Cama has been able to satisfy the unique demands of a leading pharmaceutical company that wanted to exploit a specific, specialised approach to its secondary packaging processes.
(video: Cama)
by Alessandro Rocca, Ferdinando Salaris
The food sector consumer who was satisfied yesterday by a skilful mix of cultural, nutritional, health and promotional factors in traditional stores, today finds all this on advanced eCommerce systems. And the rapidly growing online demand worldwide is answered with highly flexible systems.
The secondary packaging behind the food eCommerce cart
We are facing a complex economic phase, linked to the post-pandemic that has changed the habits in the consumption of food: we eat much more at home.
Secondary packaging for eCommerce helps the Food eCommerce entering consumer homes through the main door with market shares previously unthinkable. Variable requests arise from digital orders for which flexible production factors are needed that keep productivity high due to changing market conditions.
Industrial Meeting met Alessandro Rocca (Sales Engineering Director) of Cama Group. The Italian group has made flexibility applied to secondary packaging its winning workhorse. Cama solutions are present in different countries thanks to the branches in France, Holland, United Kingdom, USA, Australia and China to be close to food producers (and not only) from different continents.
“We apply all-round robotics” explains Alessandro Rocca. “As secondary packaging specialists in its various forms, the robot is almost always the master. We successfully apply this technology to bakery, sweets, chocolate, coffee, ice cream, dairy, packs of pet food but also for the well-being and personal care, from packaged products to the so-called naked ones“. Robotic automation improves flexibility and productivity in feeding by simplifying complex procedures such as packaging for online sales. ECommerce is based on the variable assortments of online stores.
Robot systems as an element of production flexibility
“Depending on the instructions given to our robotic systems, they can recognize defective products, their shape, colors and assortments to compose different types of packaging. If I have to store 30 types of different elements in a box, I can flexibly decide how many goods, what type they should be stored and in what order. Keep in mind that when you place an order on an eCommerce platform you give the input for a flexible request to the production “.
These selection and boxing operations are carried out through systems where safety is the primary requirement: the robot works in its protected area with the operator who carries out line control and management operations.
The robot is a traditional element in the automation of production. Today the distinction in the secondary packaging for eCommerce is between different proposals based on the speed and flexibility of the system which depends on the solutions used and very important, from the machine management software.
The robot eye for pick and place in the secondary packaging for eCommerce
Cama is a specialist in the secondary packaging and uses robotic systems for flexible solutions with high productivity. The robot is the master when making large numbers such as in baked goods, sweets, ice cream or milk-based products such as yogurts or cheeses, pet food, personal home care, frozen foods and even the naked product such as chocolate, biscuits, etc. When thousands of products are positioned randomly on the belts, intelligent robotics with vision systems perform very rapid pick and place operations.
“The robots are equipped with specific vision systems to distinguish the different kind of product, selecting them independently, preconfiguring their loading into the packaging with characteristics of qualitative as well as quantitative distinction. The vision systems integrated in our automatic systems come from the main hardware manufacturers with whom there is a close collaboration according to the Cama philosophy that deals with developing software dedicated to applications. Obviously, given that it is the food sector, Cama only uses certified materials, specific for applications in food that can also operate directly on the naked product “continues Alessandro Rocca.
By means of two vision guided Delta Triaflex robots, flowrapped biscuits are top-loaded into a multi-pockets conveyor, which takes products to the following Cama cartoning machine, loading them into cartons. Loading and feeding systems ensure no shock to the products, thus guaranteeing gentle handling and no damage to the products themselves.
(video: Cama)
How important are traceability systems, are they integrated like vision systems?
Food traceability is integrated into Cama solutions, from personal care, parapharmaceutical and food.
It is possible to print, apply and trace any bar codes and ministerial rules whose information must be managed from the customer’s database.
Today, food traceability has an increasingly important value also for future information that must also be conveyed to the end customer himself as well as to the production chain.
Sometimes the same consumer may have an interest in deepening the information on some products and here the traceability and supply of information supplied by the consumer is of fundamental importance.
Cama robotic solutions for the two-axis feeding
“We have two types of robotic systems, one based on our two-axis robots and the other on Delta robots” explains Alessandro Rocca.
“Two-axis robots are made up of two families: a medium-light size and a medium-heavy size. They are used and installed in our loading islands; their payload and the technical characteristics of allow us to implement them in the systems according to the required performances. The series with the code MN503 has lower payload and higher speed while the series with the code RB001 has higher payload and is used for heavier products “.
