Packaging line engineer Gebo Cermex has announced an automatic loading solution for cardboard-blank magazines that responds to the problem of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the workplace.
Feeding consumables into the cardboard-blank magazine of a case packing system is both time-consuming, and a recognised cause of MSDs.
The FlexiLoad automatically handles the magazine loading of any high-speed case packing system. It has a six-axis robot, a universal gripping tool, and uses PC-based software.
The loader can handle Regular Slotted Containers (RSCs) and wrap-around blanks or trays, and can enhance the ergonomics of both new equipment and existing installed machinery through a retrofit.
Operators are also freed up to work on other tasks such as performing quality control operations or sample picking.
Case packing product manager Didier Saussereau said the launch of FlexiLoad reflected the holistic approach taken by Cermex, which no longer sees the machine solely in terms of function or intrinsic performance.
“We're designing our equipment as an integral part of its overall environment, including peripheral assignments and functions," he said.
"This approach corresponds to an expectation coming primarily from the mature markets of Europe and North America, who wish to extend automation solutions to ancillary tasks, with two aims: firstly, to relieve operators of tasks that generate recurrent efforts that are potentially disabling; and secondly, to increase their availability for high added value assignments.
It is clear, for all of the industrial segments we serve, that improved operator ergonomics and optimised consumables management are genuine sources of productivity improvement.”
