Food processing imposes specific constraints that few industrial environments concentrate with such intensity: strict hygiene standards, fragile or non-uniform products, frequent variation in formats, high throughput, integral cleanability. In this context, industrial robotics cannot simply be transposed from other sectors: it must be rethought, adapted and tailor-made.
Robots integrated into food workshops are now capable of working in high-pressure washing conditions (IP65-IP69K), interacting with bare products without direct contact, or operating in cold, damp environments. This calls for rigorous choices in terms of materials (316L stainless steel, FDA-compliant engineering plastics), encapsulated motorization, food-grade lubrication and a washable structure with no nooks and crannies.
Collaborative robots (or cobots) are gradually finding their place in food processing workshops, provided they meet two fundamental criteria: cage-free safety and hygienic compatibility. These robots are particularly useful for automating tedious or repetitive tasks such as unit packaging, manual labeling or depositing products in containers.
At SEMSO, the ergonomic workstations integrating cobots are designed to reduce RSI while maintaining operator flexibility. These hybrid human-robot islands are equipped with specific grippers capable of handling products without damaging them.
End-of-line operations such as palletizing benefit fully from robotic advances. The cells developed by SEMSO enable multi-format processing, interlayer integration, complex layer management, and synchronization with ejection conveyors. The 4 or 6-axis robots are chosen according to the compactness of the island, stack height and format variability.
Robotic unstacking is now coupled with vision systems that identify products in bulk bins for realignment. In industrial cheese-making, for example, this enables molding or packaging lines to be fed automatically without human intervention.
Robotic unscrambling is now coupled with vision systems that identify products in bulk bins for realignment.
See our page dedicated to robotic loading and unloading.
Agri-food robotics is inextricably linked with machine vision. Today, robots for dispensing, packaging or quality control are guided by cameras to adjust their trajectory or validate compliance.
SEMSO systems combine robotics and vision for complex tasks: datamatrix reading, defect detection, product orientation. This reduces scrap rates and guarantees complete traceability.
System architecture: interfaced and traceable robotics
The innovation also lies in the system architecture. SEMSO cells are interfaced with line PLCs and MES or ERP systems. The HMI enables diagnostics, reconfiguration or performance analysis.
Our solutions enable the recording of performance, rejects, cycles and configurations. These data become exploitable for industrial control, quality and maintenance.
Our solutions enable the recording of performance, rejects, cycles and configurations.
Today's agri-food robotics is no longer a technological luxury: it has become a requirement for competitiveness, quality and safety. SEMSO is part of this dynamic, with concrete solutions that are made in France, robust, hygienic and ready for the industry of tomorrow.
At SEMSO, we automate food production lines by integrating robotics, intelligent conveying and traceability technologies. Our equipment is designed to improve throughput, make data more reliable and guarantee sanitary compliance.
Our strength: tailor-made machines, designed for the food industry and connected to your information systems.
