PACKAGING / PALLETISING PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net 34 Sipa’s Robby Rack advanced 6-axis robot confi guration Addressing the challenges of large container handling Sipa, a specialist in packaging solutions, has refined its Robby Rack system to address the challenges of handling large containers, particularly 3- and 5-gallon bottles. Originally introduced in 2000, Robby Rack has evolved to accommodate diverse bottle shapes – including round, triangular, and rectangular – as well as different rack materials, ensuring seamless palletisation and de-palletisation. Sipa provides comprehensive bottling line solutions, extending beyond preform and bottle design and production to encompass the entire downstream process. This includes both traditional and robotic palletising and de-palletising, as well as versatile cartoning systems for diverse applications. In the specific area of large-size bottles, the company features its Robby Rack palletising system. Sipa has been addressing the challenges of large container handling for over two decades with its Robby Rack system, a robotic handling solution that is claimed to offer adaptability and precision. Since 2000, the company has been developing the Robby Rack further, accumulating experience in handling a diverse range of 3 and 5-gallon bottle types - from the traditional round to the more complex triangular and rectangular shapes. This experience extends to various rack types, both metal and plastic, and includes seamless palletisation. To enhance efficiency, Sipa has incorporated AI-powered control systems, including container presence verification and automated bottle rejection, ensuring operational consistency and quality. A key feature of Robby Rack, which integrates seamlessly with major automation providers such as Fanuc and Kuka, resides in its flexibility allowing for precise, customised movements tailored to specific operational needs. The design of the system’s gripping head ensures safe handling without damaging the containers. For increased throughput, multiple heads can be mounted, allowing for the simultaneous handling of multiple containers (from 1 to 10 during the racking of full 5-gallon bottles). As packaging needs evolve, Robby Rack features a modular gripping system, allowing for easy and fast interchangeability of grippers if needed. In these operations, precision, reliability, and consistency are critical. Robby Rack addresses these needs while safety measures are also integral to the design, with automatic shutdown functions preventing damage in the event of rack defects or unforeseen issues. The system’s flexibility extends beyond simple palletising or de-palletising. It can be used in either application, or even in combined cycles to simultaneously empty and fill racks. For applications requiring specialised handling, self-adjusting grippers can be supplied to accommodate unique or varying rack sizes. Specifically, the Robby system for large-sized bottles offers a range of robotised configurations: Robby Rack P for palletising bottles into various rack types, Robby Rack P/Pallet for palletising bottles onto pallets or rack-pallet combinations, Robby Rack D for de-palletising bottles from racks, and Robby Rack D-P for a combined de-palletising of empty bottles and palletising of full bottles within the same system. The Robby system is available in two key models: Robby PAL: This range covers a wide spectrum of container moving solutions, using row gripping head or layer gripping head customising the solution accordingly to the product to be handled. Robby Rack: This is the specialised solution for palletising large-size bottles on racks or pallets. Sipa says that Robby PAL finds applications across a broad range of industries, handling packs, cartons, crates, shrink-packs, bottles, jars, pallets, interlayer materials, and both full and empty loose containers. www.sipasolutions.com
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