FANUC robots have a way with waffles

摘要

Sugar, vanilla, chocolate coated, soft or crispy; Belgian waffle house Biscuiterie Thijs knocks out thousands of batches of the batter snack every day. What started as a family business in 1976 has grown into a waffle empire supplying the likes of Aldi, Lidl, Carrefour, Jumbo and other European supermarkets. Catering to this growth, in 2013 the company's waffle plant in the Flemish province of Herentals acquired six new FANUC delta robots to perform the task of packing. With retail orders on the rise, it was an intentional move towards automation by Biscuiterie Thijs, with the six FANUC M-2iA robots packing over 150 more waffles per minute than human hands.