Until now, automation processes for packaging confectionery have mostly been limited to the packaging machine itself. Yet, feeding is often done manually, since processes such as placing products from a bin onto a conveyor, separating them, orienting them correctly or sorting them can rarely be solved cost-effectively by machine. With the new Tog.519 cobot, Schubert has now automated the feeding process.

The Schubert cobot is designed for high-performance pick & place applications with lightweight products: At up to 90 cycles per minute, the Tog.519 can pick up a wide variety of confectionery products or packaging materials from a bin or conveyor and place them into any conceivable target destination – without the need for complex programming. Only the tool needs to be matched to the product. To this end, the manufacturer provides its customers with a wide range of individually designed robot tools, some of which they can also produce in-house via 3D printing.

The cobot can be used for a huge range of applications. Thanks to AI-supported image processing developed by Schubert and integrated into the Tog.519, the robot recognizes the products as they are picked up and the environment in which they are to be placed. The cobot’s neural network is trained in such a way that it can immediately process new products from the same product group Confectionery products lying on top of each other or in different directions are not a challenge for it. It can also easily process mixed packages – such as assorted boxes of biscuits or bars.

The cobot can also be combined with several robots to form a cobot line. It not only works with Schubert machines, but also with third-party systems and even robots from other manufacturers. The system can also be used to close automation gaps at different and ever-changing points in the production process – as needed.

The cobot’s exceptional versatility enables confectionery manufacturers to elevate their existing production to an all-new level, thanks to the intelligent robot’s high speed, flexibility and simplicity in the packaging process. In practice, the Schubert cobot is already proving its worth in the baked goods industry. Three Tog.519s can be experienced – live and in action – at interpack 2023.

Schubert's other exhibits include a bar packer with a new feed system that allows the blanks to come directly from the pallet. Usually, when the blanks magazine runs empty, machine operators need to react quickly to avoid unnecessary interruptions. With the new TLM Comfort Feeder, this is now a thing of the past. All it takes is to place the entire pallet with the blanks – still in the blank sheet – into the machine. An F4 robot then pulls the blanks one by one directly from the sheet and feeds them into the erecting process at a rate of 60 cycles per minute.

This process also has another advantage: The sheet cutting process can be optimized to maximize packaging material utilization, thus saving material, resources and costs. The combination of a new type of sheet infeed, high erecting capacity and loading and sealing in a small space offers Schubert customers an attractive machine concept.