Case Study

Case Study: A New Solution for Bag Palletizing$SSOLFDWLRQ3DOOHWL]LQJ
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In most factories, end-of-line processes are sought-aftercandidates for automation. The combination ofergonomically challenging work and simple, repetitive
movements make end-of-line tasks tedious and, oftentimes,
easy to program.
However, in the landscaping industry, palletizing bags of soil
and mulch has always been a relatively difficult process toautomate. Dropping lightweight, oversize plastic bags onto apallet securely and without overhang has proven to be achallenge for robots and human workers to do withprecision – especially after performing hours of manuallabor.
To solve this problem, Denver-based integrator NOVA
Automation designed an automated system that allows
manufacturers of landscaping materials to avoid pallet
overhang and redeploy workers to more human-friendly
jobs, while providing a consistent and reliable palletizing
process amidst a labor shortage.

“This has been proven before; (automatedtomated palletizing)
isn’t new. Every application is different,erent, but it’s not abrand new idea... The technology has evolved, sopalletizing is an ideal application for robots.”- Voit Karpala, Director of Engineeringring
NOVA Automation

Stacking oversize plastic bags of landscaping material is not
an ergonomically friendly task for human workers. Fatigue
naturally sets in after doing manual labor over the course ofan eight-hour shift, and doing this type of repetitive motion
for extended periods poses a clear risk for injury. The
strenuous nature of this task led to low employee retention,
which resulted in inconsistent palletizing rates and idlemachines.
“It’s not easy to stack 8-9,000 bags per day,” said Harvey
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manufacturer that uses NOVA Automation’s solution every
day in their facility. “It’s a tough job, so it was hard to keep
workers in that job.”

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In order to keep shipping costs down, the manufacturer had
to fill delivery trucks from floor to ceiling with eight-foottall pallets. For human workers to achieve this kind of palletheight, they had to drop the bags onto the pallet from over
the top of the eight-foot manual stacking box, which wouldkeep the bags from slipping off the pallet. It was impossible
to follow a specific pattern because the bags were dropped,resulting in unstable, irregular pallets.

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To solve these industry-wide issues, NOVA designed a fully
automated palletizing cell that they were able to install in):5äVIDFLOLW\7KHLQWHJUDWRUDXWRPDWHGWKHPDQXDOVWDFNLQJ
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end-of-line equipment.
To start, a volumetric feeder and form fill and seal machine
fills bags with identical amounts of product. Once filled, thebags are sealed using hot air, and enter a conveyor system. A
product conditioning conveyor flattens the bags for easy
stacking, and then a pacing conveyor delivers them to the
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129$äVSDWHQWSHQGLQJ$XWRPDWHG3DOOHWL]LQJ6WDFN%R[begins below the pallet, which sits on a conveyor, and thebox rises roughly four feet while the product accumulates
on the infeed conveyor. The robot stacks bags individuallyon the pallet, following a programmed pattern. Once thebags reach the top of the box, it rises four more feet to thefull pallet height and the robot continues to stack. The
finished product is a stable pallet with no overhang, readyfor plastic wrapping and truck loading.
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automation of end-of-line and distribution processes in awide range of industries, and support the highest
production line efficiencies. With the lightest maximum
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and we could not be more pleased with our relationship.”

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and allows for extended pallet stacking):5FXUUHQWO\KDVRQHDXWRPDWHGSDOOHWL]LQJOLQHDQGWZRVWLOORSHUDWHGE\KXPDQZRUNHUV%HFDXVHRIWKHVXFFHVV
his company has experienced, Schneider is considering
automating another line by the end of the year.
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per day. During their busy springtime season, it runs up toKRXUVSHUGD\,WLVDEOHWRSDOOHWL]HDWDUDWHRIXSWREDJVSHUPLQXWHZLWKDQDYHUDJHRXWSXWRIEDJVSHU
minute. This is roughly the same rate as two humanworkers combined.
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workers to do strenuous, repetitive motions for an entire
shift. Now, these workers are hard at work in another area
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pay overtime, or halt production if an employee doesn’tcome to work. They also avoid having to pay workers inthe case of a malfunction.
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down, we’d have to pay someone to be idle while the othermachine got up and running,” Schneider said.
Although it’s relatively new to the soil and mulch industry,
end-of-line automation is an established concept supported
by hundreds of positive examples. For NOVA Automation,):5äVDSSOLFDWLRQLVRQHRIPDQ\VXFFHVVIXOURERWLF
palletizing applications they have facilitated over morethan 25 years of business.
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LGHDçVDLG9RLW.DUSDOD129$'LUHFWRURI(QJLQHHULQJæ7KHtechnology has evolved, so palletizing is an ideal
application for robots.”

Kawasaki Robotics (USA), Inc.
Corporate Headquarters for Americas
28140 Lakeview Drive, Wixom, MI 48393, U.S.A.
Phone: +1-248-446-4100 Fax: +1-248-446-4200

KawasakiRobotics.com