Combining robust design, food-safe materials and adaptive silicone fingers, the HPSX directly addresses long-standing automation challenges where rapid, precise and gentle product handling is essential.

“In developing the HPSX, we refined the gripper’s shape, dimensions and internal geometry to maximise gripping force while minimising air volume,” says Peter Potters, Product Manager at Festo. “This enables faster cycle times and multiple picks per second. At the same time, we selected a silicone material that is soft enough to prevent product damage but firm enough to securely grip objects and withstand high acceleration.”

The new gripper’s design reduces air consumption while maintaining high gripping force, enabling quicker actuation and faster picking cycles. The HPSX has been designed and tested to withstand acceleration forces of up to 15G while handling loads of up to 0.5 kg, ensuring reliable performance even in high-speed applications. This combination of low air volume, strong grip and acceleration resistance delivers both speed and consistency on fast-moving production lines.

Gripper fingers are manufactured from a soft, silicone-based material specifically chosen for its controlled flexibility. This allows the HPSX to conform to delicate, irregularly shaped or hygienically sensitive products without damaging them. The adaptive design eliminates the need for rigid, application-specific tooling, making the HPSX ideal for handling fragile food items, pharmaceutical products and cosmetics.

To meet stringent hygiene requirements, the HPSX features a corrosion-resistant, sanitary design that is easy to clean and maintain. The gripper has an IP69k high-pressure washdown rating and is built to withstand aggressive cleaning processes common in food and pharmaceutical environments. It complies with EC 1935/2004 requirements and uses FDA-compliant, food-grade and metal-detectable materials, ensuring safe operation in regulated production environments.

The HPSX can handle a wide range of product shapes and sizes without requiring a tool change, significantly reducing mechanical changeover time. This flexibility is particularly valuable in applications such as cosmetics kitting, where a single gripper may need to pick and place multiple product types within the same production run. By eliminating the need for frequent gripper swaps, manufacturers benefit from reduced downtime and increased overall equipment effectiveness.

Available in three sizes (40 mm, 70 mm and 100 mm) and in two-, three- and four-finger configurations, the HPSX offers nine variants to suit diverse applications. A universal ISO50 fitting enables straightforward attachment to existing robotic end-of-arm tooling.

In addition, the HPSX integrates seamlessly with Festo’s broader automation portfolio, including controllers, valves and pneumatic systems. Using single source reduces installation and programming complexity by eliminating interface and compatibility issues between components from different suppliers. For OEMs and end users, this translates into faster commissioning, simplified troubleshooting and a single point of contact for service and support – further increasing uptime.

Visit the Festo website for more information

See all stories for Festo

Across Europe and North America, beverage producers, from kombucha and bottled water to major soft drink brands, are standardising cobot palletising to reduce labour strain, control costs, and modernise production.

If palletising is still one of the most manual steps in your production line, you’ll want to hear what triggered the automation decision at Martin Ray Winery, how the installation went, and what the first months of operation looked like.

Register to attend the webinar here

Visit the Robotiq website for more information

See all stories for Robotiq

The food industry is experiencing a transformative shift in quality control, due in part to advances in artificial intelligence (AI). When combined with rule-based machine vision, AI is enabling automation of processes that were previously impossible, unlocking new levels of productivity and quality assurance.

Cheese consumption is booming globally, and producers are facing increasing challenges as they scale production. Labour shortages, particularly in Europe, are pushing dairies to adopt automation to increase efficiency. Meanwhile, sustainability is becoming a central concern, with an increased focus on reducing waste and conserving resources. Additionally, consumers are demanding higher-quality products with more variety, further intensifying pressure on producers.

As Eberle’s Machine Vision Engineer, Dorian Kopfle, explains: “The cheese-ripening process, which can last up to 14 months, requires constant monitoring to avoid mold and ensure quality. Manually inspecting thousands of cheese wheels is virtually impossible, which is why Gebr. Baldauf, a traditional dairy, turned to us for an automated solution.”

Automation with machine vision and AI

Gebr. Baldauf, located in the Allgau region, commissioned Eberle to solve these challenges. The result is a fully automated monitoring system, that combines a mobile care robot, cameras, and onboard image processing.

