36 n FOOD AND BEVERAGE September 2026 www.drivesncontrols.com Robotic labelling of Serrano hams is a food-industry first It takes 10-18 months to dry and ripen a Spanish Serrano ham. A mid-sized Serrano producer can process more than 5,000 hams per day, so labelling them with the week, year, and batch number is a crucial step in the process. The hams need to be labelled because it determines their progression through different ageing and drying processes. Until recently this was a laborious task. Because a robot would not be able to detect the bones in the ham, human involvement was essential. But it is a physically demanding task, which also requires expertise, because the operators must avoid areas with bones, which the tool used to apply the label cannot penetrate. It is obvious that automation would be an advantage. But this has not previously been possible, because the location of the bones in the hams – which account for 30-40% of the total weight of a 8-12kg ham – can vary. For each ham, the operator must make choices based on their experience. Now, a Spanish systems integrator, called Timpolot, believes it has found an answer by combining a robot with a fastener applicator and an AI-supported vision system. It can attach up to 900 labels per hour. Timpolot’s founder and general manager, Jordi Bassols, describes the process: “The hams are placed manually on a conveyor belt in a random manner. A vision system identifies the position of each piece and, using AI, determines the ideal labelling point while avoiding bone impact.” At the same time, a printer creates a plastic label. A Scara robot, installed next to the conveyor and equipped with a pneumatic fastener applicator, picks up the label and, guided by tracking coordinates from the camera, injects the applicator’s needle into the ham. “In the meat industry, no two pieces are identical, which makes handling more complex,” Bassols explains. “The robot must allow smooth communication with the peripherals to adapt to constant changes. It also guarantees labelling quality, with all labels being placed in the same position on each ham, while ensuring reliable product traceability, enabling the client to deliver a high-quality final product.” The system has been installed on a line operated by a major Serrano ham producer. It can process 150,000 to 180,000kg of ham per day at a continuous rate of 750 pieces/hour, peaking at 900 pieces/hour – a cycle time of just four seconds. In fact, the robot could work even faster, but label printing and other processes limit the speed of the process. “By automating this task, we address several important aspects,” Bassols reports. “First, improving job quality, reducing sick leaves, and allowing operators to be dedicated to higher-value tasks; and second, achieving better traceability control by centralising all IT management at one single point.” The Scara robot that Timpolot chose – a HE (humid environment) version of a Stäubli TS280 machine – is designed for food industry applications. Its surfaces are smooth, and its housing is designed to withstand regular cleaning with industrial detergents and medium-pressure water. The robot is also lubricated with food-grade H1 oil. The system’s camera is connected to a PC where image processing and AI-based analysis take place. The coordinates are sent to a PLC (an Omron NX1P2), which transmits them to the robot via Ethernet/IP and manages the peripherals. In addition to handling I/O, the PLC acts as a communications hub for all of the line’s equipment, providing information to the operator via an HMI. The role of AI is crucial. “Since hams are irregular objects, part of the algorithm uses traditional vision functions, but the integrated AI can determine the labelling point more precisely and predict bone positions, which prevents needle breakage during fastener injection,” Bassols explains. The line has been running for several months, to the customer’s satisfaction. It is a performing a task that, until now, could only be done by humans. n A Spanish automation specialist has developed a system for applying labels automatically to individual Serrano hams – an arduous task that was previously performed by experienced human personnel, who had to take care to avoid the bones inside the ham. A vision system guides the pneumatic label fastener carried by the Stäubli Scara robot arm to apply labels to up to 900 hams per hour (Image: Stäubli Tec-Systems Robotics)
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