At Zeta Group, we are located in the heart of America’s Dairyland. With a rich history and expertise in dairy production, Wisconsin is a hub for cheese manufacturing.

Being located in Wisconsin allows us to specialize in end of line applications for cheese manufacturers, especially palletizing applications.

In this blog we are going to highlight two of our applications that were for cheese manufacturers. These two cases showcase the wide range of palletizing options available for end of line cheese production.

Palletizing 40lb Cases with FANUC M-410

One of our projects for a cheese manufacturer was palletizing somewhat larger and heavier cases. These cases were 40lbs each and the application required us to handle 3 – 4 cases at a time. Because of this, we integrated our Poseidon Automation Solution utilizing a FANUC M-410 industrial robot for its robust payload capabilities.

Highlights of this project:

• Robot tool handled slip sheets and cases without needing to be changed.
• The entire system included a depalletizing robot, “smart” conveyor, pallet accumulator/dispenser, and a stretch wrapper.
• All operations were designed to work in a 37-degree cold room environment.

Palletizing 7lb Cases with FANUC CRX-25iA

The other palletizing application for a cheese manufacturer didn’t have such high payload requirements but wanted to prioritize floorspace availability instead. For this application we were able to integrate our Hermes a Mobile Cobot Solution utilizing a FANUC CRX-25iA. Using a cobot meant the application didn’t need bulky fencing or safety scanners and therefore took up a lot less space than an industrial robot would.

Highlights of this system:

• Zeta’s Hermes – Cobot placed on mobile cart, allows for redeployment.
• Tooling was able to handle two cases at once, to manage the rate.