Commercial food processing is labor intensive and plagued with high turnover rates. Automated processes and equipment are required to reduce processing costs and remove personnel from the working environment. For a Fortune 100 food processing company, we have designed, built and installed an automated processing system. It includes several stations, complete with sensors and controls that automate the packaging and improve the accuracy of product classification while minimizing human interaction. Technical challenges addressed and solved in the RoboPacker development include:
Handling delicate food products with a wide range of size and shape variability.
Placing products in specific orientations and locations in the final package.
Managing a high throughput rate of multiple products simultaneously.
Tracking and maintaining accurate production and inventory records.
Operating in a hostile environment including low nominal operating temperature and periodic cleaning with high temperature and pressure water and cleaning agents.
