Enhanced Safety, Mobility Features for Cobotic Palletizer

In its PACK EXPO Connects demo, “miniPAL® A Collaborative Palletizing Solution,”

Columbia/Okura showcased the new safety and mobility features of its miniPAL® collaborative palletizing robot, which features the UR10e robot. To ensure operator safety, the miniPAL now has two area scanners and two safety mats that actively monitor the miniPAL cell. When the scanners are triggered, the robot slows down to collaborative speeds. During collaborative mode, the horn will beep. To resume speed, the area must be cleared, and the yellow button labeled “reset” must be pressed.

For mobility, all of the miniPAL’s connections now have quick disconnects at the back of the robotic enclosure. To move the miniPAL, users just disconnect all cables and unlatch the robot frame.

The miniPAL has a compact design that includes a lifting column for tall loads, dual stacking locations for continuous load building, built-in fork pockets for easy mobility, an area scanner for additional safety, and intuitive pattern building software. Sheet placement and product double-picking options are available. The cobot has a load capacity 18 lb, including the end effector.

According to Columbia/Okura, the cobots are easy to program, using Pally software by Rocketfarm. “The software is designed to be smooth, flexible, and quick to install, with three easy steps,” the company says. “It also handles changes in production with ease and requires no downtime.”

Notes Columbia/Okura, the miniPAL offers five significant benefits:

·     Efficient Set-Up: Takes less than a full day; plugs into 110V AC wall power

·      Easy Operation: No previous programming experience required

·      Quick Payback: Average payback is between 8 to 10 months, depending on application and industry

·      Flexible Deployment: The mobile solution is easily moved and re-deployed to new processes

·      No guarding required: A vast majority of cobot applications work next to humans without perimeter guarding requirements

To view demos from Columbia/Okura (available through March 31, 2021) and to add the company to your MyConnects Planner, click here.