DIGITAL TWIN TECHNOLOGY
Continuous Processing Systems
The at times narrow cavities of the trays call for the utmost precision.
This is exactly what we were aiming for: lean production, minimal changeover and no damage to the pralines”
Top performance thanks to a cutting-edge packaging line
What takes place between the infeed and outfeed demonstrates Schubert’s packaging line expertise at its best. The line, delivered in July 2024, fully leverages the company’s strengths in pick & place with six agile four-axis robots and the corresponding vision system – as well as a sophisticated solution for feeding and separating the chocolates. Each product feed conveyor belt has a so-called spreading rake to separate the chocolates. The rakes are, so to speak, the image processing system’s right hand. Scanners can only accurately detect as such. The chocolates, which are placed on the conveyor belts manually, therefore have to be spaced at minimum distances; the spreading rakes ensure that this is the case. Behind the easy-to-clean devices, the work involves nothing but picking, picking and more picking. Each F4 robot quickly picks up both wrapped and unwrapped chocolates from two feeding channels and places them precisely into the designated tray cavities. The robots detect the rotational position of the products in fractions of a second and place them precisely where they belong. “Robots offer a decisive advantage. They can be equipped with quick- change suction and gripper tools, enabling them to pick up and set down different chocolates quickly, reliably and, above all, gently – more precisely than any human,” says Raphael Paczulla, Project Manager at Schubert.
28 Kennedy’s Confection April 2025 Tool changing at its easiest
The tools are designed so that two different types of pralines can be picked up with a single one. As a result, Toms rarely has to change the tools. If there is no way around it, line operators can switch to another suitable tool within a few minutes. “Together with Toms, we looked at the chocolates, tested different picking processes and determined which product types we could pick together,” reports Lukas Hug, Sales Representative at Schubert.
“The design engineers from Crailsheim know from experience which tools they can use for which application – and were for Toms.” The result for the chocolate manufacturer is a thoroughly tried & tested packaging line. However, another Schubert innovation plays into the robots’ hands as well. The chain conveyor is equipped with special through the packaging line from below, via the cavities. This ensures that the trays prerequisite for precisely positioning the chocolates. After all, the robots don’t have much leeway: the narrow cavities only allow for minimal tolerances. This makes it all the more important that the trays are With this much innovation, an expert introduction is a must: Schubert’s service technicians trained the operating personnel on site – in the national language, of plan and Schubert’s expertise, the team was able to operate the packaging line quickly, Cichuta. Since mid-October 2024, Toms has been successfully packaging its exquisite pralines using Schubert robots. “This is exactly what we were aiming for: lean production, minimal changeover and no damage to the pralines,” he sums up. All the chocolates have their place in the premium box – and sweet-tooths can indulge to their heart’s content.
Six F4 robots pick up the pralines from two feed belts and place them into trays.
KennedysConfection.com
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