FEATURE Robotics


The FANUC palletising robot (right) and packing line (left) at Gü The FANUC M-410iC/185 high payload, high-speed, 4-axis palletising robot at Dale Farm Foods (below)


producer, Dale Farm Foods, to install a new cooling and palletising line at its cheddar processing facility in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, it knew that FANUC robots would need to be at the heart of the solution. “The weight of the cheese blocks was the biggest issue for us,” explained John Power, Managing Director of Power Food Technology. “The cheese arrives in 20kg blocks. Each layer comprises 10 blocks, and   lot of cheddar!”


Other than weight, the new palletising cell would also need to manage two product  example, low-fat, mild, mature or extra mature  system into the cell, so it was also essential that the solution had full traceability,” said Power. “Not only that, but the client wanted to increase palletising capability at the site from 9.5 tonnes per hour to 15.5.” The FANUC M-410iC/185 high payload, high-speed, 4-axis palletising robot with


a 3m reach was the perfect choice for this demanding application. Equipped with a hollow wrist to minimise cable snagging and  custom mechanical gripper made by Power Food Technology to handle lifting the heavy cheese blocks with ease. This has solved one  headaches.


“The issue with palletising cheese blocks  very repetitive work,” outlined Power. “Lifting and dropping down from height is a   of task, and retention is just as big a problem.


If that person ends up becoming injured due to the heavy, repetitive nature of the work, it’s just compounding it further.”


Power continued: “Cheese is a product that


really lends itself to automation, as automation   for 20hrs/day, followed by a cleaning cycle, for 355 days/year. By leaving the robot to do the repetitive, heavy, potentially dangerous jobs such as palletising, food producers such as Dale Farm Foods can divert their employees to carry out more value-added tasks.”


FANUC UK www.fanuc.eu/uk/en


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