Advanced Pick-and-Place Packaging

Machine for Food Production

Application Note
December 2017
Document Revision: 2.10
 Advanced Pick-and-Place Packaging Machine for Food
Production Application Note

Advanced Pick-and-Place Packaging Machine for Food Production

Release Date: December 2017

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incorporated into revisions of this document.

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Revision History
Date Revision Description

June 2017 2.10 Formatted using new template

August 2015 2.00 Formatted using new templatee

September 2005 1.00 First release

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 Advanced Pick-and-Place Packaging Machine for Food
Production Application Note

Table of Contents
General 4
Method of Operation (machine cycle description) 5
Implementation 5
Conclusions 6
Contact information 7

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General

General
This application note for pick-and-place packaging is for use for the SPiiPlusCM and HSSI-ED2
modules.
This application note describes a fully automated machine for packaging relatively small objects
into boxes with pre-formed indentations. The machine involves a vision system that locates the
position of each object and an XYZT motion system that picks each object and precisely places it in
indentations in each box.
Since a box can include a variety of different shaped objects, the packaging line in the factory
includes separate machines for each object type. Figure 1-1 illustrates theThe illustration below is an
overall concept of this machine.

Figure 1-1. Packaging machine – Conceptual Drawing

The machine includes the following moving parts as indicated by the numbers in Figure 1-1.
> 1: Feeder belt. This belt is loading the machine with new batch of pieces.
> 2: Boxes belt. This belt is continuously loading the machine with new boxes. The whole
pick-and-place operation is done while the boxes are moving at a constant velocity (the
belt never stops).
> 3: X and Y rotary motors, gears and lead-screw linear axes
> 4: Z and T actuators and a camera located on the picking head
> A camera, not illustrated, is located above the feeder belt
The throughput of the machine is 60 pieces per minute. Figure 1-2 illustratesThe illustration below
shows the mechanical construction of the machine.

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Method of Operation (machine cycle description)

Figure 1-2. Packaging machine – Mechanical Construction

Method of Operation (machine cycle description)

a. The A axis moves the Object belt and loads a new batch of objects. The objects are moved to a
fixed position above a source with light projected from beneath, while a camera records this
information from above. Since each object blocks the light, a “black” area is created, which later lets
the vision system locate the coordinates and rotation angle of each object.
b. The boxes belt is equipped with a digital encoder connected to the SPiiPlusCM. A photoelectric
sensor triggers a digital input by the SPiiPlusCM whenever a new box enters the machine. At that
moment, the SPiiPlusCM latches (Mark feature) the current position of the boxes belt to apply a
master – slave motion later on.
c. The X and Y axes move the picking head to the coordinates of the first object and picks it up a by
vacuum operated device working in the Z-axis.
d. The T axis rotates and aligns the object with the indentation in the box.
e. Since the boxes are continuously moving, the X and Y axes are moving towards the current
position of the first indentation in the box. Before reaching this position, the X axis becomes
synchronized with the current position of the box using the master –slave position lock feature of
the SPiiPlus.
f. When the object is precisely above an indentation and the velocities are synchronized, the Z axis
places the object in the box, and the vacuum is deactivated.
g. Without any delay, on-the-fly the master-slave motion is deactivated and the XY axes move back
to the coordinates of the second object.
h. Later the machine resumes the pick and place operation until the predefined number of
indentations in the box is filled with objects - and it moves to the next box.
i. When no objects remain, the machine starts the next cycle from step a. Objects that remain on
the belt because they were out of reach fall into a bin and are then recycled.

Implementation
> The SPiiPlusCM controls all six axes while receiving feedback positioning from five
encoders located on the motor shafts plus two additional encoders that indicate the
position of each belt. The SPiiPlusCM also drives three of the motors using the internal

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Conclusions

integrated digital drives for axes X, Y and Z. These internal digital drives provide a bus
voltage of 300V and continuous current up to 5A continuous/ 10A peak.
> Communication between the host PC and the SPiiPlus is via a fast Ethernet channel at
100Mbit/sec.
> Two external drives and encoders (Z and T axes) are connected via the HSSI-ED2, an
interface module for two external drives and two digital encoders.
> The host application is written in C# (C-Sharp) using the SPiiPlus C Library functions. The
SPiiPlus C Library provides a comprehensive set of DLLs with a large set of high-level
functions. This environment provides the programmer with a set of very intuitive and
rapid development tools.
> The SPiiPlus program is implemented on an industrial host PC running Microsoft® Windows
XP.
> A vision frame grabber is used to capture the camera images and calculates the
coordinates and rotation of each object.
> An operator terminal provides a Human Machine Interface (HMI) to setup the machine. The
HMI communicates with the SPiiPlus using the Modbus protocol over a serial RS-232
connection.

Conclusions
ACS’s SPiiPlusCM was found to be the best product for the implementation of this advanced
packaging machine for the following reasons:
> The SPiiPlusCM answered all the complex functional requirements of this application
including on-the-fly motion changes, position capture, and control of eight axes without
degradation in performance.
> High servo performance by the fast current, velocity and position loops rated at 20KHz for
each axis, minimizes motor tracking error.
> The SPiiPlusCM and HSSI modules are compact with a minimal footprint.
> The controller and integrated drives t provide the highest cost-performance ratio
compared with any other centralized or network- based solution.
> Simultaneous communication via Ethernet and two RS232 channels to communicate with
the host-PC, the HMI and with a second PC during the development and debugging
phases.
> Simple setup and axis tuning by the SPiiPlus Adjuster tool.

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Contact information

Contact information
For more information please contact:
BYTiCS TECHNOLOGIE AG
Geschäftsbereich Engineering
Seestrasse 60a
CH-8612 Uster
Switzerland

http://www.bytics.ch
Mr. Hans-Juerg Tschaeppeler, project manager,HTschaeppeler@bytics.ch
Mr. Marco Bosshard, application engineer, mbosshard@bytics.ch
Mr. Stefan Gerber, application engineer, sgerber@bytics.ch

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