Robotic Applications in the Packaging Industry

Technology is taking new levels all over the world because of automation. There is even worry that automation will replace human labor in the coming years. This, however, could be further from the truth because an increase in automation does not mean that the machines will not need humans to monitor and work alongside them, one of the newest trends in the use of robots in packaging industries.

Many packaging industries are turning to robots because compared to humans, they come with more benefits and an increase in returns of investment. Their work is consistent, they are faster and free of errors that are inevitable when humans take on the same tasks. To keep humans working, many companies are now integrating robots into their businesses because they are easier to work alongside humans.

Why choose robots over human labor in the packaging industries?

Integrating robots into packaging processes reduces risk in the industry. The robots take on the hazardous tasks leaving humans to tackle the less risky tasks. The same robots can also work in other processes that go with packagings such as shipping and palletizing processes. Palletizing robots and high-speed packaging robots are able to meet the needs of all the customers, retailers and distributors much faster than humans do.

The robots achieve daily company targets on time with precision and efficiency. They reduce many costs at the workplace ranging from labor, medical and other overheads because the downtimes go down when using robots instead of humans. The other reasons why the packaging, shipping, loading, and palletizing processes seamlessly integrate into the system are as follows.

·        Accuracy

Some of the processes in the packaging industry are hard and require extreme precision and accuracy, this is in the case of picking and placing small items that need slim tools or arms to reach and place them accurately. Humans working with their hands cannot reach some of these items because they are either too small or they cannot hold a firm grip on them.

Even when they use tools to pick and place them, chances are they may drop them or fail to hold a firm grip due to arm movements, using robots, on the other hand, is easier because they come with slim arms and a wide reach. The arms have high precision capabilities that are ideal for the packaging industry and especially in picking and placing.

·        Flexibility

Flexibility is one of the major robot applications that allow the company to run many of its processes seamlessly. You can turn a packaging robot into a palletizing robot with just a touch of a button. One robot in the industry can do the packaging, palletizing, loading, offloading and more.

The flexibility of the robots ensures that your customers, especially those that demand to have customized goods get what they want in perfect condition. Robots’ flexibility, irrespective of what processes they take on, does not deter their speed and they will work on every process without sacrificing anything.

·        Consistency

For seamless packaging procedures, you need to ensure that there is consistency. Using robots for the processes improves the quality of the products and the cycle times. This is because robots have programs, sensors, and software that regulate all their movements thus standardizing everything they do. This, in turn, makes then consistent and highly reliable.

Wrapping it up

For any company to keep up with completion and see an increase in their production, they need to put more emphasis on accuracy, speed, quality, and precision of their procedures. The demand for packaging robots and cobots from robot manufacturing companies such as Universal Robots is on the rise because of their capabilities.

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The multi-tasking robots will not only pack but they will carry out other processes such as palletizing, loading, shipping and more without the need to purchase more automation machines this trend is catching up with less developed countries as well because every industry wants to keep up with the demands in the market.