Press Release

Spokane, WA – Pearson Packaging Systems, capital equipment manufacturer and engineering services firm for secondary packaging automation, announces the release of its newest line of robotic partition inserters (RPIs). Optimized to meet the growing range of needs across the beverage, household, and personal care industries, the line is built around the extensive advantages of robotics, including reliability, flexibility and minimal maintenance requirement. The line includes three RPI models: a single-robot solution with speeds up to 20 partitions per minute (ppm), a dual-robot solution with speeds up to 38 ppm, and a triple-robot solution with speeds up to 55 ppm.

Utilizing between one and three FANUC M-10A/12 six-axis robots, the RPIs can accommodate multi-cell (most commonly 6-cell or 12-cell) chipboard partitions in end air, side air, and shunted styles. Custom end-of-arm tooling employs articulated motion to pick knockdown partitions from the positive pressure magazine and insert them into the case. Compared with traditional solutions using start/stop movements, the articulated motion of Pearson’s RPI is fluid, and when paired with continuous motion grip conveying, substantially reduces the likelihood of mispicks, case jams and product damage.

Changeovers on Pearson’s RPIs are fast—typically under 10 minutes start to finish—and facilitated by step-by-step instructions with accompanying photos and numbered changeover points on the HMI. Automatic tool change is available as an option, providing on-the-fly adjustments to accommodate different products, partition styles and cases.

Timothy Hill, Product Manager at Pearson Packaging Systems, sees robots as the future of secondary packaging. “Not only do they provide a more consistent result and greater reliability over mechanical solutions, they also provide superior flexibility. While the upfront cost may be more, the total cost of ownership over time is much less when you factor in the savings from reduced product damage, maintenance expenses and production downtime.”

As with all Pearson robotic equipment, the RPIs can be customized to meet the unique needs not covered by the standard product offering. To ensure an intuitive machine user experience, Pearson’s User Centric Design philosophy provides a standard 10” graphical HMI screen with interactive maps, instructions and data history.

More information about the Robotic Partition Inserter can be found in our Case Study and Technical Note.