As the global food supply chain becomes more complex, manufacturers require automation solutions to optimize operations. Cobots carry out repetitive tasks such as dispensing, sealing, and palletizing with speed and precision, increasing productivity without compromising quality.
Food processing
A Complex, Competitive, and Demanding Industry
As consumer demand increases, food producers face mounting pressure to improve production speed while adhering to tight labor budgets and stringent food safety regulations. Cobots present an attractive solution for food processing operations, as they are able to automate tasks across multiple stages of production. These include ingredient receiving, material handling, and the palletizing of finished products for shipping and distribution.
Robot arms are equipped with specific end-of-arm tools that can perform precise movements, and they can be integrated with safety features such as vision systems for superior quality control. From bagging products to sealing packages, cobots help food manufacturers maximize throughput and improve productivity - all while meeting the required industry safety standards.
Learn more about food processing automation with our brochure.
Related Case Stories
Nortura
Learn how palletizing cobots maximized productivity in meat production, with limited floor space and minimal supervision.
Scandinavian Tobacco Group
Discover how cobots were deployed on the process line to automate unfavorable, repetitive tasks, so human employees could focus on more complex work.
Nordic Sugar
Learn how one of the largest sugar factories in Europe used cobots to automate the analysis of raw material samples.
Quality Inspection
Throughout food processing lines, cobots can be used in quality inspection to ensure finished goods meet safety standards. With the integration of vision systems and additional hardware, quality control processes concerning weight, size, and appearance can be automated. Repeated quality checks create consistent products and minimize recall or defects.
Material Handling
UR cobots are an ideal solution in automating material handling tasks, with their ability to transport goods between areas safely and efficiently. Routes and patterns can be programmed and reprogrammed, and cobots have a range of payloads to handle diverse goods. Automating material handling also results in reduced ergonomic strain from manual lifting.
Palletizing
Cobots use end-of-arm tools such as grippers or clamps to pick up and precisely stack boxes and items, and they can be programmed to fully utilize pallet space to reduce waste. Depalletizing tasks can also be automated with the use of robot arms, which have the ability to singulate and sort items to improve efficiency in inventory management.
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UR+ Ecosystem Products
The UR+ partner program continues to grow, and now includes over 470 tested, validated and compatible accessories, peripherals and application solutions for UR cobots. The following are just a few of the UR+ products in use in the automotive industry.
Robotiq Palletizers
Atlas Copco Nut Drivers
ATI Tool Changers
Cognex Vision Systems
DePrag Screw Drivers
Migatronic Welding Systems
New Scale Robotics Metrology Systems
Schunk Grippers
SICK Safety Scanners
Stoger Screw Drivers
Vention Modular Cells
Why Universal Robots?
Tried. Tested. Trusted.
Universal Robots has deployed over 75,000 cobots into every manufacturing industry. Companies of all sizes, from Fortune 500 giants to local contract machine shops, are leveraging our 6th generation cobots to increase productivity and quality and improve job satisfaction for their manufacturing teams.
Flexible
UR cobots meet the demands for flexibility head-on with industry-leading ease-of-use, intuitive programming, and a powerful back-end for OEMs and developers to add value and meet specific needs. UR cobot-based systems generate ROI that is usually measured in months, not years.
Worker-safe, worker-friendly
Universal Robots has developed the most complete set of safety tools and functions in the industry. Our 17 safety protocols can be configured to meet the varied safety requirements of your plant or facilities and your application risk assessment, letting your manufacturing team work safely side-by-side with UR cobots.
Get in touch with Universal Robots
Want to know more about collaborative robots in food processing? Drop us a line.
Local Office
- Universal Robots USA, Inc
- 27175 Haggerty Road, Suite 160
- 48377 Novi, MI
Contact us: +1 844-462-6268
Contact us: + 1-844-GO-COBOT