Automated Stacking in Post-Press Processing with Revolution Pi

Challenge

In printing and bookbinding facilities, employees previously had to manually remove heavy stacks of folded printed sheets from machines and place them on pallets – a physically demanding and time-consuming task. Increasing cost pressure and skilled labor shortages made it necessary to automate this process.

MBO is a leading manufacturer of folding machines and specialist in post-press solutions. The company responds to increasing cost pressure and the trend toward smaller lot sizes in the printing industry with innovative automation solutions.

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Revolution Pi installation in the control cabinet of the CoBo stack of the folding machine manufacturer MBO.

Solution

MBO developed the CoBo Stack, a collaborative robot that handles stacking fully automatically. A RevPi Core was chosen as the central control unit, managing both HMI functions and communication with the robotic arm. Revolution Pi's open architecture also enables simple integration into existing networks and management systems.

Implementation

The RevPi Core serves as the heart of the system and handles two main tasks: It controls the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) and coordinates communication with the robotic arm. Integration into existing Manufacturing Execution Systems (MIS) enables detailed process monitoring. An integrated remote maintenance system allows for efficient service operations.

Technologies used:

RevPi Core as central control unit
HMI system for operation
Network interfaces for MIS integration
Remote maintenance functionality
Collaborative robotic arm

Results & Outlook

The CoBo Stack successfully automates the stacking of bundles weighing up to 6 kg on pallets. This significantly reduces physical strain on employees and digitalizes the stacking process at the end of the production chain. The networking capabilities enable efficient remote maintenance, allowing service operations to be optimized or even avoided.

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