PACKAGING
The first appearance and use of robots in the industrial automation, was in the end-of-line and packaging areas. From these earlier applications to date, the robotics has made big steps forward, especially with the cobots
With more innovation and technological progress, the end-of-line robots have become more versatile, autonomous, and efficient, until becoming to date refined instruments of quality control, selection, packaging, and commercial definition of products. The adoption of sophisticated vision and software systems, allows a robot to implement efficient and reasoned quality controls actions.
For example it is possible to recognize and packing only the products that are within the required quality standards (and discarding the others). In alternative, at an higher complexity level, the end-of-line robots can make a multiple-choice selection, and select products according several levels of quality. Discharging unsuitable products and packing the rest according to the programmed levels of quality (for example. main brand, second brand).
The capability of packaging robots, are not only limited to products selection, and multi packing allocations, but they can finalize the commercial part of the package, before it is completely closed, by inserting accessories or other items (ex.: instructions, promotional materials), add printing identification tags (production, and expiry), until the complete closing of the package.