Centre of Excellence for Food Robotics and Automation

Citation

(2008), "Centre of Excellence for Food Robotics and Automation", Industrial Robot, Vol. 35 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2008.04935fab.003

Centre of Excellence for Food Robotics and Automation

Article Type: News From: Industrial Robot: An International Journal, Volume 35, Issue 6

The Centre for Food Robotics and Automation (CenFRA Ltd) was launched on 22 May 2008 to an unexpectedly large audience of 130 people. The centre is located in Doncaster, and is funded principally by Yorkshire Forward, the development agency responsible for improving the economy of the Yorkshire and Humber region in the UK. The UK food and drink industry is a successful area that is currently experiencing international pressure from foreign competition and the international credit crisis. It is also suffering from rising energy costs and a shortage of skilled engineers and production workers. Simon Hill (Figure 4), Executive Director of Business at Yorkshire Forward, identified automation as the anchor for future profitability and growth and for securing jobs in the region.

Figure 4 Simon Hill, Executive Director of Business, Yorkshire Forwards, is reflected in the plaque he unveiled at the launch of CenFRA Ltd

Mike Wilson, President of the British Automation and Robot Association, showed that the UK lags well behind other European countries in the ratio of robots to production workers. Companies in the UK look for a payback in 2 years or less, and the finance director is a key decision-maker. Robots have a working life of 10 years, more appropriate to the 3-4 year payback applied elsewhere in Europe. Whilst robots are proven in palletising, they are not generally used further upstream. This is because in pick and place, there are many variations in requirements. This is an area where CenFRA can help, by identifying common requirements and putting pressure on robot manufacturers to develop suitable machines. Individual small to medium sized companies with low profit margins do not have this leverage.

Independent practical assistance

CenFRA is an independent, not for profit, organisation run by engineers and operational specialists in response to the needs of the food industry. John Sorsby, Food and Drink Manager for Yorkshire Forward, said CenFRA “is about walking, not talking. It provides a safe environment for companies to seek solutions without losing ownership of intellectual property or market advantage.” The first step is often the “Automation Audit”, in which CenFRA personnel examine the current production operations of a company and identify the areas where robots and automation could bring improvements in cost or efficiency. CenFRA is able to do this in a more open-minded way than automation manufacturers or system integrators, who would tend to recommend systems they know well and are particularly profitable for themselves. The Automation Audit is available free of charge to food and drink companies in the appropriate Northern areas.

By means of its experience and ability to learn from others, CenFRA will reduce the lead time for fitting a robot to an application. For the first 4 years, CenFRA is to be funded by Yorkshire Forward, and will become self-supporting from 2012.

Robot demonstrators

As part of the launch, delegates enjoyed a tour of a robot exhibition from ABB, Staubli, KUKA, FANUC, Motoman and Kawasaki. These robots will remain at the Centre for the next 6 months, as a demonstration facility (Figure 5). Staulbi’s controller tracks moving conveyor belts by means of inputs from an encoder, and connects to vision systems via ethernet. The company has formed a relationship with vision supplier Cognex. KUKA has a huge range of robots for food and drink, from the KR PA palletising robot to the KR180-2 PA “Arctic” designed for temperatures down to 30°C, and the DR 15 SL stainless steel wipe-down robot. ABB displayed its FlexPicker robot and trialed a prototype gripper from Salford University that handles cucumber slices. FANUC showed their M-710iC 6-axis robot in a packing and palletising role, and their tiny 5-axis LR Mate robot placing trays of ready meals in cartons. FANUC has 2D vision capability built into its controller. Motoman has recently developed 13-axis 2-armed robots for handling operations.

Figure 5 Robot demonstrators from six manufacturers will remain at the Centre for the next 6 months

Partnership

The Board of CenFRA consists of experienced people in the food and drinks industry. It has secured active co-operation from universities in the region with relevant specialised knowledge, from robot manufacturers, and from integrators. It seems well equipped with the necessary tools and enthusiasm to fulfil its mission of providing independent and affordable automation solutions.

Christine Connolly

Contacts

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  www.cenfra.co.uk – CenFRA Ltd, Doncaster, UK

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  www.yorkshire-forward.com – Yorkshire Forward, Leeds, UK

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  www.bara.org.uk – The British Automation and Robot Association, Warwick, UK