Efficiency tools

At Cibus Tec 2019, FlexLink (Coesia Group) displayed conveyors and collaborative systems for palletizing which are complementary, modular and standard, and are the protagonists of an efficient software and hardware “ecosystem”. Guido Bisi, Italy’s Country Manager of the company, tells us all about it.  Luciana Guidotti

Offer reliable and easily configurable tools, which can be applied in almost all industrial sectors and which allow the management of production flows in an effective, safe and under the best economic conditions.
This is the goal of FlexLink which, in addition to having consolidated its global leadership as a supplier of conveyor belts for a long time, expresses extensive skills in the field of robotics and advanced automation.
Guido Bisi, Italy Country Manager of FlexLink System SpA (based in Rivoli, TO) describes the recent innovations introduced in terms of design, development and service. Without obviously omitting the value of integration with the other companies of the Coesia Group.

Technology in the field

Tailor-made conveyors and layouts...
«The food sector is our preferred field of action - Bisi - but our solutions can be made to suit any industrial context.
For food we have developed specific chains and internal transport systems, in compliance with the rules imposed by the food sector. At Cibus Tec, for example, we presented a conveyor for packaged or bare products, such as hard cheeses or baked goods. In stainless steel, with a modular chain, it is designed according to American and European standards and in compliance with the FPA and FSMA regulations: With completely washable surfaces, completely free of depository spaces, part of the bearings are sealed to avoid contamination with oils and food... Furthermore, consistent with our constructive paradigm, it is designed to standard modules, thanks to which it is possible to create layouts with any configuration, based on the needs of the customer».

As a demonstration of the technological opportunities offered, FlexLink also brought to the fair a solution designed for dairy.
«Here we have reconstructed a section of the conveyor, designed to accommodate an X-ray scanning system. The proposal also includes a new chain cleaning system, with both dry and with detergent sanitization. The conveyor in question - the manager specifies in this regard - is equipped with a totally overhauled chain, whose links are designed in such a way as to ensure maximum protection against the risks of accidents which operators could incur during a manual intervention. Which, in concert, makes production more efficient, given that the packs themselves do not “get caught” in the shirts or are damaged».

... with the help of software.
Developed by FlexLink, a program allows customers to start from the layout of their plant and design in 3D, with an easy to use CAD, the path of the conveyor belts, simulate the flow of goods and validate the solution. Automatically, it is also possible to generate the list of materials to be ordered directly on a dedicated portal, choosing the solution supplied and assembled by FlexLink technicians or configured for self-assembly. These are therefore solutions perfectly integrated in the software ecosystem and the relative conveyance hardware.

Conveyors and cobots: a winning combination

«Notwithstanding the fact that the core business of FlexLink are the conveyors - reiterates Bisi - we have interpreted the concept of collaborative robotics as complementary to our systems of feeding and machine servicing. We then focused on the benefits guaranteed by the combination of cobot and conveyor belts to limit manual tasks with low added value, starting from the material supply phase, or sending the product to the end of the line.
First, indeed, we presented a dedicated “turnkey” solution, defining in fact the reference standard in the food sector with over 300 installations worldwide».

At the fair, FlexLink showed a standard robotic solution, designed for palletizing «which - states Bisi - leaves ample freedom in managing many types of references, even with frequent format changes, and small volumes. In this case, therefore, speed is not the determining factor for the adoption of technology, but rather the extreme flexibility of the system».

Entirely designed by FlexLink, with certified safety standards, the palletizing island successfully presented at the fair in fact included a robotic arm (supplied by Universal Robot, Ed.), capable of managing a capacity of 8 kg on the wrist at a speed of 8 cycles/minute.

«Compact and easy to use, it does not require fences as the operator can work alongside the cobot safely. The frame is designed with four standard power supply configurations and can be easily repositioned within the production area, moving it where necessary onto a simple pallet truck. It is equipped with a removable roller, a base that integrates the arm, electric cables and a power socket: all features that enable to restor its operation in a couple of hours. A wide range of accessories is also available, including various gripping or vision systems, which make the unit fully customizable according to different needs “.
Even in this case, the software developed ad hoc to make the difference, allowing you to create the palletizing patterns with a “drag and drop” from any Apple or Android device.

«Once the dimensions of the box and pallet have been provided, the user creates the new palletizing recipe in real time, sends data wirelessly through a common device and the robot ... comes to life».
It should be noted that, by simply changing the arm and the functionality of the cell, FlexLink has also developed collaborative solutions for de-palletizing, for forming or, again, for filling containers (also fast-moving consumer goods) preceded by their manipulation.

The game of keywords, to know... FlexLink Some observations expressed in the margins of the interview by Guido Bisi (Country Manager Italy), summarized in a sort of handbook.. - Software e hardware. Components of a complex and integrated ecosystem that, if well exploited, multiplies the degree of efficiency of a company in providing coherent answers to customer requests. - Service. It remains a fundamental asset of the business, a “skill” that can hardly be replaced by software. In this sense, human contact is fundamental: backed by a global presence, FlexLink “speaks” for example the same language as worldwide customers. Because if it is true that multinationals are acquired globally, those who act in practice are single persons, with a defined culture, and it is to this person that FlexLink continues to address itself. Furthermore, having offices all over the world means interfacing with interlocutors who are always different in their attitude and industrial culture, to whom they can provide different and customized solutions: a spur for the supplier to rethink his proposals from new angles. - Digitization and cybersecurity. FlexLink means digitalisation as a vehicle of simplification and proximity to the customer, so much so that it has developed a software that allows you to easily design the layout of production sites, simulate it, do design calculations, operate virtual commissioning. Once tested, the control software is loaded on the PLC to obtain the desired solutions. FlexLink has fully adopted the vision of the Coesia Group, which has for some time been involved in initiatives dedicated both to the digitalisation of information and to production facilities. The group - and FlexLink combined - looks to the future, but with two precautions, especially in terms of data security. Sensitive customer data is protected by adopting the most advanced cybersecurity measures. That’s why, today, it offers a software package that allows data to be analyzed, without the data residing necessarily in the Coesia systems. It is a certified and non-binding cloud-based proposal, which enables the performance of remote data analysis, enabling the considerations related to the operativity of the machine to be shared with the customer. The streams are: improve line efficiency, define and identify potential causes of failure and intervene on the machine before the fault occurs, according to the preventive and predictive maintenance paradigm, making the most of the life of the components. - Technological and commercial integrations. Coesia companies constantly talk to and interact with each other, both in terms of design and in factual terms. FlexLink, for example, provides the group’s companies with all inlet and outlet systems made with its tapes. And if a customer asks for a complete solution to the System Company, from the primary packaging to the end of the line, it provides conveying and palletizing solutions.