Robot-assisted production of dairy products

The Stäubli HE robots prove their worth not only in the execution of all process steps along the way from basic cheese wheel to sales packaging, but also in a variety of other tasks.

For example, these highly versatile machines automate cheese care systems, de-rind cheese loaves with laser cutting, and coat them with seasoning. In this way, they relieve human employees of strenuous tasks and become valued work colleagues of the future.

One major benefit for users is that Stäubli WFT’s advanced AGVs provide a full range of solutions, in which even the transport of cheese loaves between storage, process stations and the shipping department is automated.

Stäubli robots in the HE series also meet the stringent requirements for the production of fresh cheese. Users all over the world appreciate these unique machines not only for their excellent hygienic properties, but also for their dependability.

For cheese producers, the deployment of robots delivers a high degree of flexibility combined with maximum product safety. The use of the highly dynamic Stäubli four- and six-axis robots lubricated with food-grade oil ensures the elimination of harmful contaminants.

In the manufacturing of soft cheese products, too, more and more standard processes are being automated with Stäubli HE robots. The reasons for this are clear: greater flexibility, increased output and maximum reliability. The process steps are similar to those in fresh cheese production.

The robots start with the preliminary processes of curd preparation, take on the handling operations along the line, and manage the storage of the products in racks for further processing as well as loading the mold-washing machines – all of this being done safely, precisely and hygienically.

A production line for blue cheese offers yet another prime example of how the finely tuned Stäubli portfolio of AGV stackers along with four- and six-axis robots in the Humid Environment (HE) specification can be used to implement groundbreaking automation solutions.

The production line also shows that Stäubli Robotics can provide a precisely matched robot for every task. While SCARA robots equipped to HE specification are used directly upstream and downstream of the cutting process, a large standard version SCARA TS2-100 is used for secondary packaging.