Page 35 - Packaging News Magazine Nov-Dec 2018

CASE STUDY MEMBERS NEWS
Electrolux switches on with HMPS
Electrical goods manufacturer Electrolux has chosen a new automation cell from local OEM HMPS at its South Australian plant in Dudley Park.
LEFT: Two ABB IRB6700 robots pick from the magazines placing the side panels into a location nest where they are re-picked by two ABB IRB2600 robots for assembly on the oven.
The setup at Electrolux installed by HMPS consists of conveyors with six ABB robots for picking and packing ovens to be shipped, and is designed to run at an overall 90% OEE based on 1800 assemblies in 476 minutes for 17 hours per day, 230 days per year.
According to Christian Martin, manufacturing engineer for Electrolux Home Products, Electrolux chose HMPS for the project based on its expertise, experience and flexibility.
“The proposed solution and initial consultation gave us a great level of confidence in the HMPS solution. This was proven when the team was able to accommodate special requests and resolve issues during the commissioning,” he says.
“The execution of the project was to a high standard and we believe we have a best in class solution generated for us right here in Adelaide by a local supplier,” Martin says.
Glen Foreman, sales manager for South Australia at HMPS, said that the project was not as far outside the supplier’s normal picking and packing machinery operations as it seemed.
“In this case, what we needed to pick and pack just happens to weigh quite a lot more, and it happens to
“The intelligence built into the system means that as soon as the product bar code is detected, the correct packaging and sorting is activated by the system.”
be an oven rather than the foodstuff coming out the oven, which we normally pack,” he says.
AUTOMATION ADVANTAGE
By selecting six ABB robots for the job, HMPS achieved the desired speed and the bonus is that no operator interaction is required for two hours at a time. Of particular interest in this application is the Just in Time Manufacturing (JIT) and cycle time management.
“The cell is able to package six variants through one robot to three magazine conveyors systems. The intelligence built into the system means that as soon as the product bar code is detected, the correct packaging and sorting is activated by the system. The auto change is driven by production.
This gives Electrolux the flexibility it needs to run its production.”
According to Foreman, the biggest challenge on this project was the layout.
“Six parts magazine conveyors serviced by two robots needed to be laid out. With the high stacks involved, reach was an issue which had to be constantly considered,” he says.
“The managing of the slats was another challenge if you take into consideration that we were dealing with six pallets of 40 slats each which needed to be placed into a particular configuration based on the product line.
“This project is being installed and we hope that this is the beginning of two South Australia companies collaborating well into the future,” Foreman says. 
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