At one of the largest fish processing companies, trays of fish are packed on six lines into plastic crates and open cardboard trays. These are then stacked on top of each other and transported to a refrigerated room, where they are stacked manually. However, this process is labour-intensive and ergonomically burdensome. Therefore, the need arose to automate this process.
Challenges in palletising fish crates
A major challenge in automating this process was the limited space available. Traditional robots or individual layer palletisers could not be used due to lack of space. In addition, the investment had to be repayable quickly. So the company had to look for a solution that was both space-saving and cost-effective.
Solution for stacking crates of fish
After a thorough search, we ended up with Spider gantry robots. The advantage of our palletiser is that all moving parts are located above the working area, which allowed a design that fitted within the limited space. Moreover, one robot could stack two lines simultaneously, which reduced investment costs and made the project feasible.
Implementation of our Spider portal robot
After destacking the right amount of boxes from the source pallets, they were fed to a second Spider gantry robot. This robot automatically stacked the supplied boxes on a target pallet. The compact design of the gantry robot made it possible to implement an efficient solution even in the limited factory space.
Benefits of food palletising automation
The full crates and open cardboard trays are fed to the Spider gantry robots via a central track. Each time, the robots take a quantity of crates or trays and stack them on pallets. The supply and removal of empty and full pallets was also automated. An empty pallet unstacker unstacks the empty pallets one by one, after which they are supplied to the various stacking positions via a transfer trolley. As soon as a pallet is fully stacked, it is automatically transported to a central pallet wrapping line via the same transfer car.
Higher productivity in limited space
This case study shows that by deploying Spider gantry robots, it is possible to automate the stacking process in very confined spaces. The introduction of these robots led to a significant reduction in the physical strain on workers while also increasing productivity.
Moreover, the automation of the palletising process has ensured consistency in the quality of the stacks. Whereas manual palletising could lead to unstable pallet loads, the precision of the robots ensures that each pallet is perfectly stacked. This has not only improved safety during transport and storage, but also increased overall customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
Automating the palletising process with Spider gantry robots provides an effective solution where space is limited. By deploying this technology, the fish processing company has realised a significant improvement in efficiency and working conditions. This project also highlights the potential of innovative robotics to automate traditional manual processes and help companies stay competitive in an increasingly demanding market.