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KUKA Robotics to provide stainless steel robot for food application

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KUKA KR 15 SL Stainless Steel Robot Used with Vision and Conveyor Tracking in New Automated System Increases Production and Improves Working Conditions

Clinton Township, Michigan — January 11, 2007 – KUKA Robotics has been selected by Zepnick Solutions Inc. as its robotics supplier for its new food handling system. Zepnick, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, has incorporated the KUKA KR 15 SL stainless steel robot into its food handling and packaging system which will allow manufacturers to increase production and improve working conditions.

"Zepnick’s innovative new system using our robot will allow their customers compete more effectively in the competitive food industry," said Kevin Kozuszek, director of marketing for KUKA Robotics Corporation. "In addition to increasing production the system will improve employee working conditions by freeing personnel from manual labor to work on more complex tasks."

"Our customers’ manual food handling and packaging applications were not meeting their need to increase production so we were challenged to develop a system that would address ergonomic issues and increase production while adhering to their stringent hygiene standards," said Jody Zepnick president of Zepnick Solutions Inc. "The KUKA KR 15 robot with its stainless steel construction and high IP rating make it ideal for meeting our customers’ strict hygiene and sterility requirements."

The use of stainless steel on all the robot’s surfaces, together with the high IP rating, makes the KUKA KR 15 SL robot suitable for all fields of application with stringent requirements as to hygiene, sterility and absence of particles. The robot can be used in any industry requiring strict adherence to sterility standards including the food, pharmaceutical, medical and beverage industries. The KUKA KR 15 SL is a six-axis robot with a 1503 mm reach and capable of handling up to a 15 kg payload. The new packaging system utilizes a vision system to determine the coordinates of randomly placed product on a moving conveyor and these coordinates are then transferred to the robot. Utilizing the robot’s conveyor tracking software it then tracks the position of the product. The robot picks the product off the moving conveyor and places the product into a wrapper or carton.

Zepnick Solutions, Inc. is an industrial automation firm specializing in custom applications. The company focuses on controls automation, but also has in house mechanical design and business alliances with the best in machine fabrication and construction resources to meet its customer’s complete needs.

KUKA Robotics Corporation, with its parent company KUKA Roboter GmbH, Augsburg, Germany, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrial robots, with an annual production volume approaching 10,000 units, and an installed base of over 75,000 units. The company’s 5 and 6 axis robots range from 3kg to 570kg payloads, and 635mm to 3700mm reach, all controlled from a common PC based controller platform. KUKA robots are utilized in a diverse range of industries including the appliance, automotive, aerospace, consumer goods, logistics, food, pharmaceutical, medical, foundry and plastics industries and in multiple applications including material handling, machine loading, assembly, packaging, palletizing, welding, bending, joining, and surface finishing.

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