Automation Canada - Automation in 2021 - 25

company size, regulation impositions can vary and when it comes to a
specific vertical market, regulations can be even more imposing. "
Laura continues that there is a growing concern among consumers
about food quality and safety, particularly as a universal standard has yet
to be enacted. " Some of these include the Food Safety Modernization
Act, or FSMA (an FDA initiative), which primarily addresses forward and
backward traceability within the supply chain as well as guidelines for
recordkeeping. Also included is the Safe Food for Canadians Act, or
SFCA (a CFIA initiative) that has put new rules into place protecting
against deceptive practices and tampering, enforcing traceability and
regulating imports. Because of the growing concern for consumer
safety and thus brand protection in what is considered to be a litigious
society, many companies are turning to automation and reskilling
employees in an effort to move them off the production line and into
jobs that require creativity and emotional intelligence. " Noted Laura.
Yet there is another factor to consider before implementing robots in
Food & Beverage. And although this has always been a factor, recent
global health issues have brought this final point to the forefront. Laura
noted that " Automation, in particular robotics, do not carry pathogens.
They cannot cry or sweat, they do not bleed, their skin does not flake
and they cannot bring viruses or bacteria through illness into the plant.
Implemented at an ideal rating of IP69K and made with stainless steel or
other coating that can withstand the rigors of harsh washdowns, robots
are the ultimate step in protecting the consumer and the brand. More
recent events, with and without government funding, have seen
companies working more fervently to implement and learn how to work
with these technologies. They enable production lines to run at full
capacity and oſten at higher throughputs without subjecting food or
beverage products to pathogens. "
There is a wide range of robotics, with collaborative and mobile
robots growing in popularity, being implemented in Food & Beverage
facilities today. The type of robot is determined by several factors such
as whether the application is primary food handling (touching
unwrapped raw food), or if it is involved in some form of temperature
sensitive operation such as cooking, baking or sealing and even
CANADIAN AUTOMATION
whether it is involved in packaging, material handling and palletizing.
And there are also standards, regulations and innumerable variables
that need to be considered with each application.
Marc provides some further insight into the need and types of robots
that can be applied, " oſten times specialty mechanics are required for
the cleanliness of the machine, so whether it is OEMs or end users that
implement those specialized arms, we have the unique capability of
controlling kinematics from an assembled robot solution to a motion
and developed kinematic robot. We do that in Delta robots and with
SCARA robots and coming soon will be multiple of these robots in a
single kinematic model. This is going to enhance and meet the needs in
production output, which is always the primary goal of end-users. "
Laura also emphasizes the point again that the intended use of a
robot, as well as additional automation solutions, are the primary driver
in selecting what is right for you, " Intensified washdown practices
including
greater
frequency
with higher wash
pressures and
temperatures and more concentrated chemical applications call for
equipment and solutions specifically designed to withstand this type of
environment. Omron offers 80+ years of expertise and experience as
the single source supplier of industrial automation solutions for harsh
washdown environments and specialty applications. " Yannick's team is
well positioned to work directly with customers to determine their
needs and goals, and even walk customers through the steps necessary
to program a robot according to their unique application. Yannick's
team works with customers to determine all the necessary
considerations and then takes those factors and performs a customized
proof of concept to fully ensure that the solution will work in its intended
environment. Yannick provided a good example here of an integrator
that was considering two delta robots (Hornet 565) for a picking and
sorting application handling raw food. Through asking detailed
questions and performing a proof of concept, he determined that the
integrator would need four robots to meet the throughput numbers
they intended to achieve. Although more robots were required than
initially intended, the client was exceptionally happy that they did not
just pick a partner that would simply dropped the two robots in, but
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4
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Automation Canada - Automation in 2021

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