Fanuc UK – CAKE-FROSTING ROBOT MASTERS THE ART OF PASTRY DECORATION
Swiss confectioner Suteria Chocolata AG has been producing its famous Solothurner Torte – still the chocolatier’s bestseller – for a century. Never wavering from its original and delicious recipe, several years ago the company enlisted the help of a new pasty chef – a compact FANUC LR Mate.
Staying true to the traditional craftsmanship that’s renowned throughout the region, the robot was recruited to work half-day shifts not due to performance limitations but in order to keep what they produce fresh. Sales orders determine the quantity produced and only before major holidays does the robot put in extra shifts. The robot completes the intricate yet monotonous task of piping perfectly sized hazelnut meringue rounds, which decorate the top and bottom of each torte. With thousands of these cakes produced every year, CEO Michael Brüderli notes that the robot is a highly regarded asset that enables Suteria to maintain its commitment to ‘uncompromising quality’.
Each day, the bakery prepares a selection of the Solothurn torte in six sizes, measuring between 12 cm and 26 cm in diameter. Donning a white apron like his pastry colleagues, the robot, which has a reach of approx. 700 mm and a payload of 5kg, sets to work piping the meringue mixture from an injection nozzle in a circular motion direct onto baking trays. An operative fills the dispensing unit, provides a stack of trays, selects the appropriate size on a touchscreen, leaving the robot to create the unique meringue bases and decorative top.
