The hottest robot technology has gained unpreceden

Robot technology has been popularized in the food and pharmaceutical industries at an unprecedented speed editor's note: powerful robots can not only eliminate violence and ensure good in movies, but also, in the process of producing drugs for human beings, high-precision robots can not only meet strict safety standards, but also be an effective means to improve production efficiency and exert their magical abilities

in Liu Zhenwei's new film "robot man", the first generation of artificial intelligence robots, code named "k-1", can replace the police to perform crisis tasks, ensure the safety of law enforcement personnel, and become the embodiment of justice. On the production line of the pharmaceutical factory, the magical "robot man" can also constantly surprise us

one "person" multi-purpose

in the town of Rosia near Siena, Tuscany, Italy, Novartis vaccine and diagnostic reagents, a subsidiary of Novartis, Switzerland, is mainly engaged in the production and packaging of various vaccine products, specializing in fighting rabies, meningitis, cholera, yellow fever and other epidemics, as well as poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus and other diseases. Novartis is the fifth largest vaccine manufacturer in the world and the second largest influenza vaccine supplier in the United States

in order to maintain a safe and sterile production environment, everyone in rohia Novartis pharmaceutical factory must comply with the relevant provisions of GMP to ensure the safe development and production of food and drugs. The factory prepared and packaged up to 35 kinds of vaccines, which were sent to 70 countries around the world. In the whole plant, only three "people" can not comply with the mandatory dress code of GMP, that is, three "hard-working" ABB robots

"this robot has extraordinary innovation and progressiveness. We are the first pharmaceutical company to put it into practical application."—— Mr. Carlo Romani, process engineering manager of Novartis auxiliary technology operation Department

irb 660 flex palletizer, led the advanced plant in 2005. The robot is equipped with two scanners, which classify the packaging boxes on the conveyor belt by reading the bar code, and stack each box on one of three pallets according to different products and delivery destinations. "The packaging boxes supplied around the world vary greatly in shape," said Mr. Carlo Romani, process engineering manager of the auxiliary technology operation Department. "The design of the robot can ensure the highest stability of pallet stacking." Practice has proved that this robot is fast and stable, and can handle three people. The company decided to move it to a larger area and stack six pallets at the same time

irb 340 flexpicker "took up his post" in 2006, mainly responsible for the packaging of polio oral vaccine. The advanced vision system equipped with the robot has become one of the core technologies of this production link. With the help of this system, the robot can pick up the vaccine bottles one by one from the conveyor belt and correctly put them into the 20 piece box. With the success of the robot "on duty", several accuracy and accuracy inspection and control mechanisms have also been successfully integrated into this link

coarse to fine

among the three robots, the most innovative is IRB 260 robot, which was put into use in March 2008 and is responsible for picking up syringe inserts. "This robot has extraordinary innovation and progressiveness. We are the first pharmaceutical company to put it into practical application." Mr. Romani praised. IRB 260 is stationed next to a new 40m influenza and meningitis vaccine packaging line, which can handle up to 500 syringes per minute. The three actions of the robot are done at one go, and can effectively eliminate human errors that may occur in manual operation

the influenza vaccine syringe after aseptic treatment (and inspection) is inserted into the 100 piece insert plate and transported to the packaging line through the covered plastic trough. The robot first sucks up the cover of the plastic trough through the vacuum device, then lifts the plug-in tray and puts the upload belt one by one. "This is a delicate job, and the products in each plastic tank may be worth thousands of euros," Mr. Romani said

ABB's new IRB 360 robot with hygienic design

empty slots and slot covers are placed on special pallets. No mistakes are allowed in the placement of containers. According to the GMP regulations for the pharmaceutical industry, millions of containers in the factory must be strictly classified according to the products they contain every year. The long-distance camera on the top of the robot can ensure that the plastic tank and the vaccine match each other by reading the two-dimensional barcode, so as to realize the special tank and avoid cross contamination. The whole process includes three inspection procedures. In case of any accident, the operator will immediately receive an alarm prompt

