TRAPO GmbH solution transfers empty cans and jars
Unpacking and removing palletized products at a constant rate is a time-saving intralogistics challenge. The high-performance layer depalletizer (HLSP series) from TRAPO GmbH offers two innovations at once: The HLSP is the world’s first to depalletize and trans up to 90,000 empty jars or cans per hour. An absolute safety advantage in this performance class: The system is operated completely at ground level. A second operating level by means of a platform, which is customary in the competition, was avoided.
The TRAPO GmbH solution convinces by the use of a lifting column in combination with a magnetic or vacuum gripper and thus enables the efficient depalletizing of empty food cans (tinplate / aluminum) or empty jars and transfers them – with an output of up to six layers per minute. This corresponds to approximately 1500 empty cans per minute. The depalletizing line enables a complete layer of empty cans or empty jars of different sizes and shapes to be gripped on pallets up to three meters high at a time and safely depalletized and loaded as a complete layer in a single operation.
Introduction of the pallet and pallet magazine to the line
The metal pallet attachment frame forms the optimum transport safeguard for loose products such as empty cans. Applied as the end of each layer, it creates fully-fledged transport units that are ideal for stacking. In a first depalletizing step, these reusable pallet-stacking frames are removed by a magnetic gripper and deposited in a space-saving manner.
This is followed by the core task of depalletizing empty cans: A magnetic gripper with integrated pneumatic magnetic plate for maximum holding force picks up the entire layer of cans, including the stabilizing cardboard intermediate layer. The magnetic gripper enables energy-efficient and process-safe handling of ferromagnetic workpieces. The permanent magnet is moved by pneumatics. In this way, it can securely grip the magnetic workpieces – in this case empty cans – and deposit them again in an optimum manner. In the case of empty glass, the vacuum prevents broken glass in production. The magnetic gripper was installed on a lifting column with Y-axis from the high-performance layer palletizer product family (HLP series). This enables process-reliable, high outputs even with tall packs of up to three metres in height.
In a third step, a downstream vacuum gripper removes the stable cardboard layer pad which protects the can layers on the pallet against external influences. These are also stacked in a magazine and made available. The magnetic gripper securely conveys the empty cans onto the conveyor belt so that they can be moved on for filling. All common pallet formats (Euro, industrial, CHEP etc.) are depalletized.
Future-proof: TTS Ready connection and digital support
As an alternative to rigid conveyor technology, TRAPO GmbH offers TTS Ready – the connection via Shuttle Automated Guided Vehicles of the TTS series – for pallet loading, empty pallet removal and layer pad removal. Retrofitting is also possible.
If desired, depalletizing can be monitored and optimized via TIM, the TRAPO Intelligent Managementsystem. With TIM, TRAPO GmbH is a pioneer of automated data collection, evaluation and system control. It is oriented to the theoretical ideal – the OEE calculation of the plant. Thanks to TIM, operating personnel receive, for example, a warning in the event of a drop in performance in production, including a definition of the affected part or fault, notification of potential wear parts and information on replacement intervals via the digital shopping cart.