MESH Custom Solution for Cold Storage Palletizing

Our customer in the cold storage industry faced challenges in efficiently palletizing food products for blast freezing. Our customer provides cold storage services to local poultry producers. They receive freshly prepared protein in strapped cases that can weigh up to 60 pounds each. These cases are not yet frozen and therefore are often loosely assembled and manually palletized at the meat preparation facilities in a less-than-perfect manner.

These pallets need to be repacked so that separator sheets can be placed between the layers of product. These sheets are designed to allow air flow between layers when the pallets are placed into the freezer. This separation guarantees the pallets will be frozen in a timely manner and according to FDA guidelines. The freezer seals in the freshness of the meat and prepares the cases for supply chain distribution.

MESH designed a system that automatically destacks a full layer of product, places a separator sheet between the layers, and then places the full layer onto this sheet in one full cycle of the machine. A customized end-of-arm gripping tool was developed to handle the separator sheets which could get damaged and worn as they are used multiple times.

The separator sheets are delivered to the gantry robot via a mobile cart, designed and built by MESH. Then pallets of product are placed on the chain pallet conveyor and delivered into the cell via MESH controls.

The gantry has one bridge but two Z axes. One Z axis is used to grip and move a full layer of product cases. The other Z axis is used to pick and place a separator sheet. The two Z axes are mechanically linked on one carriage on the bridge which means with each side-to-side stroke, and each up/down motion of the Z axes, a full layer is picked and placed and a separator sheet is picked and placed. The separator sheet cart, the incoming pallet, and the target pallet where the finished pallet is being made are all on the same center distance and the two Z axes on the gantry.

MESH selected GUDEL for the gantry mechanical package. It has special treatment for the wash and wipe down needs of the facility. MESH designed the cell, built the two end-of-arm tools, the cell PLC and motion control system as well as the operator interface HMI, the safety system, and the conveyors and carts.

MESH provided the proof of concept, installation and commissioning, and ongoing service agreement for the system. A layer is created with each 12-second stroke of the machine.