The technology of ‘cobot,’ which refers to collaborative robots, is transforming the way humans interact with robots in industrial palletizing operations.

As the industry increasingly adopts collaborative robots (cobots) to work together with humans in manufacturing and assembly tasks, an innovation in cobot technology has emerged. This technology, based mostly on speed and separation monitoring, brings collaborative capabilities to industrial robots. This technology enables industrial robots to collaborate, freeing them from the fencing they are usually required to operate behind for safety reasons.

Veo Robotics, which provides the FreeMove 3D safety system for industrial robots, has announced that Gray Solutions, a company that offers automation services to the food and beverage industry, will include FreeMove in its collaborative palletizing systems for the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector.

Seamless human-robot interactions

Veo Robotics mentions that CPG businesses frequently employ robots to pile products on pallets for shipments. Considering that humans typically need to enter these palletizing work cells, rather than needing to stop and start the robots each time people enter and leave the work cell. FreeMove’s 3D speed and separation monitoring enables robots to work beside humans by automatically slowing and stopping the robot’s movement as required to guarantee no contact with the human. The sensing capability of the Veo Robotics FreeMove system extends past the robot to cover any components or products the robot interacts with during operation.

FreeMove’s ingenuity to allow human-robot collaboration with industrial collaborative robots means CPG manufacturing engineers do not need to sacrifice reach, speed, or payload capacity when selecting robots for their tasks.

Veo Robotics mentions that FreeMove has acquired the license for compliance from TÜV Rheinland for ISO 13849 PLd Category 3. This safety specification applies to parts of machinery control systems appointed to provide safety functions.

Bringing the CPG market into the future

According to Sam Janes, a robotics engineer at Gray Solutions, Veo’s FreeMove is the only product in the market that has a safety design capable of enabling the full potential of human-robot collaboration in the CPG industry.Veo Robotics has stated that its partnership with Gray Solutions is happening during a period of increased automation in the CPG industry, as companies seek to address labor shortages and supply chain limitations while maintaining efficiency. The Grocery sector is a rapidly developing market for robot orders, with a 29% increase in purchases in 2021 than 2020.

Originally published by: AutomationWorld

Also, watch AutomationWorld’s video on how industrial robots get collaborative.