The process begins with the inspection of cheese wheels for defects, such as mold spots or blemishes. A 4K camera captures high-resolution images, which are analysed using advanced machine-vision algorithms from MVTec HALCON. The software uses deep-learning methods to detect anomalies earlier, minimising process deviations and waste. The data is stored and made available via a web interface, enabling remote monitoring and control. Simultaneously, the mobile care robot performs its task of treating the cheese wheels, ensuring proper rind formation and removal of unwanted smear layers.

This system not only increases efficiency by reducing manual inspection but also improves the consistency and quality of the final product.

Key outcomes and business impact

The deployment of this automated system has provided several key benefits for Gebr. Baldauf, including:

• Increased efficiency: The mobile care robot operates autonomously, reducing manual labour while ensuring that each cheese wheel is inspected and treated thoroughly.
• Waste reduction: Early detection of mold or defects allows for timely intervention, preventing rejected cheese and minimising waste.
• Improved quality control: The system ensures more consistent and less subjective inspection results by replacing manual methods with AI. As a result, the process achieves a 100% inspection rate, applying the same inspection criteria throughout.
• Full traceability: The integration of industrial image processing ensures complete product traceability. All inspection results are stored digitally for easy access, enabling better decision-making and long-term process optimisation.

Overcoming technical challenges with AI

A significant challenge in developing this system was the natural variability of cheese. Every wheel looks different and undergoes significant changes during the ripening process, which makes rule-based machine vision methods less effective. To overcome this, Eberle utilized AI and deep learning to create a system that could adapt to the unique characteristics of each cheese wheel.

The MVTec HALCON software was instrumental in this process. By training a deep-learning network with a large dataset of cheese images, the system is able to reliably detect defects such as cracks, mold, and discoloration, while ignoring the natural variations inherent to the process. This technology ensures that even subtle anomalies are spotted, allowing for earlier intervention and better quality control.

Eberle’s goal was not only to automate the inspection process, but to fully integrate AI into the cheese-ripening workflow. Currently, the system is capable of performing real-time inspections and autonomous care, with minimal human involvement. However, the company is working on refining the system further to handle all types of cheese and stages of ripening, with the long-term goal of creating a fully automated, AI-driven system that requires no human input.

The system also provides a solid foundation for future digitalisation efforts, with the potential for integration into larger digital platforms, such as ERP systems and the cloud, to further optimise the production process.

Scaling and further digitalisation

Building on the success of this project, Eberle is now focused on scaling the solution to meet the needs of the entire cheese industry. The company plans to standardise the system and integrate it into both mobile and stationary care robots for cheese production worldwide.

Furthermore, the system’s AI capabilities are continually evolving. Eberle aims to refine the deep-learning models to handle different cheese types and ripening stages, enabling fully automated classification and inspection. This will allow producers to further reduce human involvement while maintaining the highest standards of quality.

As Christoph Muxel of Eberle summarises, “Our machine vision-based solution demonstrates how automation can sustainably improve quality, efficiency, and competitiveness in the food industry. This project is just the beginning, and we’re excited to take these innovations to a global scale.”

In the food industry, solutions are in demand that increase efficiency, meet strict hygiene and safety requirements, and enable gentle product transport. Therefore, manufacturers are increasingly investing in modern automation that fulfils these complex requirements.

One solution is the VarioFlow plus – a chain conveyor system from Bosch Rexroth, which, in combination with pre-existing automation and integration from Hitmark Robotics, enables excellent results in palletising, depalletising, and order-picking processes.

The challenges of the food industry – such as variable batch sizes, diverse packaging solutions, and the need for rapid changeovers – require sophisticated solutions for pick-and-place automation. Consequently, more and more companies are opting for comprehensive robotic lines that not only accelerate processes but also ensure their reproducibility and consistently high quality.

This type of implementation is offered by Hitmark Robotics – an integrator of industrial solutions specialising in the automation of end-of-line packaging. The company designs and implements palletising robots, picking stations, depalletising systems and complete transport and control systems. A recent example of this is a production line realised in collaboration with Bosch Rexroth.

Safe transport of demanding products

In the implementation for a dairy producer, the main challenge was to ensure the safe and smooth transport of cartons and crates without damaging them. The VarioFlow plus chain conveyor system, with a system width of 320 mm and a smooth chain surface, is used – ideal for sensitive goods that must be handled with care.

The Rexroth solution consists of: 10 VarioFlow plus chain conveyors with a total length of approximately 57 metres; 10 gear motors; 10 active transfer bridges; and aluminium profile rails with a slide rail for gentle product transport with a wide guide surface.

