Verla-Pharm Arzneimittel's blue and yellow packaged magnesium has been on pharmacy shelves for over 60 years. However, the portfolio of the medium-sized pharmaceutical manufacturer has long included a wide range of other mineral and vitamin preparations in various dosage forms. Herbal medicines, natural substances and dietary supplements round off the product range.

Today, around 270 employees manufacture the products in modern production facilities in Tutzing on Lake Starnberg. And the company continues to grow. In the course of continuous further development, the previously manual carton palletizing system at the end of an existing production line was to be replaced by an automated solution. The main requirements were for the system to be as easy to operate as possible and to take up as little floor space as possible.

Cobot automation solution from AHM

When looking for a suitable solution, the initial focus was on a classic palletizer with two linear axes. For this reason, those responsible turned to AHM Sondermaschinenbau in Dasing near Augsburg, which has been developing and implementing corresponding packing and palletizing systems for over 25 years. "The main challenge proved to be the limited space available on site," recalls Hubert Asam, Managing Director and Project Manager at AHM. He and his colleagues therefore brought another option into play: a solution with a cobot - a robot that enables safe human-robot collaboration (HRC) and therefore direct contact between the robot and operator. The advantage: people can safely approach the manipulator. This means that neither a safety area nor a safety fence enclosure is necessary.

With this in mind, the decision was actually made in favor of this alternative. Another advantage of the resulting small system is that it can be used very flexibly, as its lightweight design allows it to be easily moved to other locations in the plant if required. Last but not least, according to Managing Director Asam, it presents itself as a "smart, stylish solution that fits well into this high-quality production environment".

The system has a very simple design: The robot cell consists only of the robot arm mounted on a base with a matching gripper, controller and control unit. The cartons to be palletized arrive on the existing infeed conveyor and activate the robot via a light barrier. The robot then places the carton on a pallet in exactly the right position.

Motoman HC20 palletizing cobot

The special technical feature of this cell, which only appears simple at first glance, is a palletizing cobot from Yaskawa's Motoman HC ("Human Collaborative") robot series. Although it is a fully-fledged industrial robot, it can also work at a safely reduced speed. In the event of any collisions, which are definitely not dangerous, the manipulator stops immediately so that people can be directly in its working area.

At Verla-Pharm, the robot runs exclusively in safe, slow mode. The selected model, a Motoman HC20, is characterized by its dust and waterproof IP67 protection class, easy-to-clean surfaces and the use of food-grade grease (FGG). Above all, however, the Cobot offers a high load capacity of 20 kg combined with a reach of 1,900 mm. "It is therefore ideal for this application," says Hubert Asam. The gripper alone weighs around 3 kg, and together with the cartons to be palletized, this can easily add up to 15 kg. An MRK gripper from Schmalz is used here. Like many compatible accessory products from the Yaskawa ecosystem, this is matched to the manipulator. Such plug & play components make it easier for system partners such as AHM to quickly implement robot installations for many areas of application, especially for collaborative palletizing.

The system is extremely easy to operate. The cartons to be palletized activate the robot via a light barrier. © Yaskawa

Like all models in the Motoman HC series, the HC20 is also user-friendly to operate. In addition to using a clearly laid out hand-held control unit, it is also possible to guide and program the robot arm directly by hand (Direct Teach, DT). This saves time when creating robot programs. The special machine manufacturer AHM makes it even easier for its customer Verla-Pharm: the sequences for a total of three carton shapes are already pre-programmed.

The Motoman cobot guarantees the required safety in direct contact with the operator thanks to six integrated torque sensors, which safely switch off the robot in the event of a collision with people in its vicinity. This cobot series was specifically designed for human-robot collaboration in compliance with the applicable standards, in particular ISO/TS 15066. Depending on the risk assessment, such robots do not require any additional protective measures, such as a safety fence, which saves space and costs. The prescribed measurement of possible collision forces during commissioning is normally carried out by Yaskawa using special measuring and testing equipment - "a service that we are happy to make use of," says Hubert Asam.

The new palletizer is not only the first cobot in use at Verla-Pharm, but the first robot ever. The system has been running smoothly since installation and has met the high expectations right from the start. And it was also a groundbreaking, successful project for AHM: "HRC has future potential," says Managing Director and Project Manager Hubert Asam confidently. "Our customers are increasingly asking for it. Appropriate solutions are not least a marketing tool for us - especially as the robots in Yaskawa's Motoman HC series are also very visually appealing."