Stop Worrying and Learn to Love Your Cobots, Really!
George Guidoni
Of all the innovative technologies to have impacted the packaging industry in a meaningful, positive way this century, collaborative robots (cobots) deserve a very special place and mention in any such discussion.
Invented in 1996 by Edward Colgate and Michael Pershkin, the cobots’ quick rise from a geeky curiosity and niche to a common feature on packaging lines and manufacturing operations all over the world is a remarkable testament to the powers of human technical endeavour and imagination.
Being installed worldwide at a rate of over 22,000 units per year, cobots are making life easier for countless enterprises, large and small, by automating many parts of their processes to boost productivity and process efficiencies.
Offering a highly attractive package of affordability and operator-friendliness, coupled with mechanical and digital wizardry, it is almost daunting to think what these machines will be capable in the near future as the much-hyped A.I. (artificial intelligence) begins its anticipated journey to global transformation of existing manufacturing processes.
In fact, it’s happening already.
As noted in a recent market report by the U.K.-based GlobalData, “Assisted by A.I., cobots are extremely versatile in comparison to traditional manufacturing robotic solutions.
“One example is the palletization process, where a cobot can stack boxes directly from the production line onto a pallet ready for being moved by a human, but with advanced sensor technology to prevent contact with anyone in the production hall.”
In another example, the report cites Ice Bakers, a Danish producer of plant-based ice cream, using an Omron cobot to support its end-of-line packaging process with great aplomb, reaping rewards of an 80 per cent improvement in overall line capacity.
On a grander scale, GlobalData cites the ongoing integration of cobots into the production processes of noted packaging stalwarts such as Tetra Pak and Sealed Air, no strangers to the readers of this magazine.
As GlobalData reveals, Tetra Pak is developing machinery to work in tandem with their own packaging systems, which not only simplifies the integration of cobots in the manufacturing process, but actually adds real value to the packaging applications they provide for the food and beverage industry.
A key development here is Tetra Pak’s integrated data-collection system called the ‘Data Gateway,’ which can be retrofitted to older machinery, to feed data into their Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) analytics platform to help monitor and manage factory operations.
For its part, Sealed Air is working in partnership with San Francisco robotics firm OSARO to explore the new production capabilities offered by automated cobot solutions.
“Cobots offer companies more capability and control in the manufacturing process with less downtime and a reduced reliance on human intervention,” says George Higgins, packaging consultant for consumer custom solutions at GlobalData. “This leads to greater productivity and the opportunity to grow market share with packaging innovation produced on more efficient production lines at a lower cost.”
According to Higgins, the growth of digitization in food and beverage production processes has enabled cobots to offer new manufacturing capabilities with the automation of many previously difficult-to-automate processes—a trend that will only accelerate exponentially with the advent of A.I.
As Higgins point out, “Cobots offer companies more capability and control in the manufacturing process, with less downtime and a reduced reliance on human intervention.
“Savvy packaging companies that can upskill existing staff to learn how to use the software that controls robot automation will become leaders in the industry.” And deserving so, we’d like to think.
Happy New Year!
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