Nowadays, packaging cobots are a powerful assistant in many industries such as mechanics, electronics, food - beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, e-commerce, garment, packaging... In the following article, Intech Group will join you to learn in detail about the applications and benefits of this technology in production and logistics activities.

What is a packaging cobot?

Packaging cobots are collaborative robots that specialize in supporting people in packaging stages such as picking, sorting, labeling and loading goods onto pallets. With a compact, safe and easy-to-program design, integrated with AI, ERP/MES systems, IoT & Cloud or industrial vision software. Cobots help businesses automate quickly without having to invest in complex systems like traditional industrial robots.

With the collaborative feature, cobots can take on repetitive or potentially risky tasks, helping to reduce the workload for employees and limit work injuries. In addition, automation with packaging cobots also brings many outstanding benefits such as reducing production costs, increasing order processing speed, improving product quality and flexibly responding to constantly changing production needs.

Popular types of packaging robots

Packaging cobots, along with many other lines of industrial robots, are gradually replacing manual labor in production and logistics lines. Below are the popular types of packaging robots today:

Articulated robots

Articulated robots are designed with multiple rotating axes, allowing a wide range of motion. Thanks to the human-like robot arm structure, they are especially useful in tasks of picking - placing, assembling or arranging products at many different angles.

Descartes robots

Descartes robots move on three basic axes: up - down and sideways. The advantage of this line of robots is the ability to handle heavy loads, stack pallets or spot weld with high precision, suitable for heavy industrial applications.

SCARA Robots

SCARA robot arms stand out for their speed, precision and compact design. They are often used in production lines for components, small products in large quantities, where quick and repetitive picking and placing operations are required.

Robot Delta

Delta robots feature a three-arm parallel design, specifically designed for high-speed pick and place operations, typically primary packaging in the food, pharmaceutical, and consumer goods industries.

Collaborative Robots (Cobots)

Packaging cobots are a line of safe collaborative robots that can work directly with humans. With easy programming capabilities, cobots support many different tasks such as picking, sorting, labeling and stacking products. The advantages of cobots are flexibility, reasonable cost and suitability for both small and medium enterprises.

Robotic loading station

In addition to the above types of robots, the robot loading station is an integrated automation solution, allowing robots to perform many tasks simultaneously: picking, palletizing, packaging and processing according to orders. With the advantage of loading and unloading from 8/12 packages/minute, the suction tool is flexibly designed to suit packaging models such as cartons, bottles, jars,... with a weight of 30 - 60kg. This is the optimal choice for e-commerce warehouses, logistics centers and manufacturing plants with large workloads, requiring high speed and accuracy.

Outstanding features of Cobot packaging

Cobot packaging is not just a robotic arm in the production line, but also a modern technological solution that helps businesses optimize the packaging process, save costs and improve competitiveness. Below are the outstanding features of cobots in the automation era.

Easy to program

Unlike traditional industrial robots that require a team of specialized technicians, cobot packaging is designed so that even employees without a programming background can easily use it. Thanks to the intuitive 3D interface and touch screen, the operator only needs to drag and drop or move the robot arm to the desired position to quickly set up the packaging process.

Fast installation time

While traditional robots take days or even weeks to install, cobots only take a few hours to be ready to operate. This helps businesses shorten the time to put the line into production, quickly respond to urgent orders, especially in the fields of e-commerce, logistics and food and beverage.

Flexible automation

Packaging cobots are compact, lightweight, and easy to move between different work positions. They can undertake many different packaging tasks such as folding boxes, sealing, labeling, stacking goods into boxes, etc. without changing the line layout. Thanks to that, cobots become an ideal choice for both large and medium-sized businesses, especially when seasonal production is needed or product lines are changed frequently.

Safe collaboration with humans

Designed with many smart sensors, packaging cobots are capable of detecting and stopping operations when there is unexpected contact, ensuring worker safety. They often do not need protective fences, and can work directly alongside workers to support repetitive, heavy work or in toxic environments. This not only reduces the risk of work accidents but also helps improve working conditions for people.

Economic efficiency

The initial investment cost for packaging cobots is much lower than that of traditional industrial robots, and the payback period is fast, from only a few months to a year depending on the application. With the ability to work continuously without rest, cobots help businesses reduce labor costs, limit product errors and increase production productivity. This is an important advantage for small and medium-sized enterprises that want to invest in automation.

Full advantages of industrial robots

Besides its own advantages, packaging cobots still retain all the inherent advantages of industrial robots:

• Perform repetitive tasks with near-absolute precision, extremely low error.

• Operate continuously 24/7, ensuring stability and rhythm in the chain.

• Easily reprogrammed to suit many different applications.

• Not affected by health, spirit or working environment.

• Long life, low maintenance cost, suitable for long-term production.

• Work effectively in harsh environments such as high temperature, cold storage, chemical or explosive environments.

Key Features of Cobot Packaging

Cobot packaging is equipped with many smart features, helping to optimize the entire product packaging process:

• Vision system: Thanks to advanced cameras and sensors, cobots are capable of detecting, recognizing and classifying products by shape, color, and size. This ensures consistent product quality and limits errors in the chain.

• Flexible picking and placing: Cobots are capable of picking and placing products in many different locations, handling a variety of packaging such as carton boxes, plastic bottles, zip bags, food trays, etc. while still ensuring speed and accuracy.

• Customize packaging: Cobots can be programmed to change packaging methods, print labels, or seal according to each business's specific requirements. This is an important advantage in industries with diverse packaging and branding needs.

Applications of Cobot Packaging in Industries

Cobot packaging has been widely applied in many different fields:

- Food and beverage industry: Ensure the packaging process meets hygiene and food safety standards, while maintaining product quality and flavor.

- Pharmaceutical industry: Cobot meets strict sterility requirements, helps protect drug quality and complies with strict regulations of the health industry.

- E-commerce & logistics industry: Pack goods quickly, accurately, consistently, enhance customer experience and strengthen brand reputation.

With outstanding features, clear benefits and flexible application capabilities, cobot packaging is a modern technological solution that helps businesses optimize production lines, increase productivity and create sustainable competitive advantages in the era of industry 4.0. Intech Group is proud of its more than 14 years in the field of providing automation solutions, bringing outstanding products such as: Automatic robot arms, robot loading and unloading stations, smart warehouse systems, cargo transportation lines, ... trusted and chosen by many leading corporations and businesses. Contact us immediately via hotline 0966.966.032 - 0983.113.387 to get advice on suitable solutions for your business.