Robotic systems used in direct and indirect food handling are designed to withstand many washdowns. The robot must be built to withstand a large amount of water being sprayed from a high-pressure, high-volume hose. To improve the flow rate of product spills and cleaning solutions, surfaces should be convex, rounded or sloped.
Robots used in the production of food ingredients must comply with FDA and NSF standards, as well as A-3 Sanitary Standards Inc. specifications. Each takes a somewhat different approach to ensuring that food manufacturing equipment is safe.
The European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG), which provides scientific and technical standards on all elements of hygienic design criteria for equipment used in the food industry, has recently influenced the design of robotics used in food handling.
According to the latest EHEDG guidelines, robotics used in food processing must be built to meet hygiene standards that exceed 3-A sanitary standards. This is to ensure that the end product is microbiologically safe. Robotics equipment manufacturers in the US are increasingly turning to EH EDG for advice.
The physical design of enclosures and surroundings must also be considered as an integral part of a robot’s overall hygienic system. This is because they influence and affect the efficiency and effectiveness of design, installation, operation and maintenance. Validation procedures include consideration of the cleanliness of surfaces, air systems and drains.
Manufacturers are increasingly employing robots that can handle unpackaged products, opening up new possibilities for direct and indirect food handling. Robotic pick and place systems are low maintenance, versatile and customisable, making them ideal for manufacturing and packaging. Robotic automation in food processing improves quality, reduces picking and handling times and increases throughput by speeding up procedures.
A wide range of applications for picking and placing food, sorting and inter-plant routing for product handling are feasible using 5 and 6-axis articulated arm robots, high-speed delta style robots and 4-axis SCARA (Selective Compliance Articulated Robotic Arm). High-speed pick and place robots, such as the FANUC M-series delta-style robot or the FANUC SR-series SCARA robot, are ideal for picking food products and placing them into containers with high precision.
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