Automating minor powder weighing
Weighing out powders is a vital step in many industries. Whether in food production, personal care and FMCG, chemistry, textiles, paints and coatings, plastics or rubber manufacturing, a large number of powdered ingredients must be measured out to an exact recipe to ensure the final product complies with quality and safety checks. And while big bags / super sacks or silos can automate the dosing of large quantities, when it comes to minor additions, the majority of businesses must rely on operators to get the job done. Yet this is far from an ideal solution. Whether it’s concerns around costs, waste, traceability or the health and safety of the operators themselves, manufacturers understand the drawbacks of manual powder handling. What if there were a way to automate these processes?
Robotic powder handling
Robots are inherently more reliable than humans. When people are involved in powder handling, they make mistakes; that’s human nature when performing repetitive tasks during an eight-hour shift. However, when operators are dealing with allergens or harmful chemicals, this can have dire consequences. If the wrong ingredient is chosen or a label is misread, it can lead to risks to operator and consumer safety. Unmanned facilities remove this risk as once programmed, they can’t make mistakes. With a mean downtime of 30 minutes per year, they also don’t need to stop to maintain their effectiveness, helping to boost your productivity.
The APRIL Robotics Weighing System allows manufacturers to do the same weighing and handling tasks that operators have traditionally completed but much more accurately, without error or waste, and at much faster rates. This can transform productivity levels, allowing you to become more competitive, as well as reducing your costs as only one operator is needed to manage the system.
APRIL Robotics Weighing System
APRIL Robotics Weighing System in a bakery
The APRIL Robotics Weighing System automates the manual, repetitive weighing / scaling task in a number of industries, offering unrivalled accuracy, efficiency and traceability. The robot weighs out powders to an accuracy of +/- 1g for both free-flowing and non free-flowing components.
Combining robotics and advanced automation, the technology offers manufacturers a flexible and scalable solution that delivers a repeatable and cost-effective alternative to operators on the factory floor. The system offers exceptional storage density within a small footprint and an unparalleled turndown ratio for high precision powder weighing / scaling. There is strict division between components, eliminating the risk of cross-contamination, as the APRIL Smart Container (ASCs) are managed through the system, including cleaning operations, offering a reliable unmanned operation.
The APRIL Robotics Weighing System integrates seamlessly into your existing ERP or MES, scheduling works orders and ensuring full reporting. If you’re concerned about product safety or quality, the APRIL Weighing System uses advanced vision to track the powders through the entire process offering total traceability for your product and a full audit trail, helping to prevent product recalls. What’s more, secret recipes can be one of their most important pieces of intellectual property. By switching to a fully automated weighing / scaling system, businesses no longer need to share these with operators, controlling and protecting them instead within the system’s software.
Typical operation
APRIL Robotics Weighing System receives works order request for weighed materials.
The system checks whether all materials are in stock from the network of APRIL Smart Containers (ASCs). If one or more components is missing, the system will request replenishment.
APRIL retrieves your powders from the ASCs as per your recipe and weighs them into an ASC Blend Container, bag or box, which can then be delivered directly to the mixer or batch processing vessel or stored for future production.
Unmanned system
Robotics and automation are vital at a time of labour shortages and social distancing, particularly when the additional space required to achieve the latter is not readily available. By investing in fully automated manufacturing systems, businesses can mitigate the impact of these challenges while improving profitability.
In answer to workforce fears of job losses, it’s clear that tasks are more likely to be automated away than entire jobs. Repetitive, routine activities, such as weighing out / scaling ingredients becoming automated removes potential health and safety issues. Operators will no longer be exposed to the dangers of dust inhalation and the occupational asthma that goes with it. Similarly, robots can pick up heavy items, so musculoskeletal disorders should be avoided. With the introduction of automation, operators will be needed in more value-added roles such as controlling robots or maintenance of equipment. The challenge will be to ensure that our workforce has the right skills to meet this future vision.
