Advanced take-out system features latest cobot technology

Proco Machinery Inc., a manufacturer of automation systems for the custom bottling and packaging industry, has announced the launch of a new take-out system for shuttle-type blow molding machines. The new take-out system is a major advancement on Proco’s flagship product, the Proco Robopik Take-out System. It takes advantage of Proco’s more than 30 years of take-out experience along with state-of-the-art Cobot (Collaborative Robot) technology.

“Proco developed and patented the current Robopik Take-out System in 1995 and has sold more than 500 systems throughout North America,” said John McCormick, president of Proco. “This new product utilizes a Cobot as the centerpiece of the system and offers many improvements over the current design.”

The innovative design features a Cobot which is mounted below the molds. Proprietary programming allows the Cobot to remove the containers from the mold and transfer them to the tail detabber in a fluid, efficient, and rapid motion, making it faster than any other system on the market. The design of the new take-out system allows it to be configured in both left-hand and right-hand versions and can be changed over in the field to work in either direction. The integral scrap conveyor is much wider and longer than current versions, making scrap removal easier and more efficient. The conveyor also collects both the tail flash and the top flash, making scrap transfer to the grinder much simpler.

The tail detabbing and the deflashing operations are now combined into one single module, thereby providing for a more compact system. The tail detabbing is a standard feature while deflashing can be added as an upgrade at minimal cost and fits within the same module, thereby minimizing the system’s overall footprint. The take-off vacuum conveyor is a standard flex-type conveyor that fits directly into the detabber/deflasher module, minimizing cost and complexity.

The vacuum blower is mounted on top of the system and utilizes the hollow frame of the module to minimize the flexible piping required and maximizing the system’s floor space efficiency. Finished containers can be conveyed to the back or front of the molding machine for easy down-stream operations such as flame treatment, dome trimming, or leak testing.

Another key feature of the system is the Cobot mounting method. The Cobot is mounted on a mobile-wheeled cart that is docked to the main frame by location pins and an electro-magnetic connection. The entire Cobot can be moved away by simply flicking a switch and wheeling it to one side. This feature allows unimpeded access to the molds and head tooling, making both mold changeovers and maintenance of the molds or molding machine easy and efficient.

The new system also boasts minimal maintenance and service because Cobot technology is so advanced and failures are rare. There are virtually no moving parts to service, grease, or repair. In the rare event of a failure, the Cobot can be exchanged quickly and production resumed with minimal downtime, thereby providing many years of trouble-free operation. At the same time, changeovers are minimized by providing job storage within the system memory.

Even after many years of operation, refurbishing is unnecessary as the Cobot can be quickly exchanged, making the system a virtually new machine ready for many more years of operation.