Vision-Guided Case Packing for Packaged Foods Production
Project summary
A national snack and shredded cheese producer partnered with MWES to install a robotic pack cell designed to handle a wide variety of bag sizes and case formats. The system uses dual inverted robots and advanced vision tracking to pack up to 80 bags per minute into cases with precision and reliability.
The Challenge
Scaling Case Packing Throughput While Minimizing Labor
The customer’s manual packing lines were limiting output and imposing high labor requirements. Their needs included:
- Packing between 50–80 bags per minute depending on SKU
- Accurately handling varying bag sizes and case configurations
- Supporting fast case changeovers with minimal downtime
- Maintaining >85% overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
MWES was selected to deliver a modular, compact robotic pack cell capable of high-speed, high-accuracy operation with minimal operator oversight.
The Solution
High-Speed, Dual-Robot Vision-Guided Packing Cell in a Compact Frame
The delivered system includes:
- Two inverted Kawasaki RS07NFF60 robots paired with vision-guided EOATs for bag orientation and precise placement
- Infeed conveyors equipped with optical vision to guide and position each bag
- Custom vacuum EOATs designed for multiple bag shapes and materials
- Recipe-based configuration for mixed bag sizes and packing patterns
- Compact frame design with integrated case erector, sealing, and labeling; requires only power, air, and Ethernet
In summary, the cell seamlessly combines robotic pick-and-place, vision detection, and modular case handling into a compact, adaptable pack solution—dramatically increasing packing speed while minimizing human intervention.
THE RESULTS
Up to 80 Bags/Minute with Consistent Accuracy and Minimal Labor
The system delivered tangible benefits:
- Up to 80 bags per minute, with optional 3-robot configuration achieving 120 BPM
- Reduced packing labor by 2–3 operators per shift
- Pack configuration flexibility across multiple case sizes and SKU mix
- Consistently high quality and OEE enabled through recipe and vision control
With this automation in place, MWES empowered the customer to scale throughput, reduce labor dependency, and maintain packing quality—all within a compact and adaptable automation module.
As a result of this success, MWES now offers this as a standard product.
View the Case Packing System here
Client Details
A national supplier of cheese-based products.