Fanuc milks new market
24 Jun 2014
The dairy industry is embracing pick and place robots, says robotics firm.
Pick and place robots are starting to gain acceptance in dairy production environments, said industrial automation supplier, Fanuc.
Although they are already used in automatic milking sheds, the recent rise of smaller dairy snack foods and a larger number of pack variants has led to an increase in enquiries for pick and place robot handling systems, the company said.
What was once deemed a task best performed by hand can now be picked up by the more flexible robots
Fanuc regional sales manager John Rainer
“Until recently there has been an overriding belief that robotics are more suited to industries that require a higher payload rather than the more delicate nature of many dairy products, such as yogurts, fine cheeses or individual tubs of dips,” said Fanuc’s regional sales manager, John Rainer.
“What was once deemed a task best performed by hand can now be picked up by the more flexible robots on the market today.”
Inherently, product movements in the dairy industry are less complex than other food sectors, said Rainer.
“If you are moving a block of cheese or packs of yogurts, a simple application that’s easy to configure will suffice.”
He said the FANUC LR Mate 200 Series had proved a popular choice for dairy manufacturers because it was IP67 rated as standard, with an optional upgrade to IP69K to withstand harsh pressure washing.
“It is the most compact of all articulated arm robots, making it ideal for small cells and direct machine installations, which are common place in dairy environments,” he said.
