Belgian social enterprise AMAB uses ABB’s GoFa™ collaborative robot to feed different products into packaging machines, increasing productivity and improving employee safety.
The application
ABB’s GoFa collaborative robots (cobots) support employees on the packaging lines: They feed the products at the right speed and ensure that a safe distance is maintained between the staff and the machines.
The challenge
The Belgian social enterprise AMAB had acquired packaging machines to create new jobs. The company was therefore looking for a way to feed the products into the machines in a safe and user-friendly way. The solution should help the workers to complete their tasks at their own pace and within a certain safe distance.
The solution
ABB’s GoFa cobots feed the products to the machines, which are then labeled, packaged and placed on pallets by workers. Thanks to the additional flexibility offered by the cobots, AMAB can now take on more and larger projects, creating additional work for employees.
ABB’s GoFa cobots feed the products to the machines. The workers then label them, pack them and place them on pallets. Thanks to the additional flexibility offered by the cobots, AMAB can now take on more and larger projects, which creates additional work for the employees. (Image: ABB)
The Belgian social enterprise AMAB aims to provide employment opportunities for people who have difficulty accessing the labour market. The company currently employs around 800 people and offers outsourced services for a range of activities, including the packaging of goods. AMAB attaches great importance to sustainability: the company recently installed new packaging machines at its three locations around Brussels that use up to 80 percent less plastic.
These machines were initially fed with a servo-pneumatic system, which proved to be too fast and too noisy for the working environment. To solve this problem, AMAB decided to replace the system with the ABB cobot on one of the packaging machines. Thanks to its high speed, precision and agility, as well as the fact that it does not produce any compressed air noise, the robot proved to be ideal for this application. This not only makes employees more productive – it also improves safety when feeding the products into the packaging machine.
The cobot constantly adapts to the speed of the machine, which operates at up to 35 cycles per minute. It creates a buffer that allows workers to work at their own pace while increasing output.
“Our packaging line is a good example of what cobots are designed for: They make work safer, more pleasant and more ergonomic without replacing anyone,” says Rudi Crombé, technical director at AMAB. “With the help of ABB’s GoFa cobots, we can now quickly adapt to new products and take on more projects, which creates additional jobs.”
Although the robot has extensive safety features that allow it to operate right alongside humans, it is housed in an enclosure to protect personnel from the packaging machines.
Due to the success of this installation, the company has ordered eight more GoFa cobots, bringing the total to nine cobots in use across AMAB’s three locations, helping AMAB increase productivity and offer an attractive service to potential customers.
The cobot constantly adapts to the speed of the machine, which operates at up to 35 cycles per minute. It creates a buffer that allows workers to work at their own pace while increasing output. In addition, safety when feeding products into the packaging machine has improved. (Image: ABB)
The cobots are quick and easy to set up. The intuitive Software Wizard Easy Programming ABB’s software replaces complex coding with block-based drag-and-drop commands. This makes it easy to program the robots to handle different products and perform different packaging tasks. Thanks to the simplicity of the software, ABB was able to train the AMAB team in how to use and operate the robots within a day, with no further support required since then.
“We also decided to use cobots because they have a high degree of freedom of movement. This means we can program their movements flexibly and there is no noise from compressed air,” adds Rudi Crombé.
Perfect work colleagues
Despite initial concerns that the cobots would take away jobs, AMAB workers have now established them as the perfect coworkers. Since the cobots were installed, employees have reported that their work has become easier and more pleasant. The installation of the cobots has also helped them to work more productively and complete other tasks without losing jobs.
The cobots are quick and easy to set up. The intuitive Software Wizard Easy Programming from ABB replaces complex coding with block-based drag-and-drop commands. This means the robots can be easily programmed to handle different products and perform different packaging tasks. (Image: ABB)
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