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Jun 29, 2023

Gerhard Schubert set to showcase key cobot systems at Interpack

pic schubert Posted: 28 February 2023 Related core topics: Business news, Cocoa & chocolate, Ingredients, New products, Packaging, Processing, Sustainability Related topics: bakery, cobots,

pic schubert

Posted: 28 February 2023

Related core topics: Business news, Cocoa & chocolate, Ingredients, New products, Packaging, Processing, Sustainability

Related topics: bakery, cobots, confectionery, innovation, Interpack, packaging, systems, technology

Related regions: europe, germany, worldwide

Cobots designed for operating packaging systems and the creation of advanced cartoning systems will be among Gerhard Schubert’s key focus areas for this year’s Interpack, writes Neill Barston.

The Crailsheim machinery company revealed to Confectionery Production that it is set to unveil a number of technical innovations at the key trade fair between 4-10 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Among its major spotlights will be the development of its cobots, developed for rapid feeding of different packaging components on a line, an extremely compact filling machine for cosmetic products and an entirely new, efficient, resource-saving feeding system for carton blanks.

Notably, the business, which can be found at Stand D01, Hall 14 at the event, added that it is also placing a spotlight on delivering sustainable packaging equipment solutions, displaying a concept study for a new generation of machines, in combination with an all-new type of transport system.

Together, as the company added, these elements promise to advance current packaging processes to the next level of automation, flexibility and efficiency. The innovative technologies are complemented by a wide range of new services for more environmentally compatible packaging.

In terms of its cobots, these will include one dedicated to processing bars, chip bags or highly reflective pouches, demonstrating the advantages of its unique AI.

With the tog.519, Schubert is extending packaging process automation beyond the packaging line itself. The mobile, free-standing or optionally housed robots are said to be ideal for picking up unsorted lightweight products via pick and place and processing them at up to 90 cycles per minute.

The AI-supported programming and image processing are conceived so cleverly that customers can change formats themselves in no time at all without any prior programming knowledge: Basically, the new product simply needs to be passed through the cobot’s vision system. Flexible work locations, a wide variety of pick & place tasks, high process speed and very simple operation are the advantages cobots offer to manufacturers in a wide range of industries, including confectionery.

Notably, Schubert is presenting a portfolio under the banner of its Mission Blue Sustainability Initiative, focused on how it aims to set the standards for its environmental efficiency goals with tangible measures.

Packaging perspectives

Among its major topics for Interpack will be a focus on its new five-point Packaging Perspectives programme which includes bundled Schubert expertise, packaging development, testing facilities at the company’s technical centre and laboratory, as well as customised consulting services to ensure the best possible mix of materials, packaging and machine.

On request, its experts can provide support in switching to more sustainable packaging, for example with glue-free box alternatives or more environmentally friendly flow-wrap films. Schubert Service will also be on site to present the new customer portal and explain the company’s Digital CARE Services for data analysis and process optimisation.

Schubert Packaging Systems will be represented at the stand with its three divisions – Pharma, Schubert Consulting and Turnkey Solutions – and showcasing its areas of expertise. The Schubert Additive Solutions subsidiary will also be demonstrating its PARTBOX solution and 3D printing at its own stand in Hall 18, Stand G09.

Among other highlights for its stand will be an upgraded bar packer with new infeed, delivering blanks directly from the pallet. When the blanks magazine runs empty, machine operators need to react quickly to avoid unnecessary interruptions.

According to the company, with the new Schubert TLM Comfort Feeder, this is now a thing of the past, as can be seen on a bar packer at the trade fair. All it takes is to place the entire pallet with the blanks – still in the blank sheet – into the machine.

An F4 robot then pulls the blanks one by one directly from the sheet and feeds them into the erecting process at a rate of 60 cycles per minute. This process also has another advantage: The sheet cutting process can be optimised to maximise packaging material utilisation – saving material, resources and costs. The combination of a new type of sheet infeed, high erecting capacity, and loading and sealing in a small space offers Schubert customers an exceptionally attractive machine concept.

Depending on their consistency and ingredients, baked goods and confectionery call for packaging with various barrier functions. With the Schubert Flowpacker, manufacturers who would like to quickly switch between flowpack films with different properties benefit from the most suitable sealing technology. It enables both recyclable mono-plastic films and paper-based flow-wrapping films to be used in a single machine. Schubert will demonstrate this with a system that combines an ultrasonic unit for longitudinal sealing with a flexible cross-sealing unit. The cross-sealing is performed either by a box motion unit with ultrasound or via rotating sealing jaws with heat sealing.

Significantly, the company’s teams will also be presenting concept studies for an advanced fully automated packaging process featuring a brand new transport system and machine frames and robotics, offering a key glimpse of its future developments. For more details visit /www.schubert.group/en/interpack-2023-en/