[Case study] Automation of sleeve application for ready-meal pots

Context

Faced with growing demand, our client - a manufacturer of industrial ready meals - sought to take a significant step forward by substantially increasing the packaging speed for its pots. The goal was to automate the sleeve-application process - previously performed manually - in order to improve both productivity and process consistency.

Technical features

• Production rate: 120 products/min
• Product type: Round sealed pot (1 format – several recipes)
• Sleeve type: pre-glued sleeve (1 format – several references)

Provided solution

To optimize the production line rate while ensuring seamless integration into the existing production environment, MG Tech designed and supplied a wrapping machine for the automatic sleeving of pots.

This overwrapping machine includes the following functions:

• Conveying sealed pots from the production line, with a system to regulate pot spacing at the overwrapper infeed
• Unstacking and opening pre-joined sleeves from six available magazines
• Insertion and snap-fitting of pots into sleeves using Delta robots, involving product pick-up on the fly (tracking), spacing after unstacking, and spacing during transfer prior to closing. All operations are performed on the fly by each robot at every station.
• Sealing the sleeves with glue
• Quality control and identification via inkjet marking (integration of additional equipment)

The advantages of the solution

The automatic wrapping machine provided by MG Tech offers numerous advantages for our client:

• Increased productivity:
  Our client significantly improves packaging speed—reaching up to 120 sleeved pots per minute—compared to the manual sleeving process previously used;
   
• Cost reduction:
  By investing in our wrapping machine, the client has reduced labor costs and, more importantly, optimized resources by reassigning operators to higher value-added tasks;
   
• Machine reliability and quality:
  Our wrapping machine ensures perfect packaging consistency and repeatability. Thanks to the infeed regulation system and pot tracking, our Delta robots can adjust their pick-up angles for perfect insertion into the sleeves, guaranteeing high-quality finished products.
   
• Compliance with internal requirements and standards
  Although the machine is not designed for operation in a wet environment, the stations where standing water may accumulate on the products (particularly following the pasteurization process) have been engineered to withstand moisture and water spray without equipment deterioration over time.
   
• Easy machine access:
  The machine offers 360° visibility and access, allowing operators to work directly at the station in an ergonomic manner. For instance, the six sleeve magazines are hinged to provide operators with quick and easy access to the machine's interior for maintenance tasks.