For decades, the biggest obstacle to automating chub case packing wasn't the robot — it was the conveyor.
Flat-belt conveyors work well for trays, pouches, and cartons. But put a 2-lb ground beef chub on a flat belt and physics takes over. The chub rolls. It shifts. By the time the robot reaches the pick point, the product isn't where the vision system said it would be.
Engineers have tried workarounds: lane guides, side rails, timing screws, even custom fixtures. These add complexity, create more surfaces to clean, and still don't solve the fundamental issue. The product shape doesn't match the conveyor design.
JLS took a different approach.
The V-TRACK pick conveyor uses a V-shaped profile that cradles each chub and keeps it from rolling, presenting it in a stable, repeatable position. Instead of fighting the cylinder's tendency to roll, the conveyor geometry works with it — the chub settles naturally into the V.
This sounds simple. That's the point.
The most reliable automation solutions aren't the ones with the most clever workarounds — they're the ones that address the problem at the source. V-TRACK doesn't compensate for rolling after the fact. It helps stabilize each chub before the pick.
With chubs stabilized in a known position on V-TRACK, the OSPREY® CL's vision system can identify each product's position and orientation. Vision-guided delta robots with VOB vacuum tooling then acquire chubs cleanly across a validated range of diameters, lengths, and weights — the specific range is confirmed against your actual products during application engineering.
The result is consistent pick accuracy at production speed, with throughput validated for your chub formats, pack patterns, and system configuration.
Without V-TRACK, that reliability isn't realistic. A robot can only pick what it can reliably find.
V-TRACK is constructed from cleanable stainless steel and designed for the same washdown environment as the rest of the Osprey CL, with electrical enclosures rated NEMA 4X. There are no enclosed channels, no water traps, and no hidden surfaces that complicate cleaning. The conveyor is designed to get wet — just like the rest of the system.
This matters because chub packing happens in some of the most demanding environments in food processing. Ground meat, fresh sausage, and pet food manufacturing areas require aggressive, frequent sanitation. Equipment that can't handle that environment creates compliance risk and maintenance burden.
When switching between chub formats — say, from a 1-lb ground beef chub to a larger sausage log — the V-TRACK conveyor accommodates the change as part of the Osprey CL's changeover process: select the new recipe on the HMI, adjust the rail guides, swap the VOB end-of-arm tool. The V-profile handles a range of diameters without mechanical rebuilds; changeover requirements depend on the chub formats, tooling, and case patterns involved.
This is a meaningful difference from systems that require lane guide changes, timing adjustments, or belt swaps when product dimensions change — changeovers that can consume real production time.
Automation that works in a lab or on a demo floor is interesting. Automation that works in a 38°F meat plant, running mixed chub SKUs across two shifts, with daily high-pressure washdown — that's useful.
V-TRACK is the foundation that makes the Osprey CL practical for real production environments. It's not the flashiest component in the system, but it's the one that made chub automation work.
Learn More About the Osprey CL
The Osprey CL automatic chub loading system is designed and built by JLS Automation in York, Pennsylvania. To discuss your chub packing application, visit jlsautomation.com/osprey-cl or call (717) 505-3800.