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With the area gripper FXCB, PCE automates the packaging of 2.5 million parcels per year - efficiently, ergonomically and reliably. Details.PC Electric Relies on Schmalz Grippers for Carton HandlingPC Electric needed a solution for picking their product containers. Up to now, employees had to label, stack and palletize the boxes manually, which was inefficient and tiring. With a shortage of skilled workers, an automated solution was urgently needed. The company was looking for a way to optimize this process to save time and resources and improve working conditions.Electrical engineeringCardboard boxesVacuum Gripping SystemsAutomated handlingPC Electric GmbHPC Electric has been producing electrical connection components at its headquarters in St. Martin im Innkreis, Upper Austria, with more than 350 employees since 1973. These include CEE industrial and earthing contact plugs and sockets, power distributors, cable reels and wall boxes for e-mobility. The products are successfully sold in over 100 countries worldwide. In total, the group employs more than 1,000 employees at five locations in Europe.For shipping, the employees remove plugs, distributors and cable reels from gray plastic boxes and pack them. Round 700,000 packages in seven different sizes with a weight of up to 2.5 kilograms are packed each week. After packing, the cardboard boxes are manually labeled, stacked and then placed on pallets. In the long run, this was not only exhausting for the employees, but also inefficient.The handling solution met our expectations so well that we installed two more robots with the FXCB area grippers in the picking department at the beginning of this year.The Schmalz solution for PC Electric is an FXCB area gripping system with integrated vacuum generation. It was specially developed for the automated handling of cardboard. The sealing element of the gripper is a high-performance sealing foam that not only adapts optimally to different workpieces, but also enables very short cycle times thanks to its fast reset. The FXCB area gripping system has no sharp edges and is ideal for human-robot collaboration. At PC Electric, it was installed on a KUKA robot and supplied with compressed air to generate a vacuum. The solution from Schmalz automates the labeling and stacking of shipping cartons: After an employee has placed the products in the cardboard box, he pushes it into the so-called cell. There, the cardboard box is automatically weighed, bonded and provided with a "Tested" label. The FXCB area gripper then lifts the cardboard box again and holds it in front of the labeler, which positions and applies the shipping label correctly. The robot then places the cardboard box on a conveyor belt, which transports the stack onwards as soon as four cardboard boxes are stacked on top of each other. The solution developed by Schmalz not only increases the efficiency of the picking process, but also reduces the workload for employees. The FXCB system also works extremely precisely, which leads to more accurate labeling and stacking of the cardboard boxes and therefore cleaner packaging. In addition, the integrated pneumatic vacuum generation ensures low operating costs and makes the system both ergonomically and economically attractive.The FXCB gripping system has a low weight and an integrated pneumatic vacuum generator., KUKA robots and area gripper FXCB move round 700,000 cardboard boxes per week., The FXCB gripping system grips, the labeler sticks. It all runs automatically., All labels sit exactly on the boxes.Innovative order picking with Schmalz area gripper FXCBProcess optimization, Cost optimization, Relief for employees, Precision and efficiencyFaster handling of order picking processes, Lower operating costs thanks to energy-efficient processes, Reduction of manual work steps, relief for employees, Precise labeling and stacking for improved productivity

Three FXCB area grippers from Schmalz make order picking easier for the employees at PC Electric's main plant in Upper Austria.Clean labeling and effortless stacking - about 2.5 million times a year. At PC Electric's main plant in Upper Austria, three area grippers from Schmalz take the strain out of order picking.Just-in-time production. This saves storage space and enables manufacturers to implement individual customer requests. But it also requires a high dimension of flexibility and speed of response. PC Electric (PCE) is committed to this maxim and only manufactures once the customer order has been received. "You want the cap of the plug to be black? Then that's what we do," says Daniel Lechner, Head of Automation at PC Electric GmbH, with a grin.PCE, with more than 350 employees, has been producing electrical connection components at its headquarters in St. Martin im Innkreis, Upper Austria, since 1973. These include CEE industrial and safety plugs and sockets, power distributors, cable reels and wall boxes for e-mobility. The products are successfully sold in over 100 countries around the world. The group of companies employs more than 1,000 people at five locations in Europe.Careful use of resourcesA large vertical range of manufacture and independence from supply chains are important to PCE. This is why the company not only produces the plugs in a highly automated process, but also produces the plastic components itself using injection molding. The granulate silo in the courtyard towers is twice as high as the production buildings and gives a good impression of the quantities of plastics that PCE processes every month.PCE is committed to a sustainable approach to people, materials and the environment. The specialist for industrial plugs and sockets therefore relies on recyclable raw materials, uses geothermal energy and photovoltaics, dispenses with plastic packaging and creates an ergonomically designed working environment.One starting point, for example, was the picking of product containers. Every week, the skilled workers in the large, bright hall remove the items from gray plastic boxes. They pack plugs and distributors as well as cable reels into about 2.5 million packages in seven different sizes. Previously, they had to manually label the boxes with a maximum weight of 2.5 kilograms, stack them and place them on pallets. In the long run, this was not only tiring for the staff, but also inefficient. "In addition, like many operations, we are struggling with a shortage of skilled workers," says Lechner. An automated solution was needed.Labeling and stacking boxesDuring a visit to a trade fair, PCE's production engineers discovered the FXCB area gripping system with integrated vacuum generation from Schmalz. The flexible vacuum gripper is perfect for ergonomical handling of cardboards, as the system also lifts products with porous surfaces thanks to the suction plate with high-performance foam. The special feature: The foam has optimum adaptability to different workpieces and enables short cycle times thanks to its quick reset. This is exactly what the engineers were looking for.In 2020, PCE installed the first FXCB, which works on a Kuka robot and is supplied with compressed air for vacuum generation. The system has no sharp corners and is perfect for human-machine interaction. After a skilled worker has packed the items into the box, it is pushed into the so-called cell. There it is automatically weighed, taped shut and given a "Tested" sticker. The area gripper lifts the box and holds it in front of the labeling device, which affixes the correct label to the narrow side. The robot then places the cardboard box back on the conveyor belt, which - as soon as four boxes are on top of each other - transports the stack onwards. "What's more, the large stickers are now always in exactly the same predetermined position - it just looks much neater," says Lechner happily. And there was another detail that impressed PCE: previously, the employees had to place the cardboards individually in larger shipping units, but now they can grab and pack the entire stack. That saves time.The system also has nothing to hide when it comes to energy efficiency. The integrated pneumatic vacuum generation ensures low operating costs. After all, the system not only has to be ergonomic, but also economical and "pay off"."The handling solution met our expectations so well that we installed two more robots with the FXCB area grippers in order picking at the beginning of this year," reports the division manager. In addition to the technical power, Lechner is also very satisfied with the cooperation with Schmalz. "Since the initial contact at the trade show, we have been on an equal footing, and our questions have always been answered quickly and comprehensively by our contacts. And the first-class solution speaks for itself anyway."The handling solution met our expectations so well that we installed two more robots with the FXCB area grippers in the picking department at the beginning of this year.

Configuration concept for selecting the right components for the VEE vacuum end effector from Schmalz.