Automating any process in a production sequence can simplify operational challenges, as well as increase efficiency and quality. Yamaha Motor Robotics' FA division has helped companies in various sectors of the food industry achieve these benefits by introducing robots for packaging and labeling.

One of Yamaha's customers in food production, an established brand of baked sweets with a history dating back more than 100 years, recently installed a series of SCARA robots to optimize production capacity by packaging the sweets into boxes of various sizes.

If conventional manual packaging is used, the number of workers required in the production area varies depending on the number of boxes ordered and the quantity of sweets to be packaged. Figure 1 illustrates the workstations in the production area. The table shows how the optimal number of workers fluctuates according to the production target. This presents a challenge for managers, who must ensure that only the necessary number of workers are present each day.

Figure 1. Conventional manual packaging can be inefficient if there are more workers than necessary in the production area.

“Our team analyzed the workflow in the packaging area and proposed a set of eight YK400XE SCARA robots, connected via LCMR200 linear transport modules,” explains Jumpei Ninomiya, Sales Director of the Factory Automation (FA) division at Yamaha Motor Europe Robotics Business. “Only one worker is needed to supervise the robots, which simplifies human resource management and stabilizes production, ensuring that all orders can be fulfilled efficiently.”

With a 400 mm boom length and a 4 kg payload capacity, the YK400XE is the smallest in the high-performance, affordable YK-XE series. Ideal for palletizing, loading/unloading, assembly, and inspection, it easily connects to Yamaha's RCX340 controller to unlock its full potential. This includes automatic acceleration and deceleration optimization, which improves control—especially when moving heavy loads—while also maximizing reliability and minimizing vibration.

As a further improvement to the candy packaging application, the integration of the RCXiVY2+ vision system allowed each YK400XE to check the orientation and position of each individual item to be packaged. The modernized production area (Figure 2) can now operate continuously, 24 hours a day, with supervisors working in 8-hour shifts. The LCMR200 conveyor modules provide the flexibility needed to quickly adjust the conveyor's stop position to handle boxes of different sizes.

Figure 2. SCARA robots can package sweets accurately and at a constant speed, 24 hours a day, to maintain constant productivity.

A company spokesperson added: "In addition to providing the anticipated labor savings, our new Yamaha SCARA robots have improved productivity, reduced costs, and decreased human error, thereby enhancing quality. They allow us to preserve our history and tradition while modernizing our processes and offering our customers even more delicious baked goods."

Companies that handle food products such as meat may face a very different challenge. The environment in which meat is handled must be kept at a constant 4°C. Humans cannot work safely in those conditions for extended periods.

Yamaha's latest customer in the food industry has successfully automated the labeling of fresh meat packages under refrigerated conditions using YK-TW SCARA robots. The company's production managers had previously considered using a parallel link robot, which is common in many factories.