Industrial automation is not just about serving the automotive industry to lift car bodies, or electronics assembly to make the next iPhone or Android device. The food industry is also a prime candidate for robotic automation.
In the video above, we see how robotics can assist food processing facilities with the sterile handling and packaging of foods we find on our tables today, using robots like the MC50M Food-Grade Robot from Nachi Robotic Systems.
“The name stands for the code for the food grade, and we’ve modified the robot to make it appropriate for use with dairy products and contacting food,” said Robin Schmidt, VP of engineering and R&D at Nachi. “We use an NSF-certified lubricant for the gear boxes, minimize places where debris could get trapped and have special cleaning procedures.”
The robot’s silver hue is due to a food industry-approved stainless steel impregnated coating from STEEL-IT, which gives the robot a resistance to food industry cleaners.
The MC50M has a payload of up to 70kg (154lbs) and can use a variety of end-of-arm tooling to be able to handle a greater number of food products.
The robot has a repeatability of about 1/10th of a millimeter and has a reach of two meters.
For more information, watch the video above and visit the Nachi Robotic Systems website.