Quick facts
The Tetra Pak® Ice Cream Robot Filler M1 is an advanced, semi-automated unit for filling ice cream tubs up to 12 litres with flexible, artisan-like patterns
Capacity
Up to 2,400 litres of product per hour/12 units per minute
Applications
Ice cream, water ice, sorbet, sherbet and plant-based frozen desserts with or without inclusions and/or ripple effects
Highly advanced, flexible and ergonomic
- World’s first collaborative robot specifically designed to automate small-scale manual ice cream filling
- Great flexibility in filling and decorating a wide range of ice cream products
- Advanced automation safeguards operator safety and supports excellent ease of use
Features
Robot filling arm
Automated control of filling nozzle motion
The robot filling arm moves in lateral and horizontal planes to deliver a precise, repeatable filling pattern and finish. The fully automated action supports highly advanced decorations and patterns. The robot also enables filling with cold ice cream, which minimises ice crystallisation, reduces hardening time need and maximises product quality.
Dual filling stations
Continuous production enabled
Two filling stations with adjustable product holders enable continuous production. Cup, tub or cone fixation is guided from four sides to ensure the right filling position. The adjustable holders enable fast changeovers between product types and sizes, with tub capacity of up to 12 units per minute. Each full container is replaced by the operator during filling of the alternate container, ensuring constant production.
Exchangeable and adjustable product holders
Enables wide range of product sizes
Product holders are easy to remove or adjust to fit multiple product sizes. Standard holders come in a range of fixed sizes corresponding to different cup or tub dimensions. Adjustable holders have flexible guide rails that can be widened or narrowed to fit the right cup or tub size. Both holder types allow easy switching between different cup, tub and family pack sizes.
Robot control system
Endless range of motions and timings
An integrated control system stores and controls all robot motions and timings. Many filling motion profiles and timings are pre-loaded and these can be tailored by the user to fill and decorate the product in question. An easy-to-use interface enables the user to select the correct profile and also to adjust the motion profile and timings. All profiles and variations are downloadable to a USB drive.
Options
Multiple filling nozzles
For different finishes and decorations, with or without ripple
Multiple filling nozzles are available for different finishes and decorations. Inclusion sizes of up to 10 or 16 mm are supported. Flat bottom nozzles are available for large tubs or cake without decoration. Serrated bottom nozzles enable decoration filling including ripple sauce. Customised options also exist.
Tetra Pak® Continuous Freezer S series
Automated freezing maximises cost reduction
An automated freezer unlocks the full benefits of robot filling. Compared to manual freezing, an automated freezer reduces standard product deviation from around 4% to 1.5% or less, reducing product waste. The continuous freezer’s rapid start-up and product changeovers further reduce waste. Tetra Pak has two options:
- Tetra Pak® Continuous Freezer 1500 A2, with capacity of 300-1,500 l/hr of ice cream
- Tetra Pak® Continuous Freezer 700 A2, with capacity of 150-700l/hr of ice cream
A cobot-helping hand
Dutch premium ice cream and patisserie supplier Otelli uses a collaborative robot - a cobot - to fill ice cream tubs so that the staff can do more value-adding tasks.
Automation is transforming the food industry with robot applications. Collaborative robots - or cobots- become a helping hand in production when they take over physically demanding work, repetitive tasks or tiring and strenuous movements. That robotic helping hand is not only saving the staff's health but also giving them time for more value-adding tasks, without depriving them of their work.
Ice cream Product Development Centre
At the Tetra Pak Ice Cream PDC you can experiment with the latest ice cream processing solutions in a complete production environment at semi-industrial scale.
