The advances in automation cannot be overlooked at the Anuga FoodTec show, held 24-27 March 2015 in Cologne, Germany.
According to the organizers, by expanding their small robotics series, the key players of the industry underline their ambition to grow in markets beyond the automotive industry. 179,000 robots were sold worldwide in 2013. “A new record,” as Arturo Baronecelli, President of the International Federation of Robotics, points out. After South Korea and Japan, Germany has the highest robot density: with an average of 261 robots for every 10,000 workers.
At present, the global market for robotics is EUR 22bn and by 2020 this could grow to more than EUR 60bn. Experts like Henrik Ryegard, who heads the Robotics Division at ABB, regard the food industry as one of the largest markets – robot density here is still well below the average.
So far robots have particularly dominated in non-critical areas, such as palletizing and packing stations, but in the future, these “steel colleagues” of the food industry will be able to do more complex tasks than is the case today. Five or six-axis industrial robots are ideal tools to do these kinds of monotonous and often demanding tasks in a reliable manner: for instance, special protective covers provide protection under arctic conditions which prevail in warehouses for frozen foods.
Other requirements apply for any contact with open foodstuffs. In this case, not only must hygienic safety satisfy higher expectations but the mechatronic equipment of the robots as well. “Pastries, meats, vegetables and sweets vary in quality and size,” is how Dr. Knut Franke from the German Institute of Food Technologies in Quakenbrück describes the problem in a nutshell.
He cites an example: “Automatic fine-cutting of pork requires very sophisticated sensor technology.” The algorithms that Franke and his team are currently developing for the robot movements should enable automatic cutting of pieces of meat and contribute to a more efficient production of safer meat products in the future.
Future-oriented topics are also addressed in Anuga FoodTec’s professional program in 27 short specialist forums. Among others, technical topics will be the focus of attention like hygienic design, freezing technology, the use of robots in the food industry or the detection of foreign material in foodstuffs.
Anuga FoodTec is jointly organized by Koelnmesse GmbH and the German Agricultural Society (DLG). For additional information, the list of exhibitors, and information on the supporting program please visit www.anugafoodtec.com