The cardboard boxes are delivered directly to the line from the packaging machines, lifted vertically, and transported at a height of approximately 2.5 metres. This system layout allows for continuous production while simultaneously leaving free space underneath the system, which is used for both employee traffic and for operating transport carts.

Robot palletising – precision that pays off

At the end of the line, there are stations that prepare packages for collection by the palletising robot. Here, the system automatically separates the products and arranges them according to a defined pattern. Thanks to the integration with the automation system developed by Hitmark, it is not only possible to smoothly connect the line to the robot but also to continuously monitor operating parameters and quickly reconfigure in case of packaging or format changes.

Bosch Rexroth supplied a highly developed transport system; Hitmark Robotics handled its integration, automation configuration and connection to the palletising system. Both companies share a common vision: to create solutions that function reliably, flexibly and scalably, even in the most demanding industries. Key benefits of the implementation included:

• Minimised risk of damage to transported goods
• Optimal use of space
• Consistent performance
• Ability for rapid expansion or reconfiguration
• Automatic preparation of packages for palletising
• Reliable operation even under difficult production conditions

The future of automation

Modern automation must be forward-thinking, consider the actual needs of the facility, allow for flexibility, and at the same time enable safe processes.

The combination of Hitmark Robotics’ expertise and Bosch Rexroth’s reliable products, such as the VarioFlow plus chain conveyor system, provides an optimal solution. And if palletising, mixing, or transporting food and its packaging becomes a bottleneck in your company, it is worth exploring which solution is right for you.

Visit the Bosch Rexroth website for more information

See all stories for Bosch Rexroth

The FANUC robots are specifically engineered to meet stringent food processing requirements, incorporating specialised seals, food-grade materials, and high levels of protection against heat, moisture, and cleaning processes. The robots are guided by a proprietary AI driven control logic capable of intelligently sequencing workflows even when multiple orders are received simultaneously.

These automated and flexible production processes ensure high-quality, customised food supply for hospitals, universities, or corporate facilities while maintaining consistent output – regardless of staffing levels or order complexity. Given the ongoing shortage of skilled labour in the food service industry, GoodBytz anticipates rapidly growing market demand for this system.

The award was presented by Dr. Jochen Kockler, CEO of Deutsche Messe: “The award-winning solution from GoodBytz impressively demonstrates how robotics technologies originating in traditional industry are successfully expanding into new sectors, such as gastronomy and food supply. This opens up entirely new fields of application, and contributes significantly toward ensuring quality, efficiency, and supply reliability across diverse areas of daily life.”

The prize includes a comprehensive, premium package comprising exhibition space in the Application Park at HANNOVER MESSE, together with a speaking slot on the Spotlight Stage.

The use of robots boosts productivity, improves worker welfare and enables manufacturers to swiftly respond to changing customer demand. Accurate, reliable and fast, robots are ideal for repetitive, dull or laborious tasks where people add little value, such as packing, picking, placing and palletising – leaving the valuable human workforce to concentrate on the parts of production where they can make a real difference.

Increasing capacity through automation

One company reaping the benefits of automation is Gü Indulgent Foods. Since its first chocolate soufflé pots hit the shelves in 2003, the firm has been on a strong upward trajectory. As demand soared, Gü needed to expand its packing hall at its production facility in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire. It turned to FANUC partner Tekpak Automation, based in Wexford, for an automated answer to its productivity problem.

“Gü requested a second packing line that needed to fit into a very compact area,” explains Darragh Sinnott, Technical Director for Tekpak Automation. “They also wanted greater cartoning and palletising flexibility. This new line needed to handle Gü’s new quad-packs – the quad-pack x4 – as well as the existing variety of case formats: twin-packs x6 and twin-packs x4.”

Simulation software and programming prowess

Tekpak set about designing a system that could meet these exacting demands. With the help of FANUC’s virtual programming software, ROBOGUIDE, it determined the exact robot models – paying attention to requirements for payload, speed and reach – that would alleviate Gü’s production capacity constraints.

“The end-to-end packaging line we installed begins at the depalletising stage,” explains Darragh. “Gü’s filled glass ramekins are skimmed off two pallets, one layer at a time, onto a pair of receiving conveyors. One FANUC R-2000iC/165F six-axis robot handles this job, and also removes the layer card that separates each layer. The pallets are supported and indexed up by two industrial-grade scissor lifts fitted with FANUC servo motors that feed the depalletising robot, ensuring a seamless depalletising process.”

