Filling line for processing plastic bottles

A filling machine was sought for processing plastic bottles with a volume of 50 to 150 ml.

Previously, an employee placed bottles and caps from an unordered carton onto an accumulation conveyor, from where they were fed into the machine. There, the bottles were filled, labeled and the cap screwed on. The finished products were then packaged by another employee. The cycle time is a few seconds.

The products produced on the machine often vary. A conventional sorting of the bottles would be too inflexible, as it has to be adapted to the respective product. Due to changing loads on the machine, temporary workers are often employed. So a way is sought to feed both bottles and lids (both cylindrical objects) from a disordered carton into the machine. At the same time, the changeover must be as quick and easy as possible.

With the help of Delta robots, both the bottles and the caps can be fed. This allows the machine to be operated by just one operator. Since object recognition can work with all cylindrical products of similar size, changeover to a new product is very easy. 3D printing reduces development costs and the changeover to a new product is faster. In addition, spare parts can be produced very easily.

The key figures

According to a conservative estimate, the costs for the robot cell, including development, amount to approx. €10,000. With two such cells, personnel costs of €20/h (= €160/day = €3200/month) can be saved. A return of investment (ROI) can be expected after approx. 6 months.

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