Schubert has been developing and building all of its robots itself since 1981. The company now also has its own cobot in the starting blocks. handling asked Managing Partner Ralf Schubert about the background.

handling: There are robots on the market for every task. Why do you develop yours yourself?
Ralf Schubert: In short, because the packaging industry has different requirements to other industries. It's all about speed. A typical application is picking large quantities of chocolates from a moving product conveyor and placing them in trays or boxes on a parallel chain conveyor. Robots are part of our core competence as a company. We built the first one back in 1981.

What kind of robots are these?
We can offer a whole range of robots. We currently produce around 2,000 a year. We are now also developing our own cobot.

Which ultimately gave rise to this interview. What can cobots do for packaging?
Cobots increase flexibility both in terms of programming and the ability to work in close proximity to people. Conventional robots - and this also applies to the robots that we install in our systems - operate in a cell that protects people. Cobots can be used anywhere. A cobot is also easier for the user to program for new tasks.

They are developing their cobot outside the traditional company structures.
Yes, that's right. In principle, the development runs like a start-up in your own company. We have provided the development team with their own premises and a budget and let them work. Our aim is to speed up the processes and allow those involved to concentrate fully on their project away from day-to-day business. This works very well. We have been working with a prototype since last summer and have already made great progress in development.

What was the biggest technical challenge during development?
Image recognition and interpretation was the decisive task. And from two different points of view. On the one hand, we consider cameras to be the more forward-looking approach to the safety of people in the cobot's environment. On the other hand, image recognition is also crucial for the actual work of the cobot. For example, it makes it possible to recognize whether an object that the cobot is supposed to grasp complies with the specified standards. The cobot can then react accordingly. The first series specializes in typical pick & place applications.

How does your Cobot differ from other products on the market?
Speed. When it comes to packaging, speed and reliability are very important. Our cobot has been developed with this in mind. This is also the reason why we rely on cameras and image analysis for safety: With the same level of safety, hazardous situations can be detected faster and more precisely, thus reducing false alarms and downtimes. The cobot can therefore work at a much higher cycle rate. Behind this is artificial intelligence, which was developed precisely for these special requirements of the packaging industry.

Are your robots also interesting for other sectors?
We don't turn anyone away, but our strength is packaging, that's what we develop our technologies for, that's our identity as a company.

What other projects is Schubert working on?
We have significantly expanded our capabilities in the field of additive manufacturing, 3D printing. We have been working on this project continuously for six years.

Today, we already manufacture many tool components or even entire tools using the 3D printing process. Our experience in this area has now also opened up new possibilities for the use of 3D printed parts directly in the machines or in the production areas. For example, we also use 3D printing for the production of clamping fixtures or operating equipment.

Of course, this also opens up new avenues in terms of service and spare parts procurement. For example, old cast parts can be printed without the need for costly molds. Much more interesting, however, is the aspect that you no longer have to physically store spare parts or format or tool parts, but can simply access a virtual warehouse. The data is then sent to the printer and the component is built. True to the motto: Don't Store - Just Print. This approach naturally opens up many possibilities. Storage capacities are reduced, downtimes are avoided and packaging machines become much more flexible.

What plans do you have for the future?
We have to grow. In concrete terms. Our factory space is exhausted, which is why we are at an advanced stage of planning for an extension hall. dsc