Machinery Update September \ October 2017

24 MACHINERY UPDATE september/october 2017 www.machineryupdate.co.uk
Installation News
A fresh approach to robot type
has delivered line efficiencies
Fox’s, one of the UK’s
leading biscuit brands,
has replaced hard
working SCARA type
robots with conventional
six axis robots to overcome
efficiency issues relating to
obsolescence.
The move away from SCARA
configuration to conventional
six axis arms illustrates the
affordability and efficiency
gains offered by today’s
advanced robotic designs,
says supplier Kawasaki.
The biscuit maker’s Uttoxeter
facility first implemented
robotic handling of wrapped
biscuits, using SCARA
configuration robots in 1998.
This move reduced operators
from 34 to just 14, at the time.
OPERATOR EFFICIENCY
Designed originally for
high-speed handling and
assembly, the arms operated
at their upper efficiency
range for 80,000 hours before
a complete rebuild and a
further ten years of operation
rendered them obsolete as
they were operating at just
70% efficiency.
Out of three replacement
options proposed to Fox’s,
only Kawasaki Robotics UK
suggested a move back to
conventional six axis arms.
Through simulations, the
company was able to illustrate
that its RS-20N robots would
cost effectively match, and
exceed if required, the output
of the existing SCARA robots.
“The SCARA arms had
worked well but operating
Out of three replacement options, only Kawasaki suggested six axis robots
The Kawasaki RS-20N robot arms have met the specification cost effectively
consistently at such high
speeds, and obsolescence
of parts, took its toll on
operational efficiency,”
explains David Bill, Fox’s
maintenance manager and
project manager for the
update. “Our replacement
criteria was straight-forward;
to meet existing production
levels and to fit within the
existing work envelope,”
he continues.
“Kawasaki proved to us
that its RS-20N robot arms
could meet the specification
cost effectively and operate
well within their scope of
performance,” explains Bill.
Integration of the
replacement robots and
the updating of control and
peripheral equipment was
carried out by food and
beverage automation specialists
Visppro Limited. As an existing
supplier to Fox’s and familiar
with the production line,
Visppro was ideally suited to
ensure a smooth transition over
a two week period.
The production area
produces variety packs, each
pack comprising 4 separate
packs of biscuits, typically
Nice, Bourbon, Malted Milk
and Custard Creams.
Each robot’s job is to load
an input conveyor with packs
of one type of biscuit from a
tote bin; four conveyors, one
per biscuit type, transport the
biscuits to a collator which
feeds four packs of different
biscuits into a wrapper.
After wrapping, completed
packs pass over a metal
detector before entering
a carton erector.
“The robots are working
well within their capacity
and efficiency is already in
the high 90’s,” says Bill.
“This is a very important
product to Fox’s and several
production lines feeding it
biscuits are reliant on its
continued uptime,” he
continues. “Prior to this
installation we built up 14 days
of stock so the pressure was on
Visppro to meet the deadline.
SMOOTH INSTALLATION
Bill tells Machinery Update
that the installation came
together very well, with as
many as 17 personnel
working on their own specific
areas at any one time.
“The system was operating in
seven days and training took
part during the next seven
days with full efficiency
run-up being reached within
six weeks,” he says.
Kawasaki believes moving
from SCARA robots to
conventional six axis robots
offers considerable benefit
to Fox’s besides overcoming
the obsolescence issue.
The system is configured
so that if required, one
robot could load across
two conveyors allowing
for maintenance or any
unplanned outage.
Also, programming is now
straight-forward with revised
location functions being
enabled through the system
PLC.
T 01925 713000
W www.kawasakirobot.co.uk