New 3-axis robot and automated magazine-loading technology for box blanks
An Italian company specialising in secondary packaging lines, the Cama Group is an expert in the field of customised and bespoke solutions
Cama has successfully helped companies large and small around the world achieve significant results for their business, by offering a wide range of machines and technologies, robotic solutions developed in-house ad hoc to meet the specific requirements of this market, and the ability to integrate numerous additional functionalities and third-party technologies. These capabilities were perfectly in evidence on a recent project at a Danish parapharmaceutical company.
Producing a wide variety of medical solutions and products for hospital and home use, the company was looking for a highly flexible secondary packaging technology that would enable it to package four aerosol/bottle sizes: two 50 ml and two 75 and 240 ml. These products not only had to be packaged in different quantities and in different packs, some of them with vertical separators/dividers, but the space available in the customer’s facility was small, with an irregular layout.
During operation, in a CAMA unloading unit, RSC boxes are manually opened and loaded onto an infeed conveyor belt, where a vision system detects their contents. A three-axis robot then removes the aerosols from the box and places them on an accumulation conveyor belt. The vision system is crucial at this stage to avoid random positioning.
The products are then passed to a labelling and coding unit and its quality control system, which also checks the application and readability, thanks to a dedicated dual-camera vision system.
The labelled products are then transported and sorted into the desired pack, before entering the case packer, where vertical dividers are added (if required), before the whole pack is pushed into a pre-packed wraparound box. After loading, the boxes are transferred to a flap-folding station and sealed closed with hot-melt glue before being transported to the machine outfeed.
The integration of three latest-generation CAMA RB 003 robots has enhanced the system in terms of performance and flexibility, while remaining extremely compact in terms of use and line layout.
Alongside this, CAMA has further enhanced its technologies by introducing the ACL (Automatic Carton Loading) series which truly takes its systems technology to the next level. In this regard, the line will be equipped with a collaborative robot for loading the box blanks onto two different box magazines, making its technology even leaner for line operators to use.
ACL will be a CAMA product line that is highly customised to the needs of our partners and can be installed on new and existing CAMA lines, as well as being marketed as an add-on to competitor machines.
Every packaging application presents a unique set of challenges, so CAMA offers the key essentials to provide customised solutions thanks to its comprehensive range of solutions and technologies, plus extensive multi-industry expertise.
