The cobot reliably picks up unsorted products from a random pile and places them directly into secondary packaging, for example.
Trade fair premieres have always been something special. Schubert’s first attendance at Automatica (24 to 27 June) is also marked by groundbreaking technology. The autonomous tog.519 cobot, developed in-house in Crailsheim, impressively demonstrates how outstanding versatility and performance can be combined thanks to a fully integrated system.
You would almost be forgiven for thinking that robots love apple chips as much as some consumers do. With the utmost care, they place bags of the healthy snacks into boxes. Visitors will have an opportunity to experience this state-of-the-art development at the Gerhard Schubert stand at Automatica, where the company will be exhibiting for the first time. Two tog.519 cobots will be demonstrating several application scenarios for food and cosmetics at the Munich Trade Fair Centre in Hall B5, Stand 530.
Schubert achieved a technologically significant engineering feat for pick & place applications with its tog.519. The agile and extremely versatile machine from Crailsheim picks products at up to 90 cycles per minute – faster than any other solution on the market. What enables this is a concept that seamlessly integrates robotics and image processing into a complete system. “It gives the cobot great flexibility and mobility,” explains Hannes Häusler, Head of the Cobot Division at Schubert.
A fully integrated complete solution from Crailsheim
The tog.519 can even pick unsorted objects and place them into moving trays, for instance. As demonstrated at the trade fair, thanks to AI-based image recognition, the cobot ‘recognises’ different objects and reliably masters the task of picking unsorted items from a disorganised pile. Even the complex challenge of ‘uprighting’ and depositing empty bottles into pucks is handled by the Crailsheim-based innovation thanks to ingenious vision technology, which Schubert combines with patented five-axis SCARA kinematics. “The camera system and robot were both developed in-house and they work together seamlessly. This integration makes our solution truly unique on the market,” explains Häusler. Thanks to the AI-supported vision system, the otherwise very time-consuming programming of image recognition using algorithms is no longer necessary. As a result, the system can be operated without in-depth IT knowledge – and not just for apple chips!
Thanks to advanced camera technology, the tog.519 can be used in a wide range of industries. These cameras are able to independently identify an entirely new product within a very short time. The cobot can reliably pick up food items as well as technical articles such as glue sticks, pump dispensers and many more. This is especially advantageous for co-packers who deal with changing products from multiple sectors. But manufacturers from dedicated industries with diverse portfolios also greatly benefit from the tog.519’s quick format changes: “Baked goods, confectionery, cosmetics or pet food – the range of possible applications for the cobot is virtually limitless,” says Häusler.
Testing on site
And if you’re not yet entirely convinced, you can test the technology out for yourself at the Schubert booth. A camera stand is available for visitors to position their own items under the vision system, which can handle a wide variety of products such as bars, pouches, pump dispensers and lids. Cosmetics bottles can also be tested directly on the tog.519 cobots, which pick them up and place them correctly into position.
Website: www.schubert.group