DS-MAY24-PG30+31_Layout 1 16/05/2024 13:26 Page 1
FEATURE MOTION CONTROL
By moving away from manual processing and adopting SCARA robots coordinated by a Trio Flex-X Nano
motion controller, a nut processing plant has improved quality, efficiency and accuracy. Here we find out how
COORDINATING THE MOTION OF NUT SORTING ROBOTS
W
ith an employment rate of around 96.3% in the U.S., the effects of the Great Resignation are still being felt
across various American industries, including food processing. In this sector, the demand for workers is high, with an average annual workforce growth reported as high as 27% between 2014 and 2021. Take nut sorting as one
example. This is a labour intensive process, so with demand for workers high, one processing plant has turned to robotics. As well as freeing up the workforce this has helped improve process quality.
GREATER THROUGHPUT Hosting 50 pairs of Trio SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm) robots, the new nut sorting conveyor at the large processing facility is handling a much greater throughput than a traditional manual line. Operating 24/7, the robot system has presented double digit percentage growth in productivity and is freeing up the need for tens of workers across several rotating shift patterns. In addition, the use of robotics has the potential to improve working conditions.
30 DESIGN SOLUTIONS MAY 2024 At the plant, baked or shelled nuts are fed
onto a conveyor, where operatives positioned along the line look for, and then remove, sub- quality produce. The conveyor is constantly moving for relatively long periods, while workers have to focus their eyes and repeatedly pick defective nuts. Defining a defective item can be subjective from person to person, and so can the ability to spot an unwanted nut, so consistency can vary. To ensure productivity, the conveyor is relatively fast moving, so the manual process also has to be completed at speed, balancing throughput with accuracy.
IMPROVING QUALITY The new SCARA conveyor is in addition to the existing manual lines and has increased capacity at the facility. In the future, however, replacing the manual lines with SCARA automation can enable workforce redeployment into less physically taxing – and more cognitively involved – tasks. Automating nut processing is also improving
product quality and consistency. But, substituting humans for robots on the nut sorting line requires seamless integration within the automated system, combined with high robotic motion coordination. First, the robot has to spot a defective nut, then it has to be able
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