The flagship of Cama: the Delta Triaflex robots
“Our Delta Triaflex robots move along the three linear axes (x, y, z) with the possibility of a fourth axis which provides for the rotation of the products. Made of carbon fiber and combined with vision systems, they are very fast for light applications that can exceed one hundred strokes per minute”.
A pick and place situation: a belt with 1,000 products that scroll randomly without sorting. The battery of Delta robots with their vision system recognizes them, selects them, are picked up and sorted in the packaging with rapid and efficient times.
“This robot is used with dedicated vision systems but can also be installed on traditional automatic machines thanks to the flexibility that distinguishes them. An example is their use with more conventional secondary packaging solutions such as multi-packaging machines, cartoning machines”.
Delta robots are available in different sizes. Alessandro Rocca explains that “the smaller version traditional for us has an operating space of 100 cm in diameter around the fulcrum, or the recently developed size with the expanded operating area for a range of 150 cm. This second version was born from the customer request for solutions with a larger diameter to which we responded quickly. This version with a longer reach can serve a greater number of packages or be used for a different variation of the application with the use of a greater stroke”.
Characteristics of Delta robots and the importance of gripping heads
When requests from the market arrive, new models are implemented as in the case of large Delta robots. Going to deepen the technical details with Alessandro Rocca he explains that: “this family of robots developed by Cama use special materials such as carbon fiber as it must be very light to offer first-class performance. The design of the gripping heads for handling is strategic. The heads have been specifically designed for fast tool-free interchangeability. They can be equipped either to have a gripper or vacuum grip depending on the applications and they can handle more than 1,000 products per minute very quickly.
Cables and communication systems are integrated inside the robot arms to keep the profiles simple and clean. External systems are used only in case of particular application needs. The Delta robot system is suitable for all the frames of our machines, in the robotic islands to the packaging machines, for which the field of application is very wide“.
Maintenance and cleaning of machines with Delta robots
“While working in secondary packaging with the product that should already be always protected by films, it happens to have requests for washable machines“, continues Alessandro Rocca.
“Cama recommends avoiding robot washing, in fact they are positioned well above the products handled so the robots do not interfere with the cleaning of the machines. The only part that can come into contact with the food product is the head for handling which can be easily dismantled and cleaned. The robot itself does not need to be washed, saving time in this maintenance. In fact, it has been designed not to work in contact with the food product (it is 80-150 cm above the work surface). In all cases, if necessary, they would also be prepared for this eventuality”.
As we have said, an important strength is the rapidity of the change of the gripping head (both with vacuum and with pliers). The operator disassembles and replaces the gripping head according to the production needs without tools; the system is simple and recognizes correct positioning. In fact, by inserting the head incorrectly, the system warns the technician.
The technological partner: what solutions does Cama suggest?
“We recommend the customer the solution that offers the best productivity” explains Alessandro Rocca.
“We use the most convenient technology for the user by making a careful analysis of its application and sharing the results. In this way you can choose guided by your needs: secondary packaging with robotic application or with more traditional automation when for reasons of speed or other factors the robot can be oversized “.
“Sharing the study with the client is important. Sometimes applications are at the limit because either a robotic or a traditional solution could be used. In these cases it is essential to discuss with the customer what his concrete needs are and decide with him which technology to adopt for his future. Many times the robotic solution is preferable in view of a productivity development for the future markets. Here we understand the importance of having a technological partner rather than just a supplier”.
What will the secondary packaging for eCommerce of the future be like?
The market demands flexibility, more and more flexibility. The machine must be able to do many things and must be able to do them with a configuration and with a quick format change to produce on demand, according to the Amazon philosophy with the secondary packaging for eCommerce.
The food sector grows in double figures when we read the household consumption data. This affects frozen foods, preserved foods and all the food and drinks that arrive on our online shopping apps which now intercept an important portion of the family budget for food and drinks. The answer is robotics that reduces format change times by up to 80% and improves productivity compared to traditional solutions.
“This trend that we know well is influencing manufacturers. We already work with large food organizations that need to change production by snapping their fingers,” continues Alessandro Rocca. “We certainly cannot compare the applications for secondary packaging with those of industrial logistics, however productivity is increasingly at the center of the production processes and the responses to customer requests are ever faster and more efficient.
The customer who chooses the composition of his order can be served only by a highly flexible system that packages on request, prints labels and mandatory and accessory information. We are already working on these needs and a significant share in food consumption now passes through eCommerce. Get used to it: the food market has now taken this path and there is no going back.”
