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Robot provides a path to growth

A robotic solution involving an ingenious end effector has cut labor costs and brought greatly improved ergonomics to this Tennessee water bottler.

The end-of-arm tooling uses three vacuum cups per bottle to pick empty bottles from a rack; in this picking mode, the mechanical
The end-of-arm tooling uses three vacuum cups per bottle to pick empty bottles from a rack; in this picking mode, the mechanical

We wanted to reduce labor costs and make the work environment less burdensome for operators.”

It’s simple enough, this statement by John Burleson of English Mountain Spring Water in Dandridge, TN. But behind these simple words lies a sophisticated and fascinating robotic installation. It combines roller conveyors, turntables, tight timing, and highly complex end-of-arm tooling in a smooth-running operation that has played a key role in helping this Tennessee water bottler grow.

The returnable/refillable containers being handled are 5-gal polycarbonate jugs of water. Empty, a container weighs a mere 2.5 lb, but fill it and it tips the scales at 45 lb.

Until the firm installed its robotic solution, the jugs were handled manually. “We had to rotate people around a lot because loading those full bottles into racks was really tough,” says Burleson.

The solution: a robotic work cell from Aidco with a Kuka robot at its center. Installed early this year, the system

• accepts racks of 30 empty bottles that come from delivery trucks

• turns the racks 180 degrees

• unloads empty bottles from racks and feeds them to a conveyor that leads to rinsing/filling/capping

• loads full bottles back into racks

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