Outlier's Role

Commissioned and optimized a series of robotic cells used in a puree processing line.
 

TECHNOLOGIES

  • Beckhoff TwinCAT 2
  • Kawasaki 6-Axis Robots
  • Custom End-of-Arm Tooling
 

SITUATION

The customer had several pre-engineered robotic cells used to tray and un-tray packaged food between processing steps. They had purchased the equipment from an international supplier who was unable to travel to the customer's site to complete the commissioning. When running at the speed of production, they were experiencing machine stops, and batches were being dropped and damaged. This forced them to run at a reduced speed which was creating a pileup of product from upstream equipment. The customer needed support quickly so that they could meet the deadlines for their current orders.

SOLUTION

Outlier read through the system code base and talked with the equipment supplier to understand how the machines had been designed. For each robotic cell, our team adjusted the sensors and updated the programming to allow the system to reliably pick and handle the containers at the speed of production. Outlier served as an intermediary between the customer and the equipment supplier - advocating for the customer, ensuring that technical questions were resolved, and training the customer on how to adjust and operate the equipment.

There were several technical issues that were addressed throughout this project, including:

  • Updating the programming to accommodate variations in product positioning and orientation

  • Making adjustments to account for the physical placement of the equipment in the customer facility

  • Correctly setting up the robot end effectors to reliably pick product

Outlier was able complete the commissioning and optimization of the equipment in time to meet the customer’s order fulfillment deadlines. In the end, the equipment was able to run at production speed, allowing them to run the entire line in a continuous production shift.

CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Outlier was able to understand the codebase and optimize the programming and machine settings in order to make the line run correctly.

  • The customer was having a difficult time communicating their technical issues to the equipment supplier. Outlier was able to act as a intermediary to facilitate communication and provide training on the equipment.

  • The customer was under a tight deadline to fulfill their current orders. Outlier was able to quickly optimize the equipment and prevent costly delays.