ANSYS Case Studies Robopac: Enhancing Productivity and Reducing Costs with IoT
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Robopac: Enhancing Productivity and Reducing Costs with IoT

ANSYS
Equipment & Machinery
Packaging
Product Research & Development
Structural Health Monitoring
Time Sensitive Networking
Robopac, a leading designer and manufacturer of stretch wrapping machines, was facing a significant challenge with its existing product, Rotowrap. The product was constructed as a metal box with numerous welding seams, which posed potential reliability issues during the rotation of the wrapping arm. The complex design of the Rotowrap was also more costly than competitors’ products. The company was under pressure to develop a new product that was of higher quality, performance, and reliability, but at a lower cost. The challenge was not only to innovate but also to ensure that the new product was more durable and less costly than the existing one to maintain competitiveness in the industry.
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Robopac is a company of Aetnagroup and is recognized as the global leader in the stretch wrapping industry. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of semi-automatic and automatic stretch wrapping equipment. Robopac combines technology, innovation, and experience to deliver products that offer reliable results. Aetnagroup’s seven brands — Robopac, Robopac Sistemi, Dimac, Prasmatic, IMSB, Rotac, and Toptier — offer complete lines of innovative stretch wrapping systems, bundlers, shrink wrappers, boxing systems, and tape machines. The company is based in San Marino and operates in the packaging industry.
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To overcome the challenge, Robopac engineers turned to ANSYS solutions to explore the design space and focus on structural robustness. They used ANSYS Mechanical for both static and dynamic analysis and ANSYS SpaceClaim to model geometries for product design optimization. This approach allowed them to significantly improve the structural strength of the new wrapping machine by substituting metal tubes for the welded metal plates. The result was closed structures that have more resistance to twisting forces. Transient analysis enabled them to calculate forces and torques during machine start-up and emergency stopping — both critical phases for mechanical stress — especially near welding seams. This innovative approach led to the development of a more robust and productive stretch wrapping machine in a shorter time and at a lower cost.
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The implementation of ANSYS solutions led to significant operational improvements for Robopac. The company was able to eliminate the structural problems associated with the previous design, leading to a more reliable and robust product. The new design also allowed for an increase in wrapping speed, enhancing productivity. The use of ANSYS solutions also led to a significant reduction in production cost and time, making the company more competitive in the market. Furthermore, the improvements in the product design and performance resulted in a significant increase in sales, demonstrating the commercial success of the new product.
Eliminated structural problems
Increased wrapping speed from 12 revolutions per minute to 15 revolutions per minute
Reduced production cost by 30 percent
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