Product changeovers can be made seamlessly by simply making a menu selection. Other optional programming is available such as networking to other robot workstations in a plant utilizing several robots. A discharge belt conveyor, where the product will be case packed, will also be specified. It may include solenoid activated grippers or vacuum cups that can be employed in single, multiple or in some combination of gripper and vacuum cups. Vacuum cup lift heads utilize venturis or a central vacuum source depending on the weight of the product being lifted and the acceleration required.
End effectors are custom designed to each application.
For applications involving numerous product changeovers, end effectors can be installed with automatic tool changers. A CCD camera with a light source is interfaced to the vision module in the robot controller in order to provide imaging information to the system. Conveyor tracking is implemented using a precision shaft encoder to identify the location of the product position. Machine vision and conveyor tracking is used when products cannot be indexed to a specific location and orientation. A variety of conveying methods may be used to allow the product to arrive at the robot.