Packaging is of the highest value in today’s business world, leading manufacturers to get the best solutions to customers’ needs. The latest Industry 4.0 technologies enable producers to move further in digitalising their production and making clients feel more connected. However, Armstrong is there at your service to provide you with the best range of packaging automation solutions.
Recently, Industry 4.0 has grown at a remarkable rate and is expected to touch $1 trillion by the end of the decade, according to 4.0 Research. This technological progress is ideal for manufacturers in the packaging automation industry to rush up to their digitalisation plan and respond to customers’ demands efficiently.
Robot Palletizing
Palletising, which claims to lift heavy loads repetitively and is draining for human workers, can convert more effectively using automation technologies. For example, collaborative robot arms can be quickly processed and redeployed depending on their businesses and optimise workflow, particularly during peak seasons. They are also cost-efficient, guaranteeing a speedy ROI and requiring no additional programming and dedicated work cells. This also means that manufacturers can achieve multiple cobot arms beside the palletising method to speed up production and load various products.
Collaborative robot arms can be utilised for packaging applications in all leading industries, from pharmaceutical to microelectronics or metalworking, and they are also suitable for food and beverage. They can also handle delicate products for example, Universal Robots’ UR10 can palletise small and fragile goods such as eggs, though it ought to carry a payload of up to ten kilograms. The robot’s small design, measuring 28.9 kilograms with a tiny step of 190 millimetres, supports flexible packaging in industries where safety and accuracy are paramount.
Smart Packaging
In a supermarket, few consumers would take the time to examine labels thoroughly. Moreover, labels are seldom cut or expunged or simply deficient. Smart packaging lets shoppers engage deeper with their products using their own devices. Armstrong is one of the major packaging automation companies that follow this process for engaging customers more.
Smart products are allowed IDs that can serve consumers in different ways. For example, they can verify whether the goods have been stored at the correct temperature using Near Field Communication (NFC) tags provided with temperature sensors. NFC tags are passive devices that work without a power supply and rely on an active device to come into scope before they are initiated. This means the consumers can tap their NFC-enabled receivers to the package and gather helpful information.
Similarly, customers can see ‘best before’ warnings, real-time offers, or they can track the course of their goods beyond the whole supply chain using the data saved digitally.
Flexible Motion Control
The packaging does not only have to be interactive, it also has to keep up with customers’ demands and tastes. The stress is no longer on mass production but mass customisation instead. This means that packaging equipment needs to be listed to change fast and often.
Motion control systems were invented to manage quick changeovers and add new functions that are more flexible. One approach to accomplishing this is flexible programming, which means usi
ng different codes on the same controller. Smart machines can generate setpoints that allow a single device to run product one at a planned speed, set features, and work product two with various characteristics using different tools.
Conclusion
Automation technology constantly evolves with packaging trends, improving speed to making customers feel more in control of their choices. To make sure they respond to their customers’ needs, companies need to keep up with innovative technology and digitalisation drifts.
At Armstrong, we support packaging companies to stay competitive and improve their stock by providing automation components from all major manufacturers in the least time to assure they keep downtime to a minimum.
