Robotic Feeding Vision Picker

Until now, the machines from Theegarten-Pactec had to work with counter-moulds for robot feeding. Due to the manufacturing process, there is a fixed number of products in the counter-moulds, which are inserted into the feed chain of the packaging machine by a robot using a multiple tool. This process is particularly suitable for high output quantities (approx. 1,000 products per minute per packaging machine) when rarely changing product formats. The complex counter-mould transport system can thus be linked to the production line and run fully automatically with the packaging systems. However, if medium output quantities (400 – 600 products per minute per packaging machine) with frequently changing product geometries are produced, robot systems with counter mould handling are generally too complex in terms of format changeover, require too much floor space and generate high investment.

Thanks to the new development “Vision Picker”, time-consuming counter mould handling during the packaging process is no longer necessary. The products are transferred directly from the production line to the feed belt of the robot system. Alternatively, it is also possible to manually feed the products onto the manual feed belt. In both cases, a defined alignment of the product stream in front of the robot is not necessary. By means of an integrated image processing system, individual products are detected in the disordered product stream. Each product is individually sucked up by the robot and placed in the feed chain of the packaging machine, already correctly positioned, to be safely and reliably wrapped as usual. The advantages of the new development are obvious: thanks to the “Vision Picker,” also different product formats can be wrapped even more flexibly and thus faster and more economically.