Diversity as a challenge
There is hardly any other industry that uses as wide a range of packaging as the cosmetics sector: glass or plastic bottles, jars in various sizes, delicate pump attachments, dispensers and lids. This is coupled with a growing variety of designs, frequently changing product ranges and rigorous hygiene requirements.
Processes need to be flexible, yet stable and cost-efficient. For many manufacturers, this involves a tricky balancing act. Conventional automation solutions often call for complex changeovers or extensive pre-programming when manufacturers want to integrate a new format into their line.
AI-supported recognition
This is exactly where Schubert’s tog.519 cobot comes in. With its intelligent image processing, it is capable of recognising packaging parts that it has never actually ‘seen’ before. Neural networks assign the objects to categories such as bottles, jars or lids, distinguish between front and back sides and precisely determine the position of each individual part.
This AI-supported ‘vision’ significantly reduces the programming effort and makes the cobot an exceptionally flexible and versatile assistant for pick & place tasks. Every bin-picking operation – i.e. into an unsorted pile of products – leads unerringly to the respective article, which the cobot then places just as precisely.
Customised tools, which can be produced on site using Schubert’s PARTBOX system and 3D printing, also ensure the careful handling of sensitive products such as glass or thin-walled plastic parts – without ever compromising on speed.
Quick integration, immediate productivity
Interaction with existing machines is just as smooth. Thanks to its compact design, the cobot can be easily integrated into existing systems with limited space in a way that saves real time. In combination with other units such as additional robots, it creates an agile packaging line for filling boxes or trays with products or product combinations.
The tog.519 can be used just as easily for loading the chains and feeders of flow-wrapping machines, as Schubert impressively demonstrates at the FACHPACK fair at the Barsch GmbH & Co.KG stand (Hall 1, Stand 125). The cobot is also ideally suited for use before or after a filling station – for positioning packaging materials such as bottles, pumps or jars, or for the subsequent sealing of filled containers with lids.
A practical example from cosmetics production
A successfully completed project at a well-known natural cosmetics manufacturer illustrates how this all works in practice. The task was to feed jars and lids reliably and automatically instead of manually. The Schubert cobot confidently takes on the task – at a speed of up to 90 cycles per minute and with maximum precision. For employees, this translates into a noticeable reduction in workload, while for the manufacturer, it ensures greater process reliability and consistently high product quality.
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