Three robots from Sorma for automation of post-harvest process

Three robots from Sorma for automation of the post-harvest process

May 22 , 2024

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Three robots from Sorma for automation of the post-harvest process

In the post-harvest phase, the fruit and vegetable sector requires streamlined costs, speed, and quality standards. In recent years, Sorma Group has focused on solutions to increase the automation level of the processes to meet these needs.

The investments made by Sorma Group include the development of robot arms to incorporate in the different processing phases which are able to replace human labor, which is often complicated to find.

DRCA 180 by Sorma Group

BOX TIPPERS

Designed for the feeding phase, the DRCA-180 robot is a 3-in-1 solution able to reduce the footprint of the line and increase the processing speed.

The robot arm can depalletize the various layers of boxes from one or more different pallets, simultaneously overturn an entire layer of boxes, delicately emptying its contents onto a conveyor belt, and repalletize the empty boxes.

TRAYS FILLERS

After the use of the emptying robot arm, Sorma Group offers two alternative solutions.

If the requirement is to fill trays, even if these have already been inserted in the boxes, the ideal solution, specifically designed for the apple sector, is Aporo.

Thanks to the multi-head pick-and-place robot arm, this revolutionary filler places four apples in the pockets simultaneously, and with the aid of cameras it arranges them with the stalk facing in the same direction and with the best (most brightly colored) side in view.

Each of Aporo’s heads can handle 120 pieces of fruit per minute and its operation can also be monitored remotely. Aporo has also been successfully tested on oranges, kiwis, peaches, and nectarines.

BOX FILLER

Suppose the requirement is to fill boxes with net packages. In that case, the latest innovation from Sorma is ASA, a robot arm which stands apart for its speed, precision and its cutting-edge filling system which gently guides the packages, offering delicate handling comparable to manual operation.

ASA is able to place up to 30-40 packages per minute in boxes, which means that it can replace the work of a person on the line.

It is able to neatly position the packages, all oriented in the same direction, and is more delicate than traditional filling machines because the package is not dropped from height – rather, the automated hand picks it up and lowers it into the destination container, thus avoiding potentially damaging impacts.

Finally, thanks to the universal grip of its automated hand, the robot is exceptionally versatile in use, and is indeed able to handle the entire Sorma range of net packaging solutions.

STANDING ALONGSIDE CUSTOMERS ALL OVER THE WORLD

Sorma Group is not just robotics. The Group is specialized in the complete supply of automated machinery for the post-harvest phase, and packaging solutions for the fruit and vegetable sector.

Thanks to its presence across the various continents, it is able to provide timely assistance to its customers: the company has ten production sites located in Europe, North America, South America, and Africa – six dedicated to the design and production of machinery, and four specialized in printing, extrusion and weaving of flexible packaging.

In addition to the production sites, the group boasts a network of dealers and numerous storage warehouses for spare parts and packaging materials, staffed by technical personnel specialized in after-sales services.