontended. From eliminating arduous and repetitive tasks to working uninterrupted within inhospitable chilled settings, robots are most certainly the future. Case loading specialist Brillopak and industrial automation pioneer Omron explore how smart robots, hardware and software […]
Brillopak and Omron highlight smarter factories
In food produce environments and packhouses, the benefits of automation when it comes to workforce health and safety are uncontended. From eliminating arduous and repetitive tasks to working uninterrupted within inhospitable chilled settings, robots are most certainly the future. Case loading specialist Brillopak and industrial automation pioneer Omron explore how smart robots, hardware and software […]