FANUC to show food-grade automation at PACK EXPO

FANUC America today said it will demonstrate its food-grade robotics and automation at PACK EXPO next week.

“FANUC continues to lead the industry in developing food-grade cobot and robot solutions that meet the highest standards for hygiene, reliability, and performance,” stated Eric Potter, general manager for robot application engineering at FANUC America. “Our technologies help food manufacturers automate safely and efficiently to overcome labor challenges, boost productivity, and maintain consistent quality in demanding environments.”

The company said each of its PACK EXPO demonstrations highlights its commitment to sanitation and safety without compromising performance. Its booth will feature products equipped with:

• NSF-H1 certified food-grade grease for internal mechanical components
• IP69K-rated protection against water and dust ingress
• Hygienic washdown-capable designs for cleaning and sanitation procedures
• Advanced vision-guided automation that enables robots to detect, track, and respond to variable product positions

From food-grade collaborative robots handling chocolate chip cookies and palletizing boxes to robots slicing brownies and packing sausages, FANUC said its diverse lineup is designed to automate both primary and secondary food-handling tasks.

FANUC plans chocolate chip cookie demo at PACK EXPO

At the show, dual CRX-20iA/L will be at work baking chocolate chip cookies. A CRX-20iA/L mounted with 3DV/400 vision will load cookies onto a conveyor belt where the sweet treats will pass through a simulated oven.

A second CRX-20iA/L equipped with a robot-mounted 3DV/200 will then use conveyor tracking to catch the baked cookies as they come off the conveyor belt, and place them on a tray. It will then put the full tray onto a cart that has been located using FANUC iRVision One Marker Offset.

Designed for food environments, the cobots use NSF-H1 food-safe grease for component lubrication, white epoxy coating for visibility and cleanliness, and are IP67-rated to ensure hygienic handling and reduce manual labor in bakery operations.

In addition, FANUC said the CRX-30iA, its largest food-grade cobot, will build two pallet stacks using the PalletTool 3 software designed to simplify and accelerate robotic palletizing setup and operation. A Multi-Case Gripper end-of-arm tool (EOAT) can dramatically increase throughput, the company claimed.

Suitable for secondary packaging, the system supports safe and scalable palletizing in food production, according to FANUC.

See FANUC cobots pick, pack, and palletize

In an all-new cell, a washdown-capable LR Mate robot with stainless steel wrist flanges and NSF-H1 grease will pick bags of frozen meatballs from a moving conveyor and places them into a case. The system uses an iRVision 3DV/400 camera and iRPickTool – an advanced line tracking software that enables FANUC robots to perform high-speed pick-and-place operations. This can be useful for cold chain and frozen food packaging, it said.

Also, to highlight the advanced capabilities of FANUC’s new R-50iA controller, two FANUC LR Mate industrial robots will perform bin picking and palletizing at PACK EXPO.

The compact LR Mate/7-7D robot with FANUC’s 3DV/400 vision camera will pick jumbled boxes from a container onto a conveyor. This robot runs Python code natively on its paired FANUC controller.

The second robot, an LR Mate/7-9D long arm unit with a 3DV/400 camera and PalletTool 3, will identify the size of the box on the conveyor and palletize it onto the appropriate pallet.

This controller includes new cybersecurity protocols, including MQTT TLS. It also features an LDAPS server for user access control, as well as Software PLC capability for cell control and human-machine interface (HMI) functionality.

FANUC plans to exhibit its new Teach Pendant with lighter weight and enhanced performance.

More food handling demos from FANUC

FANUC’s DR-3iB/6 Stainless and SR-12iA/C robots will pack sausage products in Las Vegas. This demonstration will include the DR-3iB/6 Stainless IP69K-rated delta robot and a food-grade SR-12iA/C SCARA robot placing sausage links in packages.

Driven by USDA and FDA sanitation standards, the system uses vacuum grippers and FANUC’s iRPickTool for accurate placement in high-pressure washdown environments.

In another cell, a food-grade SCARA robot guided by iRVision 3DV/400 cameras will equipped with a dynamic end effector to pick brownies from a conveyor and place them into cutting fixtures. An ultrasonic knife will performs clean and consistent cuts on the brownies.

Designed for ready-to-eat bakery environments, this system meets sanitation needs for high-precision dessert handling, FANUC said.

Additionally, FANUC’s M-710/50-26D Food Option robot with food-grade grease will show a robust palletizing and depalletizing option using FANUC’s PalletTool 3 and Dual Check Safety software packages.

The robot will pick and place a pallet from a dispenser, then pick crates of packaged tortillas from two conveyors and stack them onto the pallet. Once the pallet is full, the robot can reverse the process, returning the crates to the conveyors and the pallet to its dispenser.

Combined with Dual Check Safety software, the robot’s curved J2 arm allows it to work close to obstacles in the cell, creating a compact end-of-line palletizing system without compromising robot speed, reach, or payload, asserted FANUC.

FANUC to provide hands-on experience at PACK EXPO

In an all-new static display, FANUC’s heavy-duty M-410/800F-32C robot with a modular layer gripper will prove its ability to handle large payloads in high-volume operations.

“With an 800 kg [176.3 lb.] payload capacity, no job in food logistics is too big for the M-410/800F-32C,” FANUC said.

Attendees can also explore FANUC’s latest palletizing software through a hands-on kiosk. Using ROBOGUIDE simulation and a Tablet Teach Pendant, users can create unit loads and test features like the Custom Pattern Editor software and Multi-Case Gripper.

“With quick and easy setup combined with unmatched capability and scalability, PalletTool 3 streamlines palletizing in food and beverage environments,” the company claimed. FANUC will be in Booth W-3408 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.