From toothbrushes to rockets, today, technology is subsumed in everything we come across. Robotics has become a trivial concept now with increasing trends and today's paced lives. However, robotics was always considered twice when it came to the food industries. There are a few reasons why people refrained from automating the processes in food manufacturing. These machines would be the first line of contact with unpacked food, which led to a social concern among the public. Also, factors like the indefinite product characteristics contributed to the challenges in the integration of technology into the sector.
In simple words, a technology that is to be developed to peel oranges or dice mangoes would be more challenging to develop, as each fruit comes with a unique physical characteristic and dimension.
Having said that, today, robotics is taking a huge leap in the food and beverage sector. It is commonly used in the grading, processing, and packaging of products.
Why Robotics?
Despite the challenges, automation has its advantages. Some potent advantages of robotics are:
Repetitive tasks can be performed much easier without fatigue.
They can be used to handle fragile products, which, in turn, has been found to reduce the rate of breakage in the processing plants.
Robots can handle extreme processing environments like high temperature and pressure.
Technology yields highly reliable results.
Strenuous and laborious tasks are made easy with robotics.
Speed and repeatability can be better achieved with the help of automation.
Protects workers from hazardous material handling, thus leading to reduced workplace injuries.
At Milky Mist, we believe in marching towards the future. Our paneer plant is one of its kind in the country with minimal human intervention. Articulating arm robots are used for various processes like fragmenting, dicing, and packaging. Along with integrated sensors, arduous tasks are performed in a much easier and simpler way. Our high-speed cheese packaging machines pack about 1000 slices of cheese per minute.
With the help of robotics, we at Milky Mist are gearing towards a better future!