There are plenty of elements to contemplate if you find yourself designing a palletizing cell. Even small selections that you just make throughout the design section of deployment can considerably have an effect on the efficiency of the robotic, together with the all-important cycle time.
Palletizing cell format has a really clear impression on cycle time. Inserting the elements of your cell in even a barely totally different place can add or subtract seconds off the time to finish one palletizing cycle.
With the correct palletizing cell format, you may enhance area utilization in your cell, obtain quicker cycle instances, and enhance your cell throughput.
This is how one can optimize your cell format rapidly and simply.
How palletizing cell format impacts cycle time
Palletizing cell format is the association of parts inside a robotic palletizing cell. This consists of elements like placement of the robots, conveyor place and orientation, pallet measurement, and varied different elements.
The format can considerably have an effect on the cycle time and, thus, the efficiency of your total palletizing course of. For instance, a robotic that’s positioned farther from the conveyor may take 2 seconds longer to select up a field than one that’s nearer. These 2 wasted seconds rapidly add up over the course of a piece shift – for a throughput of 12 pallets per hour, it might quantity to over 2 wasted hours per 24 hours.
When designing your cell, you additionally should make different selections. For instance, do you wish to use centralized or decentralized palletizing? Centralized palletizing includes utilizing a single robotic cell to deal with all of your palletizing duties. Decentralized palletizing includes utilizing a unique robotic for every manufacturing line. Your alternative may even have an effect on cycle instances.
There are numerous steps to design a robotic cell for palletizing. Optimizing the actions of your collaborative robotic is a robust solution to get exceptional beneficial properties from seemingly minor modifications.
7 concerns when designing a palletizing cell format
Designing a palletizing cell will be very straightforward, particularly if you happen to use a instrument like our Palletizing Configurator, which does plenty of the exhausting be just right for you.
Listed here are 7 elements that can have an effect on cycle time in your palletizing cell format:
1. Positions of robotic and conveyor
The place of the robotic and conveyors might be a very powerful consideration in any cell format.
You must place the conveyor in order that it may possibly ship the packing containers as near the robotic as potential. Usually, this implies orienting the conveyor so it reaches the pallet end-on and never horizontally.
2. Security tools or fencing
It is advisable separate human employees from palletizing robots, even when utilizing collaborative robots.
Be certain that you permit sufficient area inside your security fencing or sensor zone in order that all the pieces can match, together with leaving area for folks to enter to deal with the pallets.
3. Distances between cell parts
The distances between cell parts have a direct impression on the cycle time. Each pointless millimeter that the robotic strikes will add unproductive time to the duty.
Attempt to scale back distances as a lot as potential. Nonetheless, be certain that to go away sufficient free area that you do not enhance the prospect of collisions.
4. Peak of conveyor
The peak of the conveyor, relative to the robotic and pallet, can have an enormous impact on the cycle time.
By putting the conveyor near the midpoint between the highest and backside of the loaded pallet, you can also make the pace of every field placement extra constant. Bins within the middle of the pallet might be positioned quicker and people on the high and backside might be barely slower.
5. X-Y distances
In addition to the peak, the horizontal (or X-Y) distances can even add or take away pointless cycle time.
Say that you just add an additional labeling step to the palletizing activity. It would really feel pure to position the labeling machine additional away from the conveyor to keep away from collisions. Nonetheless, this might add additional time to every field placement. As an alternative, it’s higher to attenuate this distance.
6. Place of interlayer dispenser
If you’re utilizing interlayers between layers in your pallet, it is very important contemplate the location of the interlayer dispenser.
Usually, one of the best place for the dispenser is true behind the decide location on the conveyor.
7. Robotic resolution used
Lastly, the particular robotic resolution that you just use will strongly have an effect on the efficiency of the cell.
One issue to contemplate is how straightforward it’s so that you can edit the robotic packages. With an answer just like the Robotiq Palletizing Resolution, you may simply tweak this system if you happen to discover an inefficiency within the cell format. This lets you proceed to enhance this system and cycle time over time.
The important thing to an optimum format: decrease actions
As you may see from the checklist above, lots of the concerns that have an effect on the cycle time of your palletizing robotic come down to 1 issue: distance.
By decreasing the distances between elements in your cell, you scale back pointless actions that the robotic has to take between palletizing steps. You must attempt to decrease actions whereas avoiding collisions between the weather of the cell.
The only rule is to have the decide level as shut as potential to the drop level.
By planning forward and utilizing instruments like our Palletizing Configurator, you may be sure that the robotic strikes in probably the most environment friendly means.
The place to get extra skilled recommendation on organising your robotic
Do you want extra data on the best way to arrange your robotic palletizing system?
You may get plenty of detailed recommendation in our free eLearning programs. The course on Lean Robotics for Palletizing is a superb place to start out. In addition to educating you the fundamentals of robotic palletizing, it introduces you to typical layouts and lots of helpful tips about the best way to enhance effectivity in your palletizing course of.
What elements of your palletizing cell do you suppose are least environment friendly? Inform us within the feedback under or be part of the dialogue on LinkedIn, Twitter, Fb, or the DoF skilled robotics group.