Technical article

Safety and reliability at the end of the production process

End-of-line automation: Modular cooperation ensures 100% availability.

Automating the end-of-line area increases the profitability of manufacturing companies and solves staffing problems. Smaller companies in particular, though, need flexible solutions – for example, when different goods are produced or human intervention is needed from time to time. The Bizerba end-of-line solution meets these requirements. It is open, flexible and scalable and allows full control of the production process. High-quality Bizerba components ensure reliability and low operating costs.

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Safety and reliability at the end of the production process

ccepting goods, checking them, labeling them, and packaging them in boxes: In many small to medium-sized manufacturing companies, several of these work steps are performed by the person at the end of the production line. In recent years, however, companies have increasingly suffered from staff shortages. A major challenge that companies have been facing is the ability to provide planned quantities of goods, in tested quality and perfectly packaged in time for transport.

Full control of the production line at all times – despite automation

The Bizerba end-of-line solution is the answer to these problems. It is open, flexible and scalable, allowing full control of the production process and ensuring a reliable delivery of products. Because the solution offers an open environment, humans can intervene at any time, to take on some of the tasks themselves, or work alongside the robotic system. Plus, Bizerba end-of-line solutions are flexible, for the degree of automation can be adjusted to the specific process and the variety of products. Depending on requirements and the situation, the modular cooperation concept can be either fully automated, semi-automatic, or operated manually. The solutions are scalable for production capacities of up to 100 packs per minute (ppm).

Dissolving and merging: the automation of two core processes

What is a cobot?

A cobot (short for "collaborative robot") is an industrial robot that works in close proximity to – and with – people. To avoid injuring their human "colleagues", cobots have sensors that automatically switch them off when they come into contact with obstacles. This means that no safeguarding devices are needed to keep humans and the cobot separated during the production process.

The product handling components of the Bizerba end-of-line solution automate two key processes relating to product flows in the packaging area: the taking of product samples and the single-aisle processing of packaged goods – for example for weighing and labeling – and the merging of goods from mono product flows, and then packaging them in conveying units such as boxes or cartons. The solution adds every desired component to a production line, from a checkweigher to an X-ray inspection system, from a price labeler to a camera inspection system, a weigh price labeler, and also a cobot-based (collaborative robot) case-packing unit for crate or carton handling. In order to find the best possible and most economical solution for a company, we examine the entire production process, consult with the customer in detail, and work towards developing a fully customized end-of-line solution.

High-quality components, service and maintenance from a single source

Because the complete line of the end-of-line solution consists of products from Bizerba and selected partners, the highest levels of reliability and quality are ensured. Services and spare parts are supplied by a single source, keeping operating and maintenance costs low. Thorough quality testing of the products is also ensured, for Bizerba has an extensive portfolio in the field of inspection systems, from checkweighers to metal detectors, plus ultra-modern X-ray and camera inspection systems.

Despite being high-tech, Bizerba end-of-line solutions are user-friendly. After training and a certain amount of familiarization, customers can adjust the system to new packing processes on their own, without requiring programming support. This reduces dependency on external assistance.

Smart monitoring and recording of production processes with BRAIN2

Full transparency on performance is offered with the BRAIN2 Bizerba industry software package that can be combined with the end-of-line solution. By running automatic audits, recording the quality and performance of the production, it makes the entire process transparent. The results are visualized on a dashboard, providing information on the utilization of the system components. Adjustments can be made if a step or a module is not economical. This way you can rest assured that the end-of-line solution always functions with maximum efficiency, reaching its ROI as quickly as possible.

Conclusion

We established:

For virtually all manufacturing companies, the question of automating the end-of-line area is no longer a matter of "if" but of "when". Compared to full automation with robot cells, modular, scalable solutions with cobots ensure 100% availability and safety in the delivery. In addition, because of the proven quality of all components, end-of-line solutions from Bizerba ensure high reliability and a long service life.