When it comes to deciding whether humans or machines should complete packaging functions, weighing the pros and cons of each strategy is the only way companies can make a truly informed decision. There are some inherent differences in the strategies that people and automated equipment go about the process that have profound impacts on the success of such strategies.
C.G. Masi, writing for Packaging Digest, explains that when a person "looks" he or she does something different from "seeing." In the former, a person focuses his or her eyes in a certain direction, while in the latter, a person is actually able to identify the object at which he or she looks.
Making improvements in automated packaging
This, Masi explains, is one of the biggest hurdles that researchers are looking to overcome in their quest to improve automation processes in the coming years. Machines, like humans, also struggle between looking and seeing, which has led some systems to misidentify objects 30 to 40 percent of the time. This indicates a shortcoming in these systems, however, advances are letting some processes move to the top of the pack.
Some machines are able to measure and track certain products and compare them with past ones in order to improve future judgments, much in the same way that a person would approach something he or she has only seen on a few occasions.
Fortunately, some processes do not require such complicated analysis. If a product is being packaged in a box with the same dimensions every time, a machine will not need to worry about handling new objects.
Going operational
Though a single package might not see much disparity, the industries in which these machines operate certainly do. Standards for sanitation, package strength and material can all vary between sectors, making it of the utmost importance that machines take these factors into account.
Identification and sanitation, for example, play a critical role in the pharmaceutical industry. Especially when orders of differing sizes and products come into effect, the need to ensure that the bottling of each medication is correct every time.
One pharmaceutical company is managing these demands through an automated bottling line in its San Diego facility. Packaging World explains that the business is growing, in addition to increasing customer demands for larger orders.
The new system is able to address these issues through the use of a number of different quality inspection stations and conveyor belt methods than can improve the speed of the operation without compromising the integrity of the product.
While this system has been made specifically for this pharmaceutical company, these issues of efficiency and ensuring quality are ones that span across industries. In order to confirm that these factors are addressed in the implementation of an automation system, companies should make sure that they are well aware of the elements that affect their unique operations.
