Robotic Case Packing Machine
Project summary
MWES provided this firm with a robotic case-packing machine that would pack various sizes of bags of pet food into cases.
The Challenge
Packing cases of products is an arduous task that requires immense attention to detail by the case packing workers. Moreover, acquiring and retaining enough workers to work on a packing line is a challenge in itself. For those reasons, a pet food manufacturer contracted MWES to create an automated case-packing machine that could handle bags of pet food as small as 3.25 oz and as large as 25 oz. Additionally, the machine had to accommodate different size cases that correlate to the individual bag sizes.
The Solution
MWES built for our customer a fully automated case packing system that would receive bags of products from an infeed conveyor and two robots pick and place the bags into cases on an empty case conveyor. The cases would arrive in the machine partially pre-constructed and it could accommodate different size boxes. The machine requires a single operator to minimally supervise as it runs.
The machine accepts the bags of pet food via the infeed pouch conveyor and the bags are justified on the width of the conveyor. Once justified, the bags pass by a photo-eye sensor that determines the bag’s position on the conveyor. As the bags enter the machine, empty cases enter the machine via a second conveyor and are brought to the outfeed conveyor metering station where they are metered into the outfeed conveyor.
Next, the robots track the bags and, with a vacuum cup end-of-arm tool (EOAT), pick up the bags individually. Any bags not picked by one of the two robots will exit the conveyor and drop into a tote. Once the robot has picked a bag it will place it inside an open case following a specified stack pattern to maximize the capacity of the case. It continues to place bags into the case until it’s full which depending on the bag size is 4 to 12 bags. Full cases exit the machine on an outfeed conveyor where they are taped and processed for distribution.
Impact to the Customer
The case packing machine that MWES provided our customer is designed to accommodate eight bag sizes and case configurations. This machine allowed this business to redirect workers to other more meaningful tasks and kept their production throughput consistent.
Midwest Engineered Systems has a wide range of experience in building case-packing machines for a wide range of industries. If you’re looking to improve your material handling throughput, we have the knowledge and experience to make the project a success.
Contact us to learn how Midwest Engineered Systems can automate even your most complex and challenging operations today!
Innovation Through Automation
Client Details
A globally recognized pet food manufacturer based in Wisconsin.