Issue_4_2017_2

show preview: anuga foodtec 15
that the six-axes robot stops when
merely touched.
Ultra sensitive bionic grippers
Cobots are designed to take on
tasks that up until now only the
highest-performance grippers were
able to master: the human hand.
The engineers at Festo have let
themselves be inspired by nature
and have developed a gripper based
on a tentacle. The Octopus Gripper
is comprised of soft silicon that can
be pneumatically controlled. As in
the role model, two rows of active
and passively regulated suction
cups are attached to the inside of
the tentacle. If the gripper is
impinged with compressed air, it
bends inwards and interlocks gently
around the respective item. The
application of such flexible grippers
is conceivable in places where a
large number of drinking bottles or
food is handled – for example in
plants where different batch sizes
have to be produced within the
shortest space of time.
Live demonstrations of robotics
Until the cobots assert themselves
big-scale, the food producers will
profit above all from the established
solutions that are on display at
Anuga FoodTec. Robot companies,
system integrators and suppliers of
gripper and sensor technologies –
they will all be flying their flags at
the Cologne fairground. But
solutions for efficient Industry 4.0
processes and smart factory
scenarios are also under focus at
the leading trade fair for the food
and beverage industry. The special
event Robotik-Pack-Line is the best
example of collaboration between
first-class technology partners from
different disciplines. Under the
motto ‘Digital Robotics’ the
automatic line with a capacity of 80
strokes a minute will take over the
complete packing process on-site –
from primary, to secondary packing,
through to the palletisation –
including an inline leakage test and
contaminant inspection. The theme
robots in the food production sector
will be addressed on the first day of
the trade fair in the Resource
Efficiency Forum (1:00 to 3:00pm).
Koelnmesse – global competence
in food and FoodTec
Koelnmesse is an international
leader in organising food fairs and
events regarding food and beverage
processing. Trade fairs such as the
Anuga, ISM and Anuga FoodTec are
established world leaders.
Koelnmesse not only organises food
trade fairs in Cologne, Germany,
but also in further growth markets
around the globe, for example, in
Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Italy,
Japan, Thailand, the United States
and the United Arab Emirates,
which have different focuses and
contents. These global activities
enable us to offer our customers a
network of events, which in turn
grant access to different markets
and thus create a basis for
sustainable and stable international
business. ■
Anuga FoodTec 2018
www.anugafoodtec.com/events
www.foodmagazine.eu.com issue four | 2017