Machinery Update | November / December 2020

16 MACHINERY UPDATE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 www.machineryupdate.co.uk
New Machinery
Gripping tricky
foods with ease
Leasing contracts
give robotic gains
Anew smaller
size of its
soft gripping
tool has been
developed by Piab
for the food and
chocolate sectors.
The vacuum-based
soft gripper will
grip sensitive and
lightweight objects of
odd geometries and/or
an unusual surface.
piSOFTGRIP has
three gripping fingers
and a sealed vacuum
cavity, all made in one piece,
which results in a robust, yet
simple product. In operation,
the gripping force is easily
adjusted and controlled by
the applied vacuum level.
Manufactured in detectable
silicone approved for direct
contact with food, the
gripper allows the chocolate
industry to extend its
food handling to include
a wider range of products.
For instance, delicate food
items and chocolate pralines
can be handled without
risk of crushing or spoilage.
Several tools
can be placed
in rows or in
other types of
grid layouts
Wash-down fitting options
as well as a sealed vacuum
cavity makes it easy to clean
and keep functioning in these
challenging environments,
explains the company.
The soft gripping tool has
been designed to be as easy
to control and install as a
suction cup. It can be used in
multimode applications by
placing several piSOFTGRIP’s
in rows or in other grid
structures to support various
picking patterns.
T 01509 857010
W www.piab.com
To minimise
the outlay
costs and
level the playing
field for companies
of all sizes,
Omron Industrial
Automation has
developed a range
of new leasing
options. These are
designed to make life easier
for manufacturers that want
to develop their own fleets of
mobile robots or collaborative
robots (cobots) but who need
to keep their initial capital
investment costs low.
The cashflow flexibility
that the new leasing options
provide is an important
consideration in these days
of economic and business
uncertainty.
To help companies to decide
on the best leasing solution for
their particular needs, Omron
has developed useful leasing
calculators for both mobile
robots and cobots which can
be accessed from the relevant
page on the company’s
website. This tool enables a
The lease service takes away any financial burdens
manufacturer to gain a quick
idea of the monthly costs
of leasing according to the
number of robots required
and the length of the leasing
period in question.
“Our leasing solutions
enable companies to acquire
our latest technologies, so that
they can continue to maintain
a competitive edge and increase
their return on investment,”
says Dan Rossek, regional
marketing manager at Omron
Industrial Automation Europe.
“The complete lease service
package takes away much of
the initial financial burden
and enables them to focus on
their core business activities.”
T 01908 258258
W www.industrial.omron.co.uk
A new form, fill and seal pouch machine is
a speedy to set up, change and operate unit
Penn Packaging is now
offering SN Maschinenbau’s
new FM E 50 form, fill and
seal pouch machine that
has been designed as a plug
and play option for users.
From delivery, positioning,
installation and first pouch
commissioning, this sequence
can be performed within
just 30 minutes.
The FM E 50 is available for
a pouch range from 50 - 170 x
70 - 210 mm which can be
produced from the compact
footprint unit that measures
just 3,700 x 1,180 mm. Suitable
for dry products and powders,
the machine can produce
up to 80 pouches per minute.
EASY TO OPERATE UNIT
This easy to operate pouch
machine system provides
reliable form, fill and seal
pouch production with a quick
format change, from sachet to
sachet within 15 minutes, and
from sachet to stand-up-pouch
in approximately 30 minutes.
To ensure fast changeovers,
most components have been
fitted with quick release
handles that can be operated
without the use of tools.
This includes the side sealing/
cooling beams, bottom sealing
beams and also the central
carousel segments.
Basic machine features
include a knife design akin
to more advanced pouch
machine systems and
a de-centralised control
structure for all servo motion
drives.
T 01473 893990
W www.penn-packaging.co.uk
Extra options such as gas flushing or
zipper insertion can also be offered