Conveyance – the Heart of Robotic Automation

A well-designed conveying solution has a significant impact on e-commerce operations. Image courtesy of Dorner.

By: Marco Pardo, Contributor

Many companies are undertaking steps to automate their warehousing operations because they see the long-term value that investment brings. Especially in the e-commerce segment, where products and parcels are continually on the move, the best way to maintain those shipping goals is through robotic automation. Of course, a critical component to ensuring those products are sorted, picked, labeled and shipped on time is conveyance.

When you strip down almost any automation, the heart of the system is conveyance. The ability to accurately move products through each step of manufacturing and packaging depends on conveyance, which is why selecting the right conveyor to complement the specific line’s automation is so important. Robotic automation typically involves some combination of unscrambling, sorting, picking, labeling, case packing, sealing, palletizing and stretch wrapping. Maximizing efficiency on larger-scale lines with many of these components requires conveyance that integrates well with robotic automation.

The Robotic Automation and Conveyor Partnership

Conveyance integrated with robotic automation can maximize efficiency on a larger scale. Image courtesy of Dorner.

Robotic automation is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Smaller, agile, collaborative robots, or cobots, which are designed to safely share a workspace with people, are quickly gaining popularity. This is opening new applications within packaging, assembly and other industries that previously didn’t involve any robotic interaction.

Conveyor manufacturers are answering the call by engineering new platforms aimed specifically at operating within tight spaces in robotic integration with cobots. For example, some of these platforms are built with an internally mounted motor within the tails to reduce the conveyor’s footprint and maximize belt coverage while providing an easy-to-integrate conveyor package. These conveyors are better equipped to work 24/7 operation in logistics, e-commerce and material handling applications.

Robotics are being deployed within smaller operations in end-of-line applications where palletizing is also required for lighter parts. Robots can remove employees from the monotonous, repetitive action of loading and unloading pallets all day long, which in the long run, saves an organization money in time and labor while reducing the risk of injury. Cobots are becoming more universally accepted; they’re safer for employees to work around and are easy to set up.

Robotics manufacturers have gone to great lengths to remove not only a lot of the guesswork and, quite frankly, the fear and unknown often associated with programming these systems but also make the integration with conveyance an easier endeavor. This, in part, is driving many traditional conveyor applications to consider adding robotics.

The process to streamline the conveyor/cobot merger begins with robotic manufacturers, some of whom have created their own software to make installation and programming fast and easy. For instance, conveyors and related accessories can be controlled with Universal Robot’s software plug-in to aid in setup, configuration and control. Once the program is installed, the conveyors can be added to the cobot control program, and the user is able to set the inputs and outputs needed for starting, stopping, speed reference and monitoring status information. This integration acts as a handshake between the conveyor and cobot, where an operator can run multiple conveyors off the controller simultaneously and observe overall line performance.

As more industries add automation to their warehousing, conveyance will play a vital role in making those operations efficient. However, not just any conveyor will do. While robots do a lot of the heavy lifting, the conveyors are the heart of any automated system.

Embracing E-Commerce

In addition to being an essential component for increasing automation, a well-designed conveying solution has a significant impact on e-commerce operations. Moving into a more digital space increases the required throughput and necessitates more of a warehouse-style packaging and storage line. A conveyor system engineered for an e-commerce environment adapts to both changes to boost efficiency and overall harmony within the line.

Throughput means more than pushing out as many packages as possible. It also means ensuring that the packages are delivered accurately and consistently. The standard for professionalism in packaging is high in e-commerce, with a box often serving as a customer’s first impression of the product and overall brand. A misapplied label or sloppy package are much bigger issues when the product skips the store and goes straight to the consumer.

Ensuring accuracy and proper alignment with precision conveyance is critical to delivering perfect, repeatable results during end-of-line packaging.

Warehousing can also pose unique packaging needs with pallets full of inventory moving through a massive space to be sorted for storing or shipping. Both the heavy load and the need for precision make warehouses an ideal application for automated guided vehicles (AGV), many of which are now manufactured to include conveyors. By building a conveyor into the AGV, the gap between the final steps of packaging and the first steps of storing closes. Product can be delivered directly onto the vehicle and dropped off properly with no need for any outside interference.

The manufacturing environment has changed drastically over the course of just a few years. Robotic automation and e-commerce have reshaped packaging and brought with them both incredible opportunities and complicated challenges. While adjusting to prepare a packaging line for the future, enhancing how it all comes together is the only way to ensure a cohesive line. And the first step toward making that happen is your conveyor system. WMHS

Marco Pardo is a product manager at Dorner. He can be reached at marco.pardo@dorner.com. Dorner is leading the way in developing new technologies to aid in e-commerce, automation, material handling, packaging, and many other applications (www.dornerconveyors.com).