Kuka Robotics Corp. (Clinton Township, Mich.), was selected by Mecano Industrie (Quebec) to provide robots for its new bottle/container depalletizing system. The system will use the Kuka KR 180 PA 4-axis robot and proprietary end of arm tool designed by Mecano that uss Kuka servo motors to depalletize layers of bottles. The equipment is expected to reduce customer costs, increase cycle times and improve overall quality.
“Our research for an automation partner was extensive as we wanted to ensure that we chose not only the most reliable product but a company that excels in technology and customer satisfaction,” said Raymond Gingras, president of Mecano Industrie. “We believe that Kuka Robotics was the right fit for us and our customers.”
The new depalletizer system consists of a Kuka KR 180 PA robot that picks a layer of bottles or containers from a pallet and then places them row by row onto a Flex Link conveyor. The pallet when empty and the slip sheets between layers are also removed and placed on the conveyor to be removed from the cell. Depending on the layout and configuration of the bottles the cycle time of this cell can process up to and possible more than 300 bottles per minutes. The four-axis robot used in the system features an arm made of carbon fiber composite. The lighter weight in the arm keeps the inertial forces low allowing it to move quicker with higher accelerations and decelerations. The robot’s work envelope also enables it to be used in homogenous & mixed palletizing, as well as high-speed conveyor-tracking material handling applications. The robot features a 180kg payload capacity and 3200mm reach.
Source: Kuka Robotics Corp.
