Hygienic handling robots for the food industry and life sciences

Yaskawa has expanded its range in the field of robot applications in environments where hygiene is crucial. From the new robot series, the first two models have been presented; with a payload of 7 kg and 8 kg respectively, these HD robots have been developed and produced entirely in Europe. Developed in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, the new high-performance 6-axis robots are specifically designed for use in the food industry and life sciences.

Industries
Food
Life Sciences

Products
HD Series

Hygienic Design

The robots in the new HD series (HD stands for “Hygienic Design”) are capable of performing a wide range of handling tasks in hygiene-sensitive environments, including the food industry, laboratory automation and the pharmaceutical sector. The prerequisite for this is hygienic design: this is where the expertise of the Fraunhofer Institute comes in.

Resistant to cleaning agents

The new robot features specific details to facilitate cleaning, including a special axle seal and a rounded design that is free of dead space and operates entirely without external screws, gaps or recesses. In addition, surfaces and materials have been used that are mechanically and chemically resistant to the kinds of substances and cleaning agents commonly found in the life sciences and food industries. This prevents paint particles from entering food products, as is common in food production to this day.

The highest protection class IP69K and a particularly smooth surface (surface roughness < 0.8 Ra) minimize the adhesion of dirt particles and microorganisms. Cleaning is further facilitated by the fact that the application cables and media cables (e.g. for compressed air) run inside the robot arm, while the cables are routed through the base of the robot. Other advantages include low particle emissions (ISO class 5 for the HD7 and ISO class 4 for the HD8) and the use of food-grade grease (FGG).

Short delivery times

The new series is launched with the HD7 and HD8 models, with payloads of 7 kg and 8 kg, respectively. They are produced at the Yaskawa plant in Kočevje, Slovenia, where they were also developed in close cooperation with the renowned Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA and in exchange with customers within hygiene-sensitive environments. This ensures that the HD robots are competitively priced and have the added advantage of extremely short delivery times thanks to our production in Europe.

Award winner

The HD series is based on the powerful 6-axis robots from the renowned GP series. Recently, the HD7 robot won one of the world's largest design competitions - the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2024. The Red Dot label is internationally recognized as one of the most coveted quality labels for design excellence.

Scoop in the Benelux

The first HD robots in the Benelux have been delivered to specialty machine builder Van Wees Waalwijk. Van Wees has developed a binpick food cell in which two HD7 robots pick and place raw food by means of a vision system. The first project for which this machine is customized is for a salad production company, where the HD robots place pieces of raw peppers and bags of salad dressing in the bowls of lettuce. A special feature of this machine is the vision system that can very accurately determine the position of the objects and place them in the correct position. Another remarkable element is the high level of hygiene of the machine which makes handling raw foods no problem at all.

Flexible execution

The machine is mobile in design and can be wheeled directly to the right place on the production line. All necessary components are included in the construction. Simply connect it to the power supply and compressed air, choose the right program and it is ready to perform its tasks. The machine is equipped with a turntable and accommodates four crates of ingredients for the salads. This design allows the line to continue running during a crate change and allows it to work in very small spaces. The machine was created through intensive cooperation between Yaskawa, Alpha Robotica, Fizyr and Van Wees Waalwijk and is available from February 2025.

This project is made possible in part by a contribution from the National Growth Fund program NXTGEN HIGHTECH.