The Material Handling Blog

In a robotic application, many times the goals are safety, labor-cost, throughput, or ergonomics. Once the system type is defined, technical requirements are stated, and the goals are established, one of the most crucial ingredients to a successful project is an efficient system layout.

Bastian Robotics recently redesigned and upgraded our robotic bag palletizing End of Arm Tool (EoAT) to accommodate a wider range of products with the same base tool. Similar to past renditions, this tool still has a clamshell design and interfaces with our custom bag pick conveyor.

Industrial robots have been associated with the automotive industry ever since their inception over 50 years ago. Back in 1962, Unimation’s UNIMATE was installed in General Motors’ New Jersey plant, making it the very first industrial robot to ever be used by a major manufacturer. However, it wasn’t until about 20 years later when industrial robots truly became synonymous with the auto industry.

We’re hearing more and more from material handling and packaging automation facilities that having spare parts on hand is a luxury they can’t afford. But what is your facility sacrificing if your production line comes to a screeching halt when a component fails?

In this month’s project highlight, we’re diving into a recent project in which we used the auxiliary axis on a robot to control the sweeper bar on a row forming conveyor. This allowed us to add an additional axis of integrated motion to the robot, giving us 7-axes of motion.

Robot-based automation is also an excellent alternative to manual operation. In addition to increased up-time and total throughput, fewer accidents and increasingly demanding workplace ergonomics are compelling reasons to make the shift to robotics. In the packaging industry, robots generally fall into two main areas: pick and place applications and feed placement...

When deciding what machine tending robot best fits your application, it is important to look at a number of criteria and weigh the pros and cons of each to figure out which robot is the best fit.

As government regulations become more stringent, retailer demands continue to increase, and competition intensifies, the need for robots has never been more imperative for success in the food and beverage industry.

There are several ways an industrial robot can wear out sooner than intended. On average, most companies plan to get more than eight years of service out of a robot. However, some companies have robots that are still running after nearly 20 years. What causes some companies to get more or less use out of their robots?

In this month’s product highlight, we are going to focus on a very important aspect of a recent case packing project--the transfer robot. Bastian Robotics developed a robotic case packing system that required the orientation of the product to be changed 90° from the production line prior to inserting it into the case...

A colleague wrote earlier about the ways of getting a grip on a product. He emphasized the importance of the robotic end of arm tool (EoAT) to the system even though it may seem like a small component. He also delved into the many ways the robotic EoAT can be used. I wanted to use this article to expand on his ideas and describe how this gripping action is accomplished. Read: Get a Grip on Your Product (part II)

When it comes to manufacturing, schedules are constantly being shifted and moved around in order to accommodate projects in the most efficient way possible. In order to improve our productivity, we had to go against the traditional methods and adapt a dynamic cross-training method. Here are some tips to get your team started as well.