RG Luma was engaged by a client in the food industry to automate the pancake stacking process, with the goals of reducing long-term operational costs, delivering consistent and reliable throughput, and minimising human contact to enhance hygiene standards.
Challenges:
- Pancakes are transferred onto the conveyor in random positions and varying densities.
- Only correctly sized and shaped pancakes must be selected for stacking; overlapping pancakes pose a challenge for accurate identification.
- Pancakes need to be stacked neatly and consistently while the conveyor remains in continuous motion.
- Cycle throughput: 390 pancakes to be stacked to a certain number consistently per minute.
Solution:
The design featured a world-first implementation of vision technology to detect overlapping products in collaboration with robotic systems. Bernoulli grippers were used to provide a non-contact, hygienic alternative to traditional pick-and-place methods. As pancakes are transferred onto the conveyor, the first vision system tracks each one and identifies overlaps. When overlapping products are detected, robotic arms temporarily set them aside until space becomes available along the conveyor. The vision system also identifies pancakes that are misshapen, undersized, or oversized, and allows them to continue along the conveyor to the reject line without being picked. At the start of the conveyor, diversion channels creates and ensures the mid-section along the conveyor remains empty for pancakes to be stacked and off-loaded correctly. Four robot arms positioned along the conveyor sort and stack pancakes precisely within this central lane, the central lane leads directly to packaging, and products not on this lane are sent for rejection.
This automation replaced manual labour previously carried out by eight operators per shift (across two shifts). The vision system also verifies the number of pancakes in each stack, ensuring consistency in its operation.
Following implementation, the solution achieved the following:
- Increased throughput: From 390 to 440 stacked pancakes per minute
- Productivity gain: 12% improvement
- Improved hygiene: No human contact with the product
- Return on investment: Achieved within 6 months
