Kuka retrofit

At CSi we specialise in new palletising solutions, as well as modifications to our existing systems. Recently, an existing and loyal customer came back to us with an issue: many of their CSi palletising robots, spread across Poland, Romania and Germany, were nearing obsolescence. Ensuring uninterrupted production hinges on the continued functionality of the palletising system, which becomes impossible without access to necessary parts.

To address this challenge, the customer opted for a retrofit of their old Kuka robotic palletisers, choosing to replace them with newer models from KUKA. The new robots have an almost similar reach and payload, so they’re nearly one-to-one interchangeable with the old robots. After a modification to the gripper, the new robot can operate smoothly within the existing footprint.

One of the primary challenges of a robot retrofit project is the limited space available for manoeuvring during replacement. Constrained by conveyors, pallet wrappers, and platforms, there’s little room for flexibility. At this point in the project, we’ve retrofitted tree robots at two different locations. To illustrate the tight spaces: at the Poland facility th e customer had a crane made to specifically lift the robots from and into their spots. In Romania we disassembled a section of the system in order to access the robot, after installation and commissioning the robot was ready to go within just five days.

At this time in the project, we’ve already replaced three of the seven scheduled retrofits of the first phase. The customer chose to do the retrofit in phases, keeping the old robots for their spare parts so they can continue with the existing system for a little while longer.

We placed the original palletising systems in 2008 and 2009 and are proud to see this customer returning to us. Building on our successful past collaborations, we’re happy to work together once again. Ultimately that’s our goal: to help our customers excel in productivity.