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Wet Wipes Case Packed via Robots at 160/min

Medline Industries replaces an aging case-packing system with one that allows for robotic case erecting, packing, and case sealing, as well as semi-automated operations for smaller batches.

Fanuc robots at Medline
With new equipment for secondary packaging that includes three Fanuc six-axis robots, Pearson was able to exceed Medline’s rate expectations, delivering 160 products/min.

Medline Industries of Northfield, Ill., is the largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies, including medical-grade wet wipes. Not long ago, the medical resource provider realized that its existing system for case packing wet wipe products comprised outdated equipment that no longer fulfilled its needs.

To find new equipment to replace its aging machinery, including a 2004 Goodman gantry packer, Medline turned to Pearson Packaging Systems, which had acquired Goodman in 2008.

Medline was looking for a solution that could accommodate large- and small-scale operations at 150 products/min. They also wanted the ability to quickly scale production, anticipating rapid market acceptance of a test product.

Case packer at MedlineRobotic Top Loaders use custom end-of-arm vacuum tooling to pick packs of wipes in groups of two, three, or four, according to the recipe.Pearson’s solution also needed to address the old machine’s limited two-axis, gantry-style movements, which caused the product’s corners to catch on the corrugated during packing. Additionally, product shingling during transfer at higher rates restricted the speeds at which the previous solution could pack product.

Through simplified and accelerated changeovers, decreased downtime and maintenance, and reduced dependence on low-skilled labor, Medline was hoping to achieve a significantly reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

With new equipment for secondary packaging that includes a Pearson CE15-T case erector, three Fanuc six-axis robots with continuous-motion conveying—all model M-10iD/12 robots—and a Pearson CS25-42T case sealer, Pearson was able to exceed Medline’s rate expectations, delivering 160 products/min. The system also includes an ergonomic hand-pack and hand-seal station with case start-and-stop foot pedals that allow for of small batches of test product without needed to program new recipes into the HMI.

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