Issue_4_2017

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show preview: anuga foodtec
Anuga FoodTec 2018
In edition 1 2018, foodeurope will publish a comprehensive preview of this
important trade show. Below is a flavour of what to expect next March.
Robots in the food industry:
collaborating arms, sensitive
grippers and new safety
technologies pave the way for the
cobots.
A new generation of robots is on
the verge of making a breakthrough
in the food and beverage industry:
the cobots. Equipped with
collaborating arms, sensitive
sensors and cutting-edge safety
technology, the autonomous
lightweight robots will work hand in
hand with employees in future.
Anuga FoodTec from 20–23 March
2018 in Cologne will inform visitors
about what opportunities this
interaction between humans and
machines will bring production and
logistics, both in the form of new
products presented by the
exhibitors as well as in the event
programme. From super fast carton
packing machines with an
integrated Delta picker, through to
the articulated arm robot with a
load capacity of one tonne – the
solutions presented on-site also
offer everything needed to increase
productivity and further push
automation in the direction of
Industry 4.0. Among other things,
special ‘guided tours’ and the forum
on Resource Efficiency will also pick
up on the themes automation and
robotics.
Robots are a key component of the
fourth industrial revolution and as a
central element of automation are
indispensable today. Up until 2020,
the global stock of industry robots
will increase from around 1.8 million
pieces in the year 2016 to over
three million, with an upwards
trend – according to the latest
forecast of the International
Federation of Robotics (IFR). “The
rapidly growing offer of models
extends the fields of application for
industry robots and gives
companies of all sizes the chance to
automate their businesses flexibly,”
said IFR President Joe Gemma –
good growth prospects for an
industry that is striving to lend the
classic industry robots increasing
cognitive skills using intelligent
technologies.
Humans meet machines
Many of the companies exhibiting
at Anuga FoodTec are working on
Human/Robot Collaboration
(HRC). Here, agile lightweight
robots with up to seven axes that
can move loads of up to 15
kilogrammes are implemented. They
are less dangerous due to their low
net weight and often slower motion
sequences. The aim is for them to
relieve their human colleagues by
carrying out monotonous and
ergonomically unfavourable tasks,
ensuring no mistakes are made.
Typical fields of application are pick
and place applications, the handling
between different production steps
or follow-the-line applications,
where the robot has to precisely
carry out a predefined path of
motion, for example when cutting
and portioning meat or decorating
cakes. The challenge for food
producers particularly lies in the
optimal integration of the
mechanical assistants into the
production processes. This is made
possible by automation platforms
which unite high-precision
mechanics, sensors as well as
complex control and measuring
technology in the tightest of
spaces.
More safety thanks to sensory skin
The central distinguishing feature
between the classic encased robot
applications and the HRC is that
possible collisions are part of the
real scenario. The more intensively
humans and machines work
together, the stricter the safety
regulations. In order to meet high
demands, cobots are equipped with
complex safety packages. Torque
sensors in all axes ensure that the
robots are sensitive. In this way
they can recognise people and
obstacles in the environment and
react to them in real-time. The
cobots are additionally equipped
with capacitive, optical and tactile
sensors. If a person approaches a
robot, it will automatically reduce
its speed – right down to the safe
stop. The TX2 touch by Stäubli is
representative for this type. Here a
touch-sensitive surface ensures
www.foodmagazine.eu.com issue four | 2017