Palletising flexibility

The Tekpak system then collates the ramekins, loads them into cartons with integrated laser printing, and case packs with subsequent case labelling, before the final palletising process begins. Again, a FANUC R-2000iC/165F six-axis industrial robot is employed here.

“With FANUC’s help, we created the required matrix of different twin and quad-pack case formats to give Gü greater palletising flexibility,” says Darragh. “And as the FANUC palletising robot is equipped with automatic size change, there’s no requirement to change the end-of-arm tooling when switching from one pattern format to another.”

For Tekpak, having FANUC as their partner on this project proved invaluable. “FANUC robots are known for their reliability, plus their support to assist with complex and time critical projects like this is second to none,” says Darragh. “The team of FANUC engineers that our team collaborate with are a fantastic asset. They helped us set up complex applications and trained our in-house software team so we can support the customer going forward. This is a huge part of what made FANUC the perfect robotics partner for this project.”

Andrzej Rosa is Head of Engineering for Gü Indulgent Foods. He adds: “The new packing line has given us greater flexibility and increased our production capacity. The FANUC robots are quick, robust and reliable and are a proving a valuable addition to our operation.”

Dale Farm Foods: Palletising cheese with ease

Based in Co. Kildare, Power Food Technology is a specialist system integrator providing cooling and freezing solutions to the food industry. When it received a request from the UK and Ireland’s largest cheddar cheese producer, Dale Farm Foods, to install a new cooling and palletising line at its cheddar processing facility in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, it knew that FANUC robots would need to be at the heart of the solution.

“The weight of the cheese blocks was the biggest issue for us,” explains John Power, Managing Director of Power Food Technology. “The cheese arrives in 20kg blocks. Each layer comprises 10 blocks, and the pallets are five layers high. So we’re talking 1,000kg of cheese per pallet. That’s a lot of cheddar!”

Speed, payload and reach demands

Other than weight, the new palletising cell would also need to manage two product types at one time. “Two different recipes – for example, low-fat, mild, mature or extra mature cheddar – are fed through a common cooling system into the cell, so it was also essential that the solution had full traceability,” says John. “Not only that, but the client wanted to increase palletising capability at the site from 9.5 tonnes per hour to 15.5.”

The FANUC M-410iC/185 high payload, high-speed, 4-axis palletising robot with a 3m reach was the perfect choice for this demanding application. Equipped with a hollow wrist to minimise cable snagging and reduce maintenance, it has been fitted with a custom mechanical gripper made by Power Food Technology to handle lifting the heavy cheese blocks with ease. This has solved one of the customer’s biggest health and safety headaches.

Prioritising people

“The issue with palletising cheese blocks traditionally is that they’re heavy, and it’s very repetitive work,” outlines John. “Lifting and dropping down from height is a problem for manual employees. It’s difficult for food producers to find labour for this kind of task, and retention is just as big a problem. If that person ends up becoming injured due to the heavy, repetitive nature of the work, it’s just compounding it further.”

John continues: “Cheese is a product that really lends itself to automation, as automation is consistently reliable, offers full traceability and is highly efficient. This particular cell runs for 20hrs/day, followed by a cleaning cycle, for 355 days/year. By leaving the robot to do the repetitive, heavy, potentially dangerous jobs such as palletising, food producers such as Dale Farm Foods can divert their employees to carry out more value-added tasks.”

Visit the FANUC website for more information

See all stories for FANUC

Bhavnita explains why companies must adopt these technologies now, despite barriers like cost and legacy systems. She looks at where these tools can be applied across operations, and how they enable a shift in workforce roles from repetitive tasks to more value-adding activities.

The session outlines who within the business must be involved for successful implementation, and when to begin, especially for those aiming to harness AI and build future-ready, resilient operations.

Live demonstrations showcased collaborative robotics, sensor technology, and motion control solutions designed to support both emerging and established industries.

A key highlight of the event was the highly anticipated giveaway of a DOBOT Nova 5 collaborative robot, designed to empower businesses to automate smarter, faster, and more creatively. The winner, Bob Hinchcliffe, Founder of 3D Food Robotics in Leeds, was announced following the event and perfectly embodies the spirit of the RBTX platform, driving innovation in his field.

