The new robot-palletizer installed at SGD Kipfenberg GmbH in Germany, the leading specialist for pharmaceutic hollow glass, combines great capacity increase and highest flexibility with a compact design. This new MSK system has been fitted with an efficient “control center” by the manufacturer of packaging machines.
New demands in production
When producing pharmaceutic hollow glass at the plant in Kipfenberg, both clean packs – according to different packaging patterns – and whole layers of bottles are handled and packed onto pallets. There were certain demands which the new palletizing machine had to satisfy: a clear increase in capacity with simultaneous, highly efficient job change. Furthermore, the use up until that point of a different palletizing robot for clean packs and that of a traditional glass palletizer for loose bottles was to be replaced by a more efficient and space saving universal solution for economic reasons.
High flexibility thanks to robot-palletizer
MSK’s robot-palletizing-system is a real all-rounder. It is fitted with three different heads which can be exchanged extremely fast and comfortably with a unique changing device during job change. This way, the robot is able to palletize clean packs according to different packaging patterns, while it can also pick up different bottle types with a suction plate or with tubes which grip the bottles alternatively. In addition, the robot can put up cardbox trays and plastic plates as interlayers. “Thanks to this new solution, the effort during job change has been decreased and double the packaging capacity could be achieved. The reliability is more than 99%, which means it is highly efficient”, says Michael Bouwmann, Key Account Manager for glass at MSK.
A minimum of space
The palletizing robot offers highest flexibility in a minimum of space. “We have even been able to deal with the confined space towards the ceiling at our plant in Kipfenberg due to the robot’s fine programming technology”, Michael Bouwmann explains. Since the robot features integrated supplementary functions such as the application of interlayers, additional modules are not necessary and consequently, machine equipment and its associated space requirement could be reduced for the cold end. “MSK has come up with competent and reliable project engineering”, says Rainer Becker, Technical Director at SGD Kipfenberg GmbH. “The compact design of the machine and the possibility of handling all the customers’ packaging demands with flexibility in the future tipped the scales for the new palletizing system”.
Complete solution
Apart from the new palletizing robot, MSK has also delivered a centering frame with film sheet applicator used to equip pallets with bottom sheets and loose bottles with interlayers. The cardboard trays are prepared by an MSK Traytech and are then applied by the robot. All of these MSK modules are easily controlled via MSK EMSY, the centrally integrated visualization software.