In January, AFA Systems (afasystemsinc.com) introduced the TR-CPP – Transrector Series Combination Case Packer Palletizer. The system combines AFA’s Case Packing and Palletizing Technology. It features a single gantry robot that will complete case erecting, slip sheet inserting and palletizing. The gantry robot will pick a case from a penny stack and erect the case onto the loading station. At the loading station, the product is end loaded into the case. The gantry robot will drive the case through the sealing station and then automatically palletize the case. The same gantry robot will be used for picking a slip sheet and applying it to the pallet.
The TR-CPP system offers the end user a much smaller footprint compared to traditional palletizing cells. With all the functions integrated on one frame, connecting conveyors and infeed systems for the palletizer and case packer are not required. In addition, maintenance teams will only need to specialize on one system compared to having to learn two separate systems. There are frequent situations where the systems are provided by two separate manufacturers which increases training and maintenance cost for the packaging systems. The system also has high usability as changes to the pallet pack pattern and configuration can easily be completed through the HMI.