Standardized robot solutions for the wide-format industry

02 August 2023 | Zünd Skandinavien ApS

• Automation & Robotics
• Machinery, Tooling, Welding, Production- and Safety Equipment

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In recent years, automation has been high on the wish list of many header customers. Zünd Scandinavia has met this by developing robot solutions that can satisfy the specific needs of individual customers.

They have no intention of changing that, but on the contrary, it has become clear that many of the same elements are repeated in several of the solutions. That is why they have developed a robot solution that is practically plug-and-play.

Zünd Skandinavien ApS has existed since 1998 and sells the Swiss headers of the same name. However, they have always been far ahead and have basically since the beginning developed their own software and other add-ons that could offer something and more than what a standard Zünd solution offers.

This development-oriented and entrepreneurial approach also meant that they were early on in offering customized robot solutions to customers in, for example, the packaging industry, where piece production is typically larger than in the graphic industry.

Internal or external integrators?

- Since 2012, we have offered robot solutions in collaboration with various robot integrators. But in order to ensure the right focus and continuity, in 2017 we chose to found our own robot integrator company – Robotfactory, says owner and day-to-day manager Jacob Hansen.

Initially, it was about securing internal knowledge and that the customers had a firm base for their investment. But as the experience grew, they could see that the challenge was, on the one hand, that all solutions were different, but on the other hand, that many solutions nevertheless had something in common. It was the starting point for developing what they can today market as the Robot PortaTable 130.

Standard robot with flexible customization options

– Robot PortaTable 130 is, as the name suggests, a movable robot which is connected directly to the cutting table with a cable. It can place items on the table or it can take items off and sort them into up to 10 different trays. You can move the robot around from one end to the other or you can move it around between machines. It is a very flexible robotic solution, says Jacob Hansen.

With the help of a laser pointer and two fit marks on the floor, you always know exactly where to place the Robot Portable so that it stands correctly in relation to the cutting table, and via the cable the cutting machine and the robot are informed of each other's existence. Which function it performs depends on the tasks loaded via the software. Here, metadata will, for example, be able to tell which cuts should be placed in which boxes.

There is no actual programming for the user to do. If no metadata is available, with a few clicks you can tell which cuts should be placed where.
Sales manager Martin Roed Nielsen explains that they have developed a robot that can handle many of the typical tasks that are produced on a cutting table, but it is of course possible to add individual requests. Now it is simply done from a standardized starting point, which also contributes to it becoming more accessible in terms of price.

Global robot integrator

The Robot PortaTable 130, but also the entire set-up around the Robotfactory, has attracted so much attention that Zünd Scandinavia has now entered into an agreement with Zünd worldwide to be their robot integrator. They are slowly rolling out the concept and are eagerly waiting to see how it is received out there.

New robot demo center

Meanwhile, the development of both the Robotfactory and the various solutions continues. At the address in Odder, where Zünd Scandinavia is also located, they are setting up a larger robot integration center.

Jacob Hansen tells:

- We have a close collaboration with two solid robot suppliers. One is Universal Robots, which has its headquarters in Odense. Together with them, we have developed the standardized robot solution Robot PortaTable 130. These are smaller robots of the cobot type that can stand alongside people and stop if they are touched. They are super efficient and simple to implement, but have a limited range and weight they can lift.

- The other supplier is ABB, which supplies the larger robots for solutions that require longer reach and greater lifting capacity. This is required if, for example, we are talking about lifting entire plates onto and off the large cutting tables. The ABB robots may require specially adapted layout solutions, according to the individual customer's wishes and needs. This is what Robotfactory is good at visualizing with the help of 3D illustrations. ABB is an excellent partner as they have many years of experience, a good software and a worldwide sales and service network.

Robotfactory is setting up a robot demo center, where a 3.2 m Zünd cutting table will stand together with one of the large ABB robots. Around March, they expect to be able to invite the first customers and business partners and a little later the plan is to hold an open house. We look forward to seeing this innovation center in action.