Claudio boncombagni, the filling inspector, commented: "ABB Robot is super large. Although its load is far greater than the weight of our products, its speed and accuracy are perfect for us."

it needs to be added that robots don't need to change their work clothes like other workers when they "get off work", because they don't need to wear either caps or sterile clothes

it's not what it used to be.

in this era of increasingly fierce competition, every enterprise is trying its best to explore new business opportunities and new markets. For example, German sausage should not only meet the consumer demand in Europe, but also supply the North American market across the Atlantic Ocean. This means that the scope of health standards is expanding. Safety and health issues have become the focus of attention

then, what role will automated production, which is good at efficiency and stability, play in the field of food hygiene and medicine? In the past, labor saving was often the driving force for enterprises to invest in robot picking, packaging and pallet stacking systems. Frank Peter Kirgis, the current market manager of consumer goods industry in ABB Robot business department, pointed out: "now, the importance of other factors is becoming increasingly apparent. With the introduction of hygienic and easy-to-use picking and packaging robots, and with the advent of washable high-speed robots with integrated vision systems, people are paying more and more attention to the advantages of robots in improving output, ensuring quality, and improving sanitary conditions."

the hygienic design thickness of the robot is measured at both ends of the test piece at the distance of 15 mm from the center line of the length to the edge, which is not only conducive to improving food quality and safety, but also prolongs the service life of mechanical equipment, while reducing labor and maintenance costs

in the past, people may have worried that robots were not suitable for food or pharmaceutical processes with washing requirements. Several factors should be considered in the hygienic design of the production line, among which the cleaning convenience of production machinery is a basic design principle. However, today is not what it used to be. Now there is no reason to refuse the many benefits brought by automation. Manufacturers need to reassess their business strategies and actively explore the feasibility of introducing robot automation in packaging and handling

hygienic design

robot solutions can create tangible benefits, which has gradually become a consensus. It can be predicted that robot technology will be popularized in food, pharmaceutical and other industries at an unprecedented speed. Products with hygienic design, production systems and production environments that meet various hygienic standards have become more and more popular. Especially for food and pharmaceutical companies, the hygienic design of production equipment determines the competitiveness of enterprises to a large extent. The hygienic design of robots is not only conducive to improving food quality and safety, but also extends the service life of mechanical equipment, while reducing labor and maintenance costs

for a long time, robot companies have not developed an automation solution dedicated to the food and beverage industry, often using material improvements such as automotive robots that can replace existing pet plastics and plasticizers. "But ABB flexpicker robot is a rare exception," said KLAS Bengtsson, technical manager of consumer products industry in ABB Robot business department

investment in robots, like investment in other mechanical equipment, requires evaluation of economic returns. The obvious benefits of using robots include saving manpower, reducing sickness allowance, solving the current and future labor shortage, improving product quality, reducing the risk of injuries and improving working conditions; Potential benefits include the reduction of production and office space due to the reduction of the total number of employees, which in many cases means a significant reduction in property rental and purchase costs

Title Figure IRB 340 flexpicker "can resist oil and corrosion when working" in 2006, mainly responsible for the packaging of polio oral vaccine. The advanced vision system equipped with the robot has become one of the core technologies of this production link. With the help of this system, the robot can pick up the vaccine bottles one by one from the conveyor belt and correctly put them into the 20 piece box

the source of efficiency and accuracy

Mr. Carlo Romani, process engineering manager of the auxiliary technology operation Department of Novartis vaccine company in Rosia, Italy, summarized the advantages of IRB flexpicker 340 and IRB 260 robots:

achieve comprehensive control of the plastic tank from the filling section

operate each vaccine insert with constant accuracy

reduce the safety risk around the packaging machinery

robot automation system can also:

improve pallet management

undertake additional material control tasks

significantly reduce the risk of cross contamination

reduce links that are not suitable for manual operation