We like to encourage our clients to share their dreams. Even though they may seem impossible, they actually make our hearts beat faster. That’s what happened with the Origami project, which involves eight Viper robots wrapping gift sets in the style of the ancient Japanese art. With unprecedented precision, high speed and a perfect end result.
Origami was the dream of one of our largest clients, a premium grooming and luxury cosmetics brand. In a brainstorming session, during a walk on the beach, they told us about a long-standing wish: “How cool would it be to produce origami-style gift sets?”
A dream come true
Several years have passed since then, and their dream has now come true. Engineering Project Manager Cees van der Ven stresses that making it happen was anything but a cakewalk: “We just didn’t have a machine that was capable of doing what the client wanted, and precision was absolutely paramount. With all those seams and folds, there was almost no margin for error: the box had to be in its perfect position, time and time again. And how do you even go about punching highly advanced seams?”
Riddled with X factors
Cees and several fellow engineers drew the blueprint for the production line and the corresponding packing process. “The project was riddled with X factors and unknowns,” Cees recalls. “Step by step, we got a sense of the necessary specifications and the leading role that the Viper robots would play.”
Unerring precision
The Viper robots, equipped with an integrated controller, play a crucial role in positioning the gift sets. “Every gift set must be packed tightly and folded perfectly,” Cees continues. “That’s why these robots are uniquely suitable: because of their unerring precision. Our Vipers are servo-controlled six-axle units that check their own position time and time again, which means each gift set is guaranteed to be in exactly the right place and that the wrapping paper is folded correctly.”
because of their unerring precision.’’
Greater efficiency and flexibility
Another important feature of the Viper robots is that they support the SMED principle: Single Minute Exchange of Die. This method aims to improve the efficiency and flexibility of production processes. Cees: “We make three types of gift sets, each with their own parameters. All we have to do is make sure the product recipe is correct. We simply enter the recipe into the PLC used for the robot controller, which is a lot quicker and more precise than doing a full mechanical changeover every time we start processing a different size.”
Tough challenge
All in all, Cees looks back on a tough but rewarding challenge. “This is what our Innovation Center excels at. We developed the machine that houses the robot all by ourselves. We couldn’t copy anyone else’s design: no one had ever done this before. At Vetico, we solve those issues by just building our own machine.”
Sense of pride
The origami gift sets can now be found on the shelves. Cees and his colleagues also visited our client’s flagship store, where they sell the gift sets and have even incorporated them in an impressive wall display. Cees: “For us, a box is a box. But when you see the fruits of your labor in such a beautiful in-store display, you can’t help but feel a sense of pride. After all, we made it possible, down there in Oss.”
Blog series about the Omron Viper robots:
> Blog: Seventeen Omron Viper robots, destination: Oss
> Blog: The puzzle never ends at the Vetico Innovation Center
> Blog: POP: efficiency over speed (sparks speed gains)
> Blog: Flip: a well-oiled team of viper robots
