Efficient bottle unscrambling with Codian Robots allows high flexibility for the most demanding needs.
Packfeeder has developed the pickFeeder series, a complete range of automatic robotic bottle unscramblers for the packaging industry. These systems are able to sort any kind of shape, material and colour without virtually needing any kind of interaction between the machine and the line operators. This is due to the fact that the format parts usually required for each and every different bottle are no longer needed, providing an automatic changeover function. Such new system defines a new production concept using eXtended Transport System (XTS) from Beckhoff and the innovative robot solutions by Codian Robotics, which enables a unique technology that solves the most stringent requirements.
Located in Barcelona, Packfeeder is a company specialized in bottle unscrambling and orienting systems, providing solutions to the packaging industry all over the globe and with presence in more than 30 countries. These systems are commonly used in the filling lines of companies from the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, personal care, food, home care and chemical sectors among others. Nowadays Packfeeder is leading a revolution within the packaging machinery field through the combination of its broad experience in the ground and the integration of the best available technology.
Optimal use of integrated systems to define a new and efficient production process.
The pickFeeder bottle unscrambler is configurable with 1, 2, 3 or even 4 Codian Robotics delta robots depending on the output requirements, so it presents a wide range of applications and possibilities thanks to the process and bottles flow through the machine. The combination of 4-axes delta robots with an intelligent track system makes the pickFeeder the most versatile machine with automatic changeover of the market, optimizing the performance of every system and guaranteeing the best soft transfer to the outfeed conveyor in the world.
In such new process, the main novelty lies in the separation of the bottles horizontal pick up from their transfer to the outlet conveyor in vertical position, carried out by the XTS carrousel. Existing technologies for bottles sorting were performing both activities with the Codian robots. However, thanks to this separation, in the Packfeeder solution the Codian delta robots can keep themselves concentrated only in the bottles picking, therefore their capabilities in terms of speed, size and cost are maximized. Meanwhile, the transport system is in charge of receiving such bottles and delivering them to the conveyor in vertical position and with a precise speed synchronisation, what avoids falls and misplacement of the bottles.
Technological achievements for bottles handling
Although increasing the production speed of each robot to highest possible was itself an important goal of the project, the main objective was to provide an automatic format changeover to our customers. The daily reality of our partners and customers is asking for maximum flexibility on their machinery and lines to face endless geometries, colours, materials, textures, finishing… of the bottles. For that reason, we need to give fast and effective answer to the everyday more demanding requirements from their marketing and product development departments.
Today, after having successfully installed different equipment of the pickFeeder series, it can be said that the such revolutionary bottle unscramblers are meeting the expectations and demands demanded by customers. And even more, these machines are offering the best ratio between bottles per minute delivered and the area needed for such purpose, what makes them the most efficient of the market in terms of speed and space optimization.
At the end the result of this improved process brought even better results than expected: the smaller model with only one robot, the pickFeeder SINGLE100, is able to achieve a production of more 120 bottles per minute, really far from the applications on the market, that hardly arrive to 70-80 bottles per minute with one robotic head.
