The last year-and-a-half has brought dramatic changes in consumer buying behavior that will have a lasting impact on how Consumer Packaged Goods companies equip their production operations. In the area of robotics, 2020 was the first time yearly orders of robots coming from the non-automotive sector surpassed orders for automotive applications in North America.
那就是推进自动化协会（A3）, which reports that sales of robotic units in North America increased 3.5% in 2020 from 2019. Even more impressive, Q4-2020 was the second-best quarter ever for North American robot sales, with a 63.6% increase over Q4-2019.
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阅读自动化世界杂志2020年的2020年机器人采用调查。 |
在食品和饮料中，一年多年的机器人订单增长了56％。在大流行引起的司机中，通过电子商务购物的消费者购物的增加，劳动力可用性下降，包装植物中的社会疏散的需求，以及核心袜子的巨大增长和储存储量所产生的能力增加。
To meet CPGs’ greater desire for automation, robotics suppliers have been busy innovating. Over the past year, they have introduced robots that are more flexible and can handle a greater variety of applications; more-complex vision systems; robot software and programming that’s easier for newcomers to the technology; and end-of-arm tooling that handles a greater variety of products and offers faster changeover.
The following articles provide an overview of these developments, including innovations in articulated-arm, delta, and SCARA robots, cobots, end-of-arm tooling, and technology engineered specifically for e-commerce:
Six-Axis Robots Continue to Thrive
New introductions in six-axis, articulated-arm robots for packaging applications offer a longer reach, greater flexibility, and more options for robotic palletizing.
Cobots for Packaging Offer Greater Reach, Payload & Flexibility
新cobot介绍那些handl之一e heavier payloads for use even with palletizing applications and a unique new machine that’s a cross between a delta robot and a cobot, called a ‘sidebot.’
New robotic equipment enables end users to address the growing range of case sizes, counts, and formats required by their customers with ease of programming and changeover.
Pick-and-Place Beyond the Case
Robotics suppliers are introducing a range of new pick-and-place solutions for applications other than case packing, such as product handling, feeding, and loading.
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用食品加工和包装的机器人自动化趋势观察这段视频。 |
Among new offerings are an expanded line from Fanuc that has a compact controller with vision and conveyor tracking software and a single development environment from Epson for its IntelliFlex robots.
Advances in end-of-arm-tooling include increased agility and intelligence, especially for food and beverage packaging applications, and greater ease of changeover.
E-commerce Poses New Automation Challenges
两种新的机器人技术有助于解决电子商务相关的包装问题，包括减少的劳动力池，需要速度和混合产品的分类。
Robots Handle Packaging of Pastries at 160 cakes/min
A modular packaging line at J. Skinner Baking Co. uses a number of robots to pack Danish pastries in clamshells and then into cases of various formats.
A supplier of PET preforms for Coca-Cola, Western Container installs a lid-placing cell that features a six-axis robot that reliably and accurately picks and places lids onto reusable totes.
Pack Expo拉斯维加斯and医疗保健包装博览会（9月27日至29日，拉斯维加斯会议中心）将团聚包装和加工社区。拥有超过1400名参展商，2021年没有其他活动将带来更全面的供应商聚集，提供新产品，技术和解决方案。与会者注册现在打开。
