Packaging
Robots are healthy contenders for food processing
Thursday 01. May 2008 - The design of hygienic manufacturing equipment plays a crucial role in the food and beverage industry. Indeed, such are the potential costs from product loss; contamination, bio-terrorism and food safety fears; and the subsequent loss of market confidence that hygienic product design has taken on the highest of priorities.
Coupled with legislative requirements, hygiene is ranked more important than justifying equipment prices. Frank-Peter Kirgis, of ABB Robotics, describes how an automated robot line is not only hygienic by design, but also contributes to reducing costs and streamlining processes.
Regulations, legislation and standards have increased in the hygienic design of machinery for packaging and processing of food products. For example, the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG) has published many best practice guidelines and recommendations to help comply with all of these standards.
One fundamental European regulation is the EU Machinery Directive 98/37/EC. This requires that machinery suppliers meet certain essential hygiene requirements for the handling of foodstuffs. Within this directive, many technical committees (TC) are present. One being the TC 153, which has prepared the general hygiene standard EN 1672-2: Food Processing Machinery, Part 2: Hygiene Requirements. This standard sets requirements regarding the risks to hygiene arising from the use of machinery and processes.
With increased activity in international trading, failure to comply with overseas legislation can result in goods being barred from its market. In some countries, machinery can come under the same control regulations as the products themselves.
There is growing demand for hygienically designed products and the development of production systems and environments that meet hygienic standards. The hygienic design of production equipment, particularly in the pharmaceutical and food industries, is already key in determining a companys competitiveness.
Hands off for hygiene
One of the main concerns of the food industry is the risk of contamination, whether it is microbiological, chemical or foreign bodies. Here, the costs associated with product recalls and loss of consumer confidence could be crippling.
There are several aspects to hygienically designed production lines that engineers should take into consideration. One of the fundamental principles of hygienic design is that machinery should be easy to clean.
Justifying robotics
As with any other machinery application, end users need to be able to justify such capital investment. The most obvious benefits associated with the installation of robots are those of overcoming of potential and existing labour shortages, better product quality, reduced risks of injuries or strain and improved working conditions. Less obvious are savings linked to a reduced head count such as a reduction in floor space and facilities as such. In many cases a work area reduction alone offers cost savings in real estate!
“In the past, investment criteria for robotic picking, packing and palletizing have tended to focus on labour reduction,” comments Frank-Peter Kirgis, segment manager for consumer industries. “Other factors are now increasing in importance. The design of easy-to-use hygienic picking and packing robots, facilitated by the design of high-speed wash-down robots with integrated vision systems, has focused attention on the benefits of higher outputs and consistent quality and hygiene.”
Historically, robotic companies have not developed a robotic solution specifically designed for the food and beverage industry, but rather adapted robots from automotive applications. The rare exception is ABB Robotics FlexPicker.
The FlexPicker is a world-leading robot in applications where objects need to be moved quickly and precisely, one at a time, from one location to another. The FlexPicker wash-down version features a special paint finish, corrosion resistant material, sealed components and a specially designed fourth axis with slide bearings, for easy cleaning using detergents. The FlexPicker is one example where robots are specifically hygienically designed for use in packaging applications with open food, such as meat, dairy products and ready made meals. To meet the most stringent demands, a stainless steel wash-down version is also available.
In conclusion
In spite of the possible perception that robots may be inappropriate for food applications where hygienic wash down is required, the situation has changed and there is no longer a reason to dismiss the advantages such automation brings. Food manufacturers need to reassess their strategy to identify opportunities to exploit the advantage of integrating robotics into packaging and handling operations.
As the tangible benefits of robotic solutions become ever more apparent, it is widely expected that robotics will be adopted at a much higher rate in industries such as food and pharmaceuticals. The hygienic design of robots not only improves food quality and safety, but can also extend the life of machinery and equipment, as well as reduce labour and maintenance costs.