# A Framework for 3D Plant Simulation of Meal-Kit-Packaging Robot Automation System
## 5 Conclusions  
A data-driven 3D simulation for robotic automation of the most labor-intensive packaging process in meal kit production was developed based on plant simulation. The workflow and environments of the existing manual process were analyzed. An existing production site was scanned using a 3D Lidar scanner to create 3D models and design the initial assembly layout. Two types of 3D simulation models, implemented with a single or double delta robot, were designed to determine the optimal robot-automated packaging process. Key performance indicators for the simulation models of the manual and two robot automation systems were analyzed. The throughputs of the manual, single delta robot and double delta robot models were 2112, 1510, and 2568 ea/h, respectively. The single robot system achieved only 68.3% of the throughput of the manual process, which is attributed to a cycle time of 2.36 s for picking and placing all components. On the other hand, the cycle time of the double robot system was 1.66 times faster, and the throughput was 1.7 times greater compared to single robot system. The developed 3D simulation model for the meal kit packaging system demonstrates the potential of robotic automation in addressing the labor shortage issue as well as improving production efficiency.  
In this study, a framework of a 3D plant simulation for a meal kit packaging process was suggested because it involves handling multiple components, making it highly complex and labor-intensive and the most challenging process. In detail, a simulation-basedapproach utilizing TPS was conducted to introduce a robot automation system replacing workers of a meal kit packaging line in consideration of the surrounding equipment. The simulation was performed based on analysis of the workflow and environment of the manual process. The two plant simulation models for the automation processes using one or two delta robots were developed. A performance evaluation, such as productivity and the utilization rate for the improvement effect, was investigated by comparing the manual process and robot automation packaging process.  
Conceptualization, T.H.K.; methodology, T.H.K.; software, B.I.G.; validation, T.H.K., A.-N.K. and B.I.G.; formal analysis, T.H.K. and A.-N.K.; investigation, T.H.K.; resources, T.H.K.; data curation, A.-N.K.; writing--original draft preparation, T.H.K. and A.-N.K.; writing--review and editing, T.H.K. and A.-N.K.; visualization, T.H.K. and A.-N.K.; supervision, T.H.K.; project administration, K.H.K.; funding acquisition, K.H.K. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This work was supported by the Robotics Industrial Technology Innovation Program (RS-2024-00423566, GN245200-02) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of Korea.  
Not applicable.  
Data Availability Statement: Data are available from the authors upon request.  
The authors thank [PERSON] (Myeongsung, Busan, Republic of Korea) and [PERSON] (IGA NATURAL NOODEL, Eumseong-gun, Republic of Korea) for their support with the data management and setup for this manuscript.  
Author [PERSON] was employed by the company KyoungHee Corporation. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.  
The following abbreviations are used in this manuscript:  
HMR Home Meal Replacement  
TPS  
Tecnomatix Process Simulate  
CAD  
Computer-Aided Design  
KPI  
Key Performance Indicators