AUTOMATION & ROBOTICS
During the filling process, four TX2-90 robots in Stericlean design pack up to 160 dumplings per minute.
weighs around 100 grams. After portioning, it is shaped (rolled) and conveyed to packaging. At the same time, the associated packaging line produces blister packages with cavities for four or eight dumplings. In the last step, the packs The automation experts at KRÖNING implemented a clever concept here; no contact is made with the dumplings during packaging. As owner Marcus Kröning explains, “A robot picks up the blister pack and holds it at an angle at the end of the conveyor belt so that the individual dumplings fall directly into the cavities. Depending on the type of blister pack, the robot adjusts its position four or 10 times to close the blister pack and transport it to the secondary packaging area.”
One of the great advantages of this solution is that the robot grippers do not make direct contact with the dumplings. This is good for the robots, as the dough doesn’t stick to their grippers, but it is also good for the dumplings, which the robots catch without making contact, thus avoiding any pressure marks caused by mechanical gripping processes.
160 DUMPLINGS A MINUTE, HYGIENICALLY PACKAGED
Up to 160 dumplings can be packaged per minute. Two robots work together on each
line to ensure that this process can take place continuously, i.e. with no need for a buffer zone and without delays when changing the blister on the conveyor belt heading for the sealing station, the second robot grips an empty blister It is not obvious that robots are used in such a production environment. According to Marko Wunderlich, a board member at Friweika, “Anyone who has ever made or processed potato dumplings understands that dumpling dough is extremely sticky. This is because of its high starch content; that is why we have to clean our systems frequently and extremely thoroughly so that our high hygiene standards are always met in all areas of production.”
NO CONFLICT: TOP HYGIENE STANDARDS AND ROBOTS
These requirements are so high that Friweika does not use the same cleaning agents usually found in food production to lather and then spray the robots and grippers. Instead, it uses hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which is more likely to be used in even more sensitive sterile processes in pharmaceutical production. Because H2O2 also affects surfaces, the fully VHP-resistant Stericlean TX2-90 robots, with their specially treated surfaces, are not only the right choice, but almost always the only option.
The fully encapsulated kinematics with sealed vertical cable routing and use of NSF H1-rated food-grade oil also show that these robots were developed from the ground up for hygienically demanding applications in the food and life science industries.
In addition to meeting the highest hygiene standards, KRÖNING and Friweika also made the right choice in other respects. Stäubli robots are characterised by consistently high precision and impressive dynamics. Best of all, the robots achieve their full performance even when using food-grade lubricants and do not have to be operated at reduced power.
A high level of vertical integration with their own precision gearboxes and a compact design are other favoured design features. “This was also important to us, as space in the wet area of Wunderlich.
All in all, the robot-assisted packaging line, which does not require direct contact between the robots and the potato dumplings, enables highly dynamic and precise production. In addition to guaranteeing compliance with the strictest hygiene standards, it offers increased productivity and consistent product quality from the user’s perspective.
Staubli
www.staubli.com FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS | FEBRUARY 2025 23
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