Discover How The CP1200 Case Packer Can Transform Your End-of-Line Manufacturing Processes
Published on 29 March, 2022 in Operational Excellence
By Stuart Coulton, Market Development Manager, OMRON UK
Across industries, there are many simple and repetitive tasks ripe for automation. These tasks don’t require human creativity and are better performed by machines. Humans are great at thinking our way around problems, taking on board often complex information and determining the best approach for a given situation.
But when it comes to getting goods off a production line and into a case, we can’t compete with a robot.
The strongest, fittest, least injury-prone human being just doesn’t compare to a programmable machine that quickly and precisely takes objects from point A and places them in point B. In terms of throughput, accuracy, and reliability, the machine will win every time.
Analysis from Mckinsey broke down different sectors to determine their suitability for automation. They found manufacturing to have the 2nd highest potential for automation. This makes sense. Manufacturing on mass is a series of well-defined processes that have to be repeated over and over again to create a consistent final product.
Case packing is one of these tasks. It fits in right at the end and gets the goods packaged up and ready for shipping. Efficient and easy to configure pick and place robotics are now available to automate your case
packing, removing the burden from your workforce. While this increases uptime and throughput at manufacturing facilities, it also removes a cause of health issues for employees. Extended periods of manually lifting products and placing them into a case are almost designed to produce RSIs and other adverse health outcomes. Automation takes this unpleasant job out of the hands of people and brings it into the domain of technology.
A recent report compiled in 2021 by the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and Loughborough University’s Industrial Policy Research Centre (IPRC) criticised the UK’s current manufacturing capability. It points to manual labour and obsolete equipment as holding back the sector and estimates that the use of automation and robotics in the UK industry could contribute £183.6 billion over the next decade.
Do you want to scrape by using the same old ways? Or move with the times and embrace automation?
The CP1200 Case Packer
Designed in collaboration with Reeco, the CP1200 Case Packer is a high throughput, compact alternative to traditional packing systems. With reduced operational complexity, it offers a flexible and versatile solution to the packaging process that can be quickly changed to suit a variety of product lines.
Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) With The CP1200
OEE is an excellent way of assessing the efficiency of your manufacturing. It compares actual performance with the best possible performance to show the percentage of time spent being genuinely productive.
Tracking OEE helps facilities discover where inefficiencies are creeping into their operations and where they need to focus in order to boost output. Automating case packing is a simple and effective approach that boosts OEE. With a CP1200 taking care of all your case packing requirements, you can maximise output and steal a march on your competitors.
1. High Throughput
Total throughput is limited by the slowest process in the production chain. You can manufacture products rapidly, but all that good work becomes redundant if you don’t have the packaging capabilities to match. Inefficient case packing leads to bottlenecks upstream in the production line that throttle output and hinder growth.
With 1200 cycles per hour, the CP1200 provides the packing throughput you need to keep up with production and get your goods ready for shipping. With an inverted design in dual or single arm models, the CP1200 decreases the travel time while increasing throughput.
Automation means significantly more uptime and high and consistent throughput. Unlike humans, a machine offers reliable, repeatable performance. You don’t have to worry about worker inefficiency, employee mistakes, or being understaffed and unable to meet deadlines. Robotic automation means measurable, high throughput you can rely on, enabling greater production control and efficiency.
2. High Payload
Interested in automation but not sure if the existing technology can handle higher payloads?
With OMRON TM14 Robots, the CP1200 can pick and place payloads up to 28kg. So whether you need heavy bottles or cartons packaged or something else entirely, the CP1200 can accommodate a wide variety of products.
3. Versatility
While traditional case packers are only suitable for either box or tray packing, the CP1200 works great for both. It is designed to facilitate your specific case packaging needs, from arrangement and pattern to payload and throughput. The CP1200’s operations are simple to modify. Goods enter the cell via a conveyor, and the cobots pack based on what you require.
With the CP1200, case packing automation no longer means sacrificing versatility for throughput.
4. Quick Integration
The CP1200 is quick and easy to integrate into your wider production operations. Capable of combining with both upstream and downstream systems, the CP1200 is compatible with any production line. Its EasyPack software allows for fast and flexible format changes, meaning one machine can be used to package a huge array of products. The CP1200 supports simple changeovers to new products or packing formats with vastly reduced need for engineering support.
Contact OMRON for details on the CP1200 Case Packer, and discover the path to greater OEE.
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