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Does the Mechanical Arm of Packaging has Eliminated Human Labor?

Posted On: Oct-14-2019 does-the-mechanical-arm-of-packaging-has-eliminated-human-labor

Technological advancements have given us a lot of gifts in the past few years. One of the most useful and biggest gift has to be the ease they have brought in our life. Robots are one of those blessings that have made human work much easier and more efficient by reducing human errors. Today, packaging robots have been serving their purpose in the food/beverage industry, pharmaceutical industry, cosmetic industry, and other major industries in the world. Almost every industry is getting benefits from these packaging robots. Unlike humans, the mechanical or robotic arm can put in as many as 70,000 working hours without experiencing any mechanical failure. Thus, it will allow companies to manufacture more products and their packaging as compared to humans.

Mechanical arms in the packaging industry reduce human labor and safety costs while increasing throughput. They work faster, thus increasing productivity and output. Moreover, the need for double-checking and additional work has significantly eliminated. A single robotic arm is enough for performing packaging collation, palletization, layer insertion, case packing, and tipping.  Robots are indeed nothing like humans, but yes, they can work faster, cheaper, and in a more versatile way. With innovations and technology, their mobility, learning, and working are improving day by day.

In the packaging industry, the most common location for mechanical arms and robots is at the end, especially palletizing. In the past, mechanical arms were expensive, slower, and less flexible. Since robotic technology is evolving with time, their potential uses in packaging are extending further away than just being on the packaging line. In this article, we’ll take you through some of the most amazing benefits of using robots and how they help in reducing human labor. To learn more about mechanical arms, be sure to read this article till the end!

With the introduction of robotics in the packaging industry, the replacement of human labor has been one of the fundamental subjects. In the popular narrative, robotic arms have long labored along with humans, sometimes pleasantly and sometimes disastrously. In America, industrial robots have been in workplaces for decades now. In 2017, the Robotic Industries Association estimated that over 250,000 such robots had been installed in the US.

Recently, however, technological advances have allowed for a greater variety of robotic systems in the workplace, especially in the packaging industry for the manufacturing of cardboard boxes and packing products in them. Today, in addition to traditional industrial robots, we’ve professional service robots and mechanical robots that have made manufacturing and packaging of products much easier.

Now back to the main issue, if they have eliminated human labor, then the answer would be yes to some extent but not completely. Though mechanical arms and robots in the major industries have made the task more streamlined than ever, it hasn’t still replaced humans completely. The technology is excellent but not accurate as it can still require sometimes human assistance in case of any failure or something like that. However, these robotics are working the industry alongside humans to meet and exceed the targets with the best of both worlds.

Mechanical arms are designed to perform tasks that are undesirable for humans to perform. Plus, manufacturing of huge boxes can be a daunting task for humans, and they would take hours to complete the task, whereas robots can get the job done in much less time. Probably the biggest advantage of having robots assisting along with humans would be that they handle tasks that involve risks and injury if humans do them. Therefore, automated systems offer significant safety benefits to human workers and can prevent injuries or adverse health effects resulting from working in risky environments. Further, they keep workers out of harm’s way and can also reduce the risks of human errors.

Also Read: 6 Packaging Innovations to Support Brand Image

Top Reasons to Use Mechanical Arms

  1. In the packaging industry, mechanical arms assist in handling work all the way from ray materials to finished product packaging.
  2. Robotics arms can be programmed to work 24/7 even in lights-out situations efficiently for continuous production without any interruption.
  3. Robotic arms are highly flexible and versatile and can be tailored to execute even complex functions.
  4. In this competitive business, manufacturers and industries should embrace the use of mechanical arms to stay competitive.
  5. These automation systems can be very cost-effective, from large industries to even small shops.
  6. Packaging manufacturers are creating packaging in a better quantity as well as quality.

Final Thoughts

Robots or Humans? This article was intended to take you through the benefits of having automation systems in the packaging industry. Indeed robots and mechanical arms in the packaging industry have made things easier, but for now, having both is the best option to choose. Well, with human labor, apart from salaries, a lot of other costs are associated as well. These costs may include workers’ compensation insurance, other benefit packages, turnover, and costs of recruiting and training replacement workers. On the other hand, with mechanical arms, you’ll not have to worry about all these issues and cost of purchasing and implementing them will benefit your business in the long-run. Today, packaging manufacturers are using robotics arms to create custom boxes, custom printed boxes, and all types of packaging much faster and efficiently.

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