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Innovative Robot Handling System for Fish and Shellfish Combines Steps Reduces Giveaway by 10-12%

Cabinplant A/S, a world leading provider of tailor-made processing solutions for the food industry, has taken a completely new approach by combining food processing and packaging in a robot-supported handling system for fish and shrimp.

Pw 29803 Cabinplant Web

The innovative pick, process and place machine streamlines fish packing operations, replaces manual labor with an automated process, and improves operation efficiency by reducing giveaway.

“Most machines will use a robot to do pick and place only,” said Ralf Astrup, managing director of Cabinplant. “We thought, why not handle the food in the meantime?”

The state of the art machine uses the robot to pick, process and place. All of the processing steps, including separation of the head and tail, removal of the viscera and size grading, are performed in the movement of the pick and place operation as the robot transfers individual products from a feeding conveyor into the package. In a single stroke, the system eliminates a number of handling steps required to link the individual processing stations in traditional methods, also freeing up time and space.

The patented machine is an integrated process with an uninterrupted automation sequence, setting new standards in space minimization and throughput rate. The new system uses the Schneider Electric P4 delta robot, which is controlled by Schneider Electric’s PacDrive automation solution. The PacDrive solution takes I/O and servo drives out of electrical cabinets and onto individual machine modules.

Compared to existing solutions, the pick, process and place line can reduce giveaway by 10-12 percent — even a 2-3 percent reduction can add up to millions of dollar per year for the manufacturer — resulting in a 1-2 year payback time. Depending on the product type, size and weight, the robot can process and pack between 40-50 pieces per minute. Multiple robots can be stacked up, making the average system capable of handling 300 fish per minute.

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