April 26, 2011 - Clear Automation announced its flexible robot loader for fill and dispense applications. The system handles bottles from boxes and trays on a filling line. Capable of handling plastic or glass bottles the system automated cell is database driven to accommodate a variety of boxes and trays each with its own row and column configuration. For additional flexibility the servo axis on the robot adjusts the pitch of the tooling to match the pitch of the box and the cell is easily operated via a user-friendly touch-screen graphical HMI interface. With the flexible robot loader system bottles are delivered in plastic trays or cardboard boxes with separators on a conveyor.
The box or tray is automatically positioned beneath the robot. Pucks are delivered on a conveyor belt and are centered for the robot. The robot picks the bottles from the box and transfers them to the pucks. A servo-driven feed screw indexes the pucks out of the cell to downstream processing. Boxes and trays can be introduced to the cell with an auxiliary tray elevator and the robot can be fitted with either vacuum or mechanical end of arm tooling.
Additionally, bottles can be inverted and cleaned between the pick and place. Video of the new application can be found on the company's website or on youtube. Clear Automation specializes in the custom design, engineering, fabrication and installation of integrated robotic and machine vision systems. The company manufactures a variety of automated assembly and packaging machinery for multiple industries including personal care products, medical devices, automotive, electronics and machine components.
