MEPCA discovered how a German brewery is benefitting from robotic palletising, thanks to a solution from Kawasaki Robotics.
Westheimer Brewery is a private brewery rooted in more than 150 years of tradition. From its factory in the Sauerland region of Germany, it produces regional beer specialities and prepares them for distribution both regionally and internationally. In order to remain competitive in an increasingly diversified market, Westheimer installed a Kawasaki robot in August 2017, one of the first to do so among their competitors. The ease, flexibility and efficiency of its automated system have inspired it to automate additional processes in the future.
Finding qualified workers is a growing challenge for Westheimer Brewery and the greater manufacturing industry. The number of applicants in the region is continuously declining, which can cause lapses in production. In addition, Westheimer wanted to reduce the physical strain on employees that can be caused by end-of-line work.
The brewery’s previous, older palletising machinery would frequently break down, making it clear that it was time for modernisation.
The Westheimer Brewery’s production volume has remained at a constant level for years, but the increasing product diversification was another factor the company had to consider when building its new system. It had to be flexible and adaptable to new products.
Empty bottles are manually fed into an automatic sorting machine at the entrance of the plant, where they are cleaned and rinsed. After filling, the bottles are inspected and placed in crates. These steps are still manual, but Westheimer plans to install a pick-and-place robot in the future to handle these tasks.
From there, production takes place on two interconnected levels – empty bottles and the final product are processed on the lower level, and bottles are filled on the upper level. In the new system, a conveyor belt transports the bottles between the two levels, which allows crates to be loaded and unloaded by the Kawasaki CP500L palletising robot.
The robot sits on a concrete base with cabling laid through its interior. The brewery worked with German Kawasaki integrator Schröder Engineering Team to design the ideal system for its process. Together with Kawasaki Robotics GmbH, the integrator was involved in every step of the installation.
The new palletising system is flexible and adaptable to new or different products. A tool changing station is connected to the magazine, where the right gripping tools are readily available for the robot to change based on product type. This flexibility not only saves time but also enables significantly higher and consistent product quality.
The high degree of flexibility is also a great advantage when it comes to external orders. Westheimer Brewery works in a one-shift operation, and special orders – such as organic beer – are added at regular intervals. It also supports other breweries from its large network and numerous craft beer labels and start-ups that have shaped the beer market in recent years. Having a flexible automated system allows Westheimer to keep up with beer industry trends more easily.
To meet its goals, the brewery needed a workhorse with a high payload that could fit in its space. The Kawasaki CP500L robot checked all of the boxes: the compact palletising robot has a payload of 500kg and a maximum speed of 900 cycles per hour. With a reach of 3,255mm, a palletising height of 2,200mm and a net weight of only 1,650kg, it is the most powerful robot in its class.
In addition to the speed, precision and compact design of the robot, the independent loading of the machine and Kawasaki’s Cubic-S safety system were also key selling points. A new chain gripper for the same purpose would have required more programming and been more susceptible to faults.
Currently, the Kawasaki robot CP500L processes more than 1,200 crates per hour – and there is even more potential.
Thanks to its integrated control system, the robot enables effective crate handling, utilising a single machine in a small space. The Cubic-S-based safety system also functions reliably and easily: As soon as the door to the robotic cell is opened, the power is switched off, and employees can enter the system without hesitation.
The brewery’s robotic palletising system simultaneously helps it combat an industry-wide labour shortage while allowing it to redeploy existing employees to more human-friendly roles better suited to their skills.
The new CP500L robot is just the beginning in the Westheim Brewery. In the long term, the company plans to replace more machines with robots and automate numerous steps in its processes.
