- Promoting the introduction of robot systems in delicatessen factories by building a robot-friendly environment

Epson has joined the Japan Delicatessen Association (Chairman: Koichiro Hirai, hereafter referred to as the Japan Delicatessen Association) as a member of a team of 31 companies that has been selected for the "Innovative Robot R&D Infrastructure Development Project" promoted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the "Smart Food Industry Demonstration Project" promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries this fiscal year. The project has succeeded in the practical application of a 'prepared meal production robot' optimised for the production of prepared meals.

In order to solve the manpower shortage, which is a serious management issue for delicatessen manufacturing companies, the 'prepared dish serving' robot system was further enhanced and downsized this year, in addition to improvements to the robot system for serving prepared dishes, which was introduced on site in FY2021. This has enabled the development of a robot system that can perform 'lunchbox serving', 'lid closing' and 'product transfer' by expanding the existing processes, through co-creation with the various companies participating in the project.
Background to the project

In the food manufacturing sector, the serving process, especially for ready-made meals and boxed lunches, requires a large amount of manpower, and it has become a social issue to automate the serving process and aim for unmanned and manpower-saving operations in order to cope with labour shortages, improve labour productivity and avoid the three densities (tight, dense and close together) in factories. In addition, many of the prepared food manufacturers are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which require lower-cost systems.

Epson has been working with the Japan Prepared Foods Association and other companies participating in the project to develop a robot system that is easy for the prepared food manufacturing industry to adopt, while making use of its top share*1 in the industrial SCARA robot market.

As a result, the development and improvement of the Prepared Foods Production Robot, described below, has made it possible to install the robot in a smaller space. In addition, the robot can now be used in many more processes, such as serving a wide variety of prepared foods, serving lunchbox ingredients at high speed, closing container lids and transferring product weights, thanks to improvements in hand and control technology.

In addition, in view of the current situation where it is difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to introduce expensive robot systems, the business has taken various measures to reduce the barriers to the introduction of people, goods and money, including the establishment of a 'robot system as a service' business model whereby the initial investment is kept low and the cost is paid only for what is used. The company has been involved in various initiatives to reduce barriers to the introduction of human, material and financial resources.
Outline of the 'Robot for making prepared foods', which has been successfully put into practical use.

The SCARA robot LS10-B was used in last year's project, and this year the SCARA robot T3-B was newly improved to food specifications to develop an easy-to-handle, low-cost 'prepared meal production robot'. The following features have enabled the newly developed SCARA robot to reduce costs by 30% and the footprint by 70% compared to last year's model.
Main features of the T3-B Kai, a SCARA robot for manufacturing prepared dishes.

Built-in controller
The robot controller is integrated into the main unit, contributing to space saving of the entire machine in addition to the robot itself.
100 V drive
Equipped with a low-voltage motor, the T3-B Kai can be driven by a 100 V AC power supply, eliminating the need for costly 200 V power supply installation.

Special support for robots used in the production of prepared foods

Safety and hygiene considerations
Ball screw and bearing grease compatible with foodstuffs
Ball screw fitted with bellows
Extension of the ball screw section to accommodate the depth of the numbering system.

As a further effort to strengthen the line-up, the ceiling-mounted model RS4 has been adapted for use in the manufacture of prepared food. The foot area, which is outside the movable area of floor-mounted robots, becomes the movable area of the ceiling-mounted model, enabling space-saving design of the equipment, which is expected to be used in processes such as lid closing, solid food preparation and weight transfer.

Epson's industrial robots are used at manufacturing sites around the world, and the company also uses robots in the manufacture of its own products such as watches, printers and projectors. Based on the automation know-how and knowledge cultivated at these manufacturing sites, Epson will support the introduction of automation with space-saving, compact robots tailored to the customer's production site by utilising its unique sensing and device-based robot control technology.

Through this activity, Epson will contribute to solving social issues by supporting automation in the food manufacturing industry (e.g. in the process of serving prepared foods), responding to labour shortages and improving labour productivity. We will continue to work on our business with the ultimate customer value of ensuring that our end-consumers can enjoy safe and colourful prepared foods for years to come. Please look forward to Epson's robots in the future.
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