CRC Unveils Advanced Robotics Line and Remote Monitoring Portal to Boost Industrial Packaging

During an open‑house event at its Italian headquarters, Campetella Robotic Center (CRC) announced a suite of new robotic hardware and a customer‑centric web portal designed for real‑time condition monitoring and remote maintenance. General Manager Elia Campetella highlighted that the past months were dedicated to advancing the robots toward series‑production readiness, focusing on reduced footprint, enhanced precision, increased longevity, and higher speed—all built around modular, standardized designs.

With the automotive sector’s slowdown during the COVID‑19 pandemic, CRC has shifted its focus to industrial, food‑packaging and medical markets. Sales Manager Marco Marconi noted, “Our order books are full until April.”

At the event, a four‑cavity PP yogurt cup was molded in just 1.9 seconds, showcasing the speed and efficiency of CRC’s latest solutions.

Represented in the U.S. by Hunter Automation & Robotics in Sterling, MA, CRC’s newest developments include:

• A customer portal that enables remote monitoring of installed automation systems, instant access to maintenance documentation, and AR‑guided remote assistance from CRC technicians.
• The Double Concept: a two‑arm side‑entry linear robot for high‑speed packaging, delivering a guaranteed cycle time of 3.9 seconds for items such as disposable cutlery and coffee cups, and capable of handling up to 2 × 72 cavities.
• An upgraded CO1 X‑Series top‑entry robot, now faster and more reliable with shorter lead times. It offers a 10 kg payload and a 5.5 second cycle time, ideal for injection presses up to 200 tons.
• An in‑house 3D printing facility that produces label carriers (“dummies”) for IML, cable‑carrier links, and other plastic components.

Two live demonstrations highlighted CRC’s core capabilities, both using specialized high‑performance packaging versions of Arburg’s hybrid Allrounder Hidrive injection machines. In the first demo, four 200‑ml PP yogurt cups were molded on a hybrid Allrounder 570H (180 MT) in 1.9 seconds. A CRC X‑Series Mini‑Modula side‑entry robot inserted lightweight labels and removed the cups, which were stacked upside‑down on a conveyor via a tilting wrist axis. An upgraded CO1 top‑entry servo robot then transferred the stacks to a box, which an Omron AMR (autonomous mobile robot) carried away to storage.

The second demo focused on four 200‑ml PP tubs for cheese spread (7.55 g each). Using a hybrid Allrounder 630 H (230 MT) with Arburg’s new clamp design and Gestica controller, the process achieved a 3.0‑second cycle. An X‑Series Modula side‑entry robot inserted five‑sided labels and removed the parts, while four electronic cameras monitored quality. The tilt wrist again positioned the cups upside‑down for hygienic handling. An X‑Series Spin3 SCARA robot stacked the finished tubs into boxes, which were then transported by an Omron AMR.