Robotic Palletizing Line for Mlýny J. Voženílek

TMT Chrudim designed, manufactured and commissioned a complete robotic palletizing line for Mlýny J. Voženílek, one of the largest manufacturers of milling products in the Czech Republic.

This turnkey project is part of a new production hall and is seamlessly connected to the filling machine for 1 kg flour packages. The result is a fully automated workstation that handles products from the packaging machine output through to the final pallet dispatch.

Project objectives

• automation of finished product palletizing
• increased packaging flexibility according to retail requirements
• reduced demand for manual labour
• strengthening the customer’s competitiveness

The new solution enables flexible pallet configurations – from standard EUR pallets to ½ EUR pallets used by discount retail chains.

Solution overview

The line ensures a complete material flow – from package conveying and layer formation through robotic palletizing and wrapping to final dispatch.

Main functions

• conveying of individual and grouped flour packages
• automatic layer formation
• robotic palletizing onto 1200 × 800 mm and 800 × 600 mm pallets
• automatic placement of interlayers / trays
• pallet transport to wrapping, labelling and dispatch

The entire process is fully automated, with minimal operator involvement.

Key technologies

Conveyor system

• a combination of plastic chain (modular belt), modular, roller and chain conveyors
• precise dosing and layer formation

Robotics

• product orientation – gripper for creating the required layer patterns
• handling of flour packages – vacuum gripper for stable and reliable handling
• layer placement onto pallets – gripper for inserting interlayers / trays

Palletizing

• automatic pallet destacker
• pallet centering prior to palletizing
• automatic insertion of interlayers between pallet layers
• handling of EUR and ½ EUR pallets

Dispatch

• stretch wrapping of pallets
• pallet labelling
• transfer to dispatch positions

Control system and automation

The entire line is controlled using a Siemens platform, with a focus on safety, reliability and flexibility.

• Siemens SIMATIC safety PLC
• programming in the TIA Portal environment
• HMI panel for intuitive operation and diagnostics
• Siemens frequency converters for conveyor control
• IO-Link communication for data acquisition from devices
• integration of FANUC robots into a single control system

The system enables centralized control of the entire line and easy adaptation to changing production requirements.

Operating principle

At the infeed, flour packages are automatically divided into two technological branches after passing through a metal detector:

• grouped packaging branch – packages in film-wrapped groups of 10 × 1 kg, labelled and robotically palletized
• individual packaging branch – individual packages are grouped, oriented by a robot and arranged into layers

The robots handle both grouped and individual flour packages, accurately placing complete layers onto the pallets.

In the palletizing section, pallets are automatically destacked, positioned and subsequently built up layer by layer, including the insertion of interlayers

Technical parameters

Packaging line output:

• grouped packages – 100 × 1 kg packages/min
• individual packages – 75 × 1 kg packages/min
• grouped packages – 7 layers, one layer weighing 100 kg, 700 kg per pallet in total
• individual packages – 18 layers, one layer weighing 40 kg, 720 kg per pallet in total

Flexibility and control:

• recipe-based control with production recipes stored in the system
• quick changeover between packaging types and pallet configurations
• adjustable:
  • number of layers
  • pallet height
  • package format

The operator can easily switch between individual production variants without making changes to the control system.

Customer benefits

• fully automated palletizing and dispatch
• high flexibility of final packaging configurations
• consistent quality and precise product placement
• reduced operator requirements
• ready for further production expansion

The palletizing line supplied by TMT Chrudim represents a modern automation solution for the food industry. It seamlessly combines our in-house conveyor systems, industrial robotics and intelligent control into one fully integrated solution. This provides the customer with maximum flexibility, reduced labour requirements and high throughput for product dispatch.

Are you considering automation and robotics for your production or logistics operation? We will be happy to design a tailor-made solution for you. Explore our other references or contact us directly at www.tmt.cz/en/.