ROBOTIC PALLETISING

Geku Automation of Rochester, Kent, have recently installed a number of palletising systems into the agricultural and aggregate industries.

Each cell normally consists of a high payload robot picking a product from an input conveyor which is then stacked on a pallet station either to  the left or right hand side of the robot. Once a pallet is complete, a fork truck is able to enter the cell through a light curtain to remove the finished stack while the robot safely loads the other side.

To compensate for the changes in product orders, the robot is completely flexible and pallestisng patterns can be very quickly and easilly changed.

Geku Automation have developed a number of gripping solutions to cope with variable bag types. A mechanical claw gripper can be used for fast pick and place, or a powerful vacuum head can be utilised for more delicate picking. A unique combination gripper is also available which uses vacuum for an initial delicate pick, after which a pneumatic side clamp system is operated  to stabilise the sack, allowing fast transit into the placement area.

Depending on the product and gripper type used, a Geku Automation palletising cell can stack over 34 Tonnes per hour. Cycle times of 2.6 seconds have been fully proven on aggregate sacks weighing 25kg.

A specially designed Geku gripper can also handle the most delicate of products.

 Plastic- Security and Hygiene

The operator of the first pallet rental service providing all plastic pallets with embedded radio frequency identification tags, Intelligent Global Pooling Services (iGPS Company), recently announced that it will be offering a new, premium level pallet rental service.
The premium service, iGPS bios™, is designed specifically to meet the needs of the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries. iGPS bios will provide a level of pallet security and hygiene that in unable to be achieved with pallets created out of organic materials such as wood.
“The pharmaceutical and life sciences industries are so critical to our economy and our well being. They deserve a shipping platform that is commensurate with their importance and consistent with the superior hygiene standards they exemplify,” explained Bob Moore, iGPS Chairman and CEO.
iGPS pallets have four radio frequency identification tags embedded in the frame which allows for tracking and tracing throughout the supply chain. iGPS has also begun to deploy Spider® AT tags, a battery powered GSM/GPRS/GPS wireless tag, that can transmit important information regarding the iGPS pallets such as defined alerts, specific events and pallet location.
An analysis of the life cycle of a pallet shows that iGPS pallets are extremely better for the environment than one-time and multi-use wooden pallets on all commonly measured metrics including ozone layer depletion, ecotoxicity and global warming.
Over the past five years, customers of iGPS have assisted in the prevention of the destruction of more than 600,000 trees, have saved more than 635,000 gallons of fuel and have prevented almost 14 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

 Recycling and crate hire

Transporting their goods to and from suppliers, warehouses and clients is something that almost every business has to do. However, this can be a time-consuming and expensive activity, which can have considerable repercussions for the environment.
Not only does transportation consume large quantities of fuel but the crates used to transport individual items can be damaging to the environment. One company that specialises in returnable transit equipment (RTE) and crate hire, has designed a range of products that aim to tackle this problem.

Over the past decade, increased efficiency has been at the forefront of their businesses development. During this time they have sought to create a solution that could deal with two main issues. Firstly, the environmental harm that using timber and cardboard pallets and crates can cause and secondly, the space that these items take up when they are empty.
New to their selection of products is a range of resuable plastic pallets. These are an excellent solution for both of these problems and are suitable for use in many different industries, from catering and food transportation, through to retail.

The main benefit of choosing plastic pallets over timber or any other material is that they can be re-used time and time again.
This is of particular importance in the food industry, as timber crates can become unclean and damaged reasonably quickly. The reusable pallets can also cut down on the number of vehicles on the road at any one time.
The firm offer a comprehensive service, which ensures that businesses are able to re-use their plastic pallets. This includes a ‘wash’ service, wherein they can thoroughly clean plastic pallets that have become unclean during transit.
Details about the environmental benefits of plastic pallets can be found on the company’s website. Businesses that would like to find out how transferring to plastic pallets could be an advantage for their business or those that want to enquire about crate hire, can speak to a member of their team by filling out their online contact form.
Written by Jenny Pilley; Content Writer for Creare, specialists in internet marketing
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jenny_Pilley
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