January 2021

38 n PACKAGING January 2021 www.drivesncontrols.com Chocolate-packing robots are a Turkish delight T he Turkish chocolate-maker Bolçi Bolu was formed in 1992 and now has a range of more than 800 different products, and employs 300 people at its 20,000m 2 factory. Each month, it produces more than 200 tonnes of chocolate, and currently exports its products to 13 countries. In line with its promise of delivering chocolates that are “untouched by human hands”, Bolçi has recently commissioned three delta robots in its packaging section. The goal was to boost its production capacity and efficiency, to minimise production errors, and to improve its infrastructure. Before introducing the robots, the chocolates were placed by hand into plastic dividers. Managing this process was complicated by fact that the company faces considerable variations in demand for special occasions and at different times of the year, so production can fluctuate widely. Bolçi called in a Turkish systems integrator, Innovas, which specialises in food industry applications. Innovas first analysed the filling times for the different dividers and carried out feasibility studies on issues such as whether robots would be a suitable for picking-and-placing the chocolates. Based on the results of these studies, it developed the robot application in conjunction with Omron, while also emphasising the importance of developing a culture of employees working alongside the robots. When Omron was asked to recommend a suitable robot, it assessed the requirements of the application. Because the type of products on the line can vary and Bolçi needed the variations to be arranged rapidly into the same style of box, Omron suggested using its compact four-arm Quattro robot, which has a unique kinematic structure and is among the fastest in its market. The next stage saw Innovas installing three of the robots which are now being used to pick up the chocolates and place them into the dividers, saving time and reducing the amount of labour required. The robots work in sync with each other in an integrated system that includes visual inspection and safety functions. Chocolate is a extremely delicate and it is important that its shape doesn’t change during the process. This requires precise handling and accurate positioning. One person places the dividers on a conveyor belt while another feeds chocolates through 12 channels – four for each robot. Conveyors carry the chocolates to the robots where a camera system checks their arrangement. If they are in the wrong position, the robots pick them up using a vacuum system and arrange them correctly. In the packaging area, the robots place the chocolates into boxes and dividers. Bolçi has around 40 sizes and types of box. An operator chooses the boxes to be filled on a screen and the appropriate mechanical adjustments are made. The robots can stack up to 12 different chocolates in four boxes at the same time. The new installation has resulted in a 40% increase in production capacity and a 20% reduction in the number of personnel needed, some of whom have been transferred to non-automated parts of the factory. The robots have also enabled Bolçi to offer shorter deadlines to its customers, and to achieve its desired production quality by minimising errors. The company is now manufacturing quality, hygienic products that are untouched by human hands. In the future, Bolçi plans to increase its production capacity by increasing the number of robots on the line. The company wants to raise its level of automation, with the ultimate goal of becoming a smart factory complying with Industry 4.0 principles. “This investment is an important step towards our goal of the transition of our factory to Industry 4.0,” says Bolçi Chocolate vice-chairman, Deniz Aksoy. “Through this project, we have transformed one of our business processes by automating it. This has provided a good start that will help us to apply concepts such as the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 as we move towards the full automation of all our processes in the future.” n A Turkish chocolate-maker has installed three delta robots on a packaging line, boosting its production capacity by 40% while reducing its workforce by 20%. The company is now aiming to became an Industry 4.0 compliant operation. Bolci’s robots can stack up to 12 different chocolates in four boxes at the same time.