With automated packaging systems, baked goods manufacturers have to be certain that the sensitive products are not only packed quickly, but also very carefully. Thanks to the use of robotics, new standards in terms of production reliability and quality can be achieved in the packaging process. Ultimately, improved efficiency, speed and flexibility are also reflected in higher profitability. Baked goods manufacturers can now produce more cost-effectively, expand their production and product range flexibly, while asserting their position in the market. 

Schubert’s state-of-the-art pick & place robots are well known for performing this demanding task reliably and efficiently. The image recognition system developed by the Crailsheim-based family business ensures a precisely targeted grip, while the robot tools specifically engineered for each product ensure that neither soft croissants nor fragile pieces of cake are damaged. The highly advanced pick & place technology, in conjunction with Schubert image processing, also ensures that only flawless products make it into the packaging and to the customers. 

The modular system makes Schubert packaging machines extremely easy to expand. This approach brings more flexibility to the machine configuration and to the entire packaging process. This applies not only to automation with pick & place, but also to Schubert’s flow-wrapping machines. With the Flowpacker, the packaging machine manufacturer offers an integrated machine solution that enables an exceptionally high degree of flexibility. This technology fully integrates packaging in flowpacks into the packaging line and also enables the use of recyclable flowpack films through the various sealing processes. Feeding to the Flowmodul unit is also solved with pick & place robots. And this is why the compact flow-wrapping machine is especially interesting for companies with limited space. 

Automation with a small footprint

An Alsatian manufacturer with a century-old tradition also exploits these advantages. The company benefits not only from the Flowpacker’s flexibility in handling different formats, but also from the ability to form and seal different films. This is especially important with regard to more sustainable plastic films made from monomaterials or paper-based films. Because the baked goods sector is also increasingly adapting to the demands of consumers, retailers and politicians to package their products in a more environmentally compatible manner. This is how even small and medium-sized enterprises can position themselves for the future and master current and upcoming challenges with the help of automation. 

This is impressively demonstrated by the Alsatian producer. Due to the company’s wide range of products, a true multi-talent was required that could handle different types of packaging through to sustainable solutions. Specifically, the bakery wanted to be able to process both plastic and paper-based films, trays made of cardboard and plastic as well as U-boards made of cardboard. Also called for was the gentle packaging of a wide variety of biscuit shapes, directly after the production process, via quality control and packaging into flowpacks with and without trays, all the way through to sealing. Since its installation in June 2020, the flow-wrapping machine has taken over all steps of the packaging process in a small space.

Linzer squares and similar products gently packaged

Reliable quality control combined with gentle handling is very well received by baked goods manufacturers. In addition to taste, the presentation of sweet works of art, such as those from Guschlbauer, is also important. For the safe and efficient packaging of its Linzer Schnittten, Linzer Kipferl, Punschwürfel and many other Austrian baked goods, Guschlbauer has long relied on packaging machines from Schubert. In 2019, the company commissioned another system from the specialist from Crailsheim adding a robot-assisted picker line to its existing equipment. It safely packs the assortment of numerous biscuit varieties in extremely lightweight plastic trays.

To make the packaging not only machine-compatible but also more sustainable, Schubert and Guschlbauer, together with their partner esbe plastic, entirely revised the packaging formats. To this end, resource-saving and very thin plastic trays were developed which are perfectly adapted to the sensitive baked goods and the line technology used. Pick & place robots with customised gripping or suction tools for the different product formats then fill the plastic trays. A reflected-light scanner checks each piece of pastry during feeding. And only those products that meet all the defined quality criteria in terms of shape and colour are packaged.

Custom-fit packaging solutions for baked goods manufacturers

As a holistic partner for packaging solutions, Schubert advises customers on the best packaging materials and designs – setting the course for a flawless end-result at an early stage in the new packaging machine’s planning phase. By combining the key technologies of robotics, image processing and tool development, the experts are able to devise suitable solutions to meet even the most challenging product characteristics and packing requirements, and to implement them reliably in the production environment.

With the mission to always offer customers the most suitable overall solution for their applications, Schubert has also been able to further optimise the packaging processes at the long-established Italian Asolo Dolce company. The company has long relied on flowpacks to package its Cantuccini and Amaretti. Until now, however, these were packed into pre-glued boxes – an expensive and labour-intensive process that Asolo Dolce wanted to optimise due to increasing demand. The previous pre-glued packaging was therefore replaced with a more cost-effective and machine-compatible version as a flat blank by the Schubert consultants. 

Schubert makes use of the top-loading method for this. With the Schubert solution, the cartons are filled robotically from above via the largest possible opening. This increases the flexibility and reliability of the line, enabling the robots responsible for the filling process to operate independently of the height of the cartons. The changeover to other bag or pouch formats is straightforward: The filling tool automatically adjusts to new bag formats via a spreading motion.

Schubert’s robot technology masters the special challenges associated with all types of baked goods during packaging with high-level efficiency. Thanks to the modular design, the possibility to increase the number of pick & place robots per line section and quick tool changes, manufacturers can immediately respond to new market and trade requirements.