Says Roark: “A test at the Bama plant showed that it required six people for ensuring a proper visual inspection of the product ,so prior to the design phase of the project, Sigpack Systems conducted lab tests, with the actual frozen product, to review Bama’s inspection criteria, as well as to confirm the pick reliability of the gripping tool.”
After the frozen fruit pies exit the Bama freezer in rows consisting of 20 products and go through a series of belt turns, the pies enter the temperature- and humidity-controlled packaging room, where the pies are separated via spreader belts before proceeding under an overhead camera, which examines the entire product flow.
There are nine Sigpack Systems’s model Delta XR31 pick-and-place robots positioned on opposite sides of the main packaging belt—a highly efficient layout that facilitates complete pick coverage, reduces overlap and limits excess robot movement, according to Roark.
Each of the robots utilizes a custom-designed vacuum picker to gently pick and place pies into the cases, which move in a counter-flow direction to the main belt, and the system is also equipped with special filters to assist with the collection and removal of excess cinnamon dust.
Before the installation, recalls Roark, “The line speed was previously dictated by the available staff.
“Now, the robots are always ready to perform and we can maintain a more consistent line speed and production flow,” he states.
The heart of the system is the optical quality control capability enabled by specialized vision system, which acquires a detailed image of the product carpet at the beginning of the line, according to Roark.
Every single apple pie is then evaluated for acceptability, including minimum and maximum length and width tolerances, partial products, and overlapping or connected products. Moreover, the number, shape and position of the slits in the surface of the pies are also checked meticulously, as well as the quality of the topping, with the positions of all acceptable products instantly communicated to every robot on the line.
Each robot then detects the exact position of the good products with its own vision system and picks the best product for the cycle.
According to Roark, some of the key advantages of this centralized quality control process—compared to having an individual control in each robot cell—include more reliable operation through easier calibration and safer traceability of any bad or defected products.
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