Robotics in the Material Handling Industry

According to a 2021 Intrado report, the global material handling robotics market is expected to surpass $13.8 billion in value by 2026. The automation of material handling functions is one of the solutions that an increasing number of companies are relying on to reach their objectives in productivity, floor space optimisation, safety standards and the allocation of their workforces to other value-add activities.

The primary purpose of material handling robots is to simplify manufacturing operations and minimise manufacturing time. They offer excellent accuracy and reliability, eliminating the need for significant human intervention. More importantly, the range of applications is vast, limited more by human imagination than mechanical constraints.

Companies across various industries like motor, retailers, breweries, logistics and even medical continue to integrate the power of handling robotic automation as part of their everyday service chain. The benefits to quality, consistency, production costs and flexibility provide more opportunities for innovation in current and future business models.

Exploring handling applications

Mask mania

With the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for FFP2 respirator masks increased exponentially. In the early days, however, there was a severe lack of production capacity. That quickly changed in 2020 when German provider Unimatic Automationssysteme GmbH’s expert mechanical engineers reacted swiftly and were able to offer efficient solutions in an impressively short time.

When looking for the best solution for efficient mask production, the technicians quickly discovered Yaskawa, whose MP3300iec machine controller and Sigma-7 servo drives have already proven effective in similar applications. With the expert assistance of Yaskawa’s automation specialists, Unimatic Automationssysteme GmbH accelerated their production and successfully created a fully automatic protective mask assembly system.

Traditional brewery goes robotic

When award-winning family-owned beverage company Roma Mineralvannfabrikk noticed a sharp increase in demand in 2014, they required a flexible solution to ensure stable production for the years to come.

Roma invested in two Yaskawa Motoman robots and gripper tools, paired with a clever design of a sorting table to handle both single bottles and bottles in multi packs. The new flexibility of their modern packaging system has since been a vital contributor in the company’s 30% increase in sales.

Lifting of transport goods

Manual lifting of heavy materials can be hazardous, labour intensive and tedious. Given the challenge of lifting different transport goods processed in the wood industry without the need to use a separate gripper for each, Yaskawa developed a custom design using a large-area vacuum gripper with a patented valve system.

As a result, all transport goods could be picked up with a single suction cup, irrespective of their shape and contours. With no need for tool or suction gripper change, it resulted in an efficient solution with savings in both set-up and tool costs.

Get in touch with Yaskawa

Built on years of technical experience, Yaskawa’s material handling robots can eliminate the requirement of tedious and hazardous labour, as well as provide consistent accuracy in various industrial environments. Our experience in understanding global industry requirements allows us to outline flexible and intelligent robotic solutions for your specific business needs. Additionally, we provide training and support for the robot’s entire life cycle, giving you the tools and skills you need to get the most out of your investment.

If you would like to discuss how we can add real value to your business with robotics, please contact us for more info.