IDM ¦ Technology/IT
Safe and Efficient
Invert Robotics inspects containers quickly and without the
need for human access, all achieved by using a robot
Invert Robotics carry out critical assets inspections that
are not only non-destructive, but above all, they ensure
less plant downtime, enabling their customers to get
their critical assets back into production as fast as possible.
The company, founded in New Zealand, offers a
global, innovative, robot-based solution, in the Food & Beverage
and (Petro) Chemical industries.
Invert Robotics inspect drying towers, tanks of all types
and sizes, cyclones, filters, fluid beds, silos, boilers and even
tankers. They provide this service by using their patented
climbing robots with precise 360° camera diagnostics. IDM
visited the German office to have a closer look at how the
robots work.
Compared to conventional inspection methods, the robot
does the actual work for Invert Robotics and their customers.
Once the assets, that need to be inspected, have been
emptied and cleaned, the robot is deployed. The advanced
sliding suction cup technology enables the robots to stick to
most non-magnetic surfaces and they can complete a full
26 · May 2020 ¦ international-dairy.com
Invert Robotics can inspect even the largest silo tanks for damage
without the need for scaffolding (Photo: Invert Robotics)
inspection of the entire equipment without missing an angle.
It only takes approximately 15 minutes to prepare the robot
for the inspections.
"Conventional inspection of containers, such as in the
case of dye penetration, is an extremely complex undertaking",
says Delan Amin, Sales Manager DACH (location Germany)
at Invert Robotics. "The systems must be emptied,
cleaned, sprayed with paint and cleaned again. Then, depending
on their size, scaffolding may have to be erected
inside before the actual work can begin." This method is
very time-consuming and sometimes dangerous for workers.
In addition, dye penetration processes often leave residue
behind that can hard to remove, if at all, and this can lead to
a negative effect on production.
Inspection of the Assets
Invert Robotics' technicians steer the robot from outside the
assets by means of a remote control, powered from a control
case. For safety reasons, the climbing robot is connected
to a cable. This cable also supplies the robot with operating
power and delivers the images captured by the camera
to a screen (based in the control case). If a damaged area
is detected, it is marked with a pen attached to the robot,
this in turn is recorded by the camera and the exact position
Delan Amin: We are aware of tight time constraints in the
production process and when it comes to inspections, we
focus on planned preventative maintenance, schedules in
accordance with our customers (Photo: IDM)
/international-dairy.com
/international-dairy.com
