Robotic Palletising Cell for Cement Roof Tiles

Lifting cement roof tiles presents a Health & Safety Risk, palletising can raise other significant problems with employees claiming for injuries that could be avoided. The introduction of a Kawasaki palletising robot solution can not only reduce the Health & Safety Risk but also improve your line efficiencies and produce a neater pallet.

PAK Automation have recently completed the successful installation of a Kawasaki Six Axis Palletising Robot model ZX 130L. in a roof tile manufacturing plant.

The Kawasaki Robot in this cell is picking and placing roof tiles that have been stacked by a custom built servo driven stacker, there are two stackers in the cell because the cell is fed with two independent lines which run different product styles. The stackers stack a ridge style roof tile in fours vertically and then release all four which are then picked up by the robot and placed on the pallet standing upright. The stacker has to handle in excess of twenty units per minute.

The overall cell including all conveyors and both stackers are controlled from a PLC Master which in turn signals to the Robot, the PLC is also talking to the two Stacker Servos and issuing their control commands, there positions are stored internally in the Servo drives.

The pallets are fed to the cell under the robot base for space saving and come from a pallet magazine. The pallet also requires a layer sheet which is p[icked by the Robot during the cycle from a layer sheet stack which is internal in the cell.

The Robot gripper is fitted with four suction cups that are mounted off to one side and when a layer sheet is required the gripper goes to the layer sheet stack and is orientated on its side and when vacuum is made it takes the layer sheet and places on top of row one of the pallet. When the pallet is complete it exits the cell through a SICK safety light curtain which is a two beam device and has safety muting for the period of time whilst the pallet leaves the cell.