“This will make automation affordable for a lot of smaller food manufacturers that are struggling with higher costs of manufacturing.” Says Hinchcliffe

3D Food Robotics operates at the intersection of robotics, additive manufacturing and food technology, developing cutting-edge solutions that redefine how food can be produced, customised, and scaled all while reducing costs. By winning the DOBOT Nova 5, Hinchcliffe gains access to a powerful, compact, and intuitive robotic arm that will play a crucial role in expanding the company’s automation capabilities.

“The Nova 5 opens up huge possibilities for us,” said Hinchcliffe. When asked what he will do with the Nova 5, he replied “We have a really interesting, high-profile project in mind that will revolutionise a certain aspect of food production for a very well-known delicious product.”

“The success of the launch event shows that automation is no longer confined to traditional factory floors,” says Adam Sanjurgo, Automation Product Manager at igus in Northampton. “Seeing the Nova 5 go to a business like 3D Food Robotics highlights how collaborative robotics are reshaping industries in entirely new ways.”

3D Food Robotics is poised to introduce many innovative new products made possible as a result of being introduced to the DOBOT range of robots. In addition to robotics, the open day also introduced attendees to lesser-known areas of the igus product portfolio. Hinchcliffe noted that despite using igus products for more than 30 years, the event highlighted new bearing solutions that he has since selected for a future machine design.

As RBTX continues to grow, igus remains committed to supporting innovators like Bob Hinchcliffe, helping broaden the boundaries of what automation can achieve, one application at a time.

Visit the igus website for more information

See all stories for igus

He highlights the picking of fresh fruit, with a particular demonstration on the stand showing a robot picking up oranges. “We work with a lot of fresh produce, and one of the challenges is that it’s organic – different shapes and forms the whole time,” he says.

The technology combines 3D vision technology with AI to adapt and react to those changing forms. “We’ve got some clever deep learning that can decide if it’s an orange we do want to pick or don’t want to pick,” he adds.

OAL helps food manufacturers on their automation journey with cutting-edge solutions including autocoding, label verification and bespoke robotic systems. OAL’s strong experience in the food industry has helped it to spot trends and stay ahead of the curve, with automation technology that can radically improve productivity, food safety and traceability in food processing.

OAL’s desire to transform the food manufacturing industry is supported by forward-thinking companies across the globe and the UK government, which has funded projects valued at £4.5 million.

Legacy systems remain deeply embedded across the food and beverage sector, often performing critical tasks with consistency. Yet these systems frequently rely on components that OEMs have discontinued, sometimes without direct replacements.

When a discontinued PLC module, drive, or HMI fails, it can stop an entire filling, packing, or processing line. With perishable goods and tight delivery contracts, such downtime can quickly escalate into product loss, missed orders and high operational costs.

At the same time, investment in modern automation is accelerating. Plants are deploying advanced robotics, quality inspection technology and connected controls. The result is a complex mix of brands, communication protocols and hardware generations, all of which engineering teams must support. This “hybrid automation environment” has made dependable access to both new and obsolete components increasingly important.

Specialist suppliers, such as CJS Automation, play a key role in keeping these blended production environments running smoothly. CJS focuses on sourcing both current-line and hard-to-find legacy automation parts, while also offering repair and refurbishment services to extend the life of older equipment. These capabilities can help food manufacturers avoid unnecessary system overhauls and maintain uptime even when OEM support has ended.

The ability to move quickly is often what determines whether a small failure becomes a major operational incident. “Food and beverage production can’t afford extended downtime; it’s as simple as that,” says Johnathan Craddock, Director at CJS Automation. “Many plants rely on equipment that’s been in service for over a decade, sometimes longer. When an obsolete part fails, finding a replacement isn’t just about convenience; it can be the difference between meeting a customer order or losing an entire batch. Our job is to bridge that gap by giving manufacturers fast access to both legacy and modern components, backed by repair options that keep equipment running beyond the original design life.”

Supporting sustainability through refurbishment

Beyond uptime, refurbishment and repair support broader sustainability goals. Extending the life of automation components reduces waste and lowers the environmental impact associated with manufacturing new hardware. For manufacturers working toward circular-economy or net-zero commitments, maintaining equipment rather than replacing it offers clear environmental benefits alongside cost savings.

As the industry continues to evolve, many producers are choosing phased modernisation rather than complete system replacement. Supporting both old and new technologies side by side will remain essential, and suppliers like CJS Automation, who understand the nuances of legacy equipment while also keeping pace with newer automation platforms, help ensure manufacturers can modernise sustainably, without compromising productivity or food safety.