Customers sometimes ask us whether there is a simpler way to load trays into our sealing machines than having operators doing what is a fairly mundane task.  Robots have long been used for such processes but they normally require substantial guarding for operator safety which can make for an inconvenient working environment.

Thanks to Mitsubishi Electric, we have been able to test one of their latest products, the ASSISTA Collaborative Robot.  This device has been specially designed to safely operate in a workspace shared with humans without the need for any restrictive guarding.  As the system runs with low torque, if a person is in its way it will just stop and wait for them to move out of the way without posing any risk of injury.

This opens up the possibility of positioning such a device on a workbench where people can place trays of finished product awaiting sealing and leave the ASSISTA to load these into the sealing machine and then either unload finished product into boxes or stack them up on the bench.