Projectname:
Potential Analysis for the Economic Use of Robotics for Cleaning Food Production Lines
Workgroup: Hygienic production
Research Partner and Scientific Guidance: Fraunhofer-Institut für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung IVV Dresden, Institutsteil Verpackungstechnik, Chris Henze
Financing: IVLV e. V.
Duration: 2024
The food industry faces the challenge of producing safe and nutritious food while ensuring that cleaning production lines is crucial for food safety. However, manual cleaning is time-consuming and costly, and adverse working conditions lead to a growing shortage of qualified personnel. Unskilled or unmotivated workers increase hygiene risks. Here, advancements in robotics offer promising solutions for automating complex cleaning processes.
The project aims to analyze the economic potential of cleaning robotics in food production and provide recommendations for their use. It examines which cleaning tasks on, in, and around production lines can be taken over by robots and the benefits this brings. Both technical and economic aspects are considered. A key focus is on specialized systems such as the Mobile Cleaning Device (MCD) from Fraunhofer IVV. This technology provides efficient, high-quality automated cleaning. The robots improve hygiene standards and minimize human contact with food.
Through empirical tests and analytical evaluation, a guideline will be developed to show the application possibilities and efficiency improvements of cleaning robotics. This guideline will help companies make informed decisions about implementing cleaning robotics by outlining potential cost and personnel savings. The project’s results aim to reduce uncertainties for small and medium-sized enterprises in the food production sector when assessing and implementing robotics, thereby enhancing their competitiveness. This guideline will detail specific cleaning tasks suitable for robotic use and the associated benefits. Additionally, the robotic cleaning of a complete production line in a food processing plant will serve as a best practice example to demonstrate the successful implementation and practical advantages of cleaning robotics.