Machine and a method for producing sanitary articles

A machine for producing sanitary articles, comprising:

• a plurality of processing stations comprising automated apparatus configured for forming sanitary articles starting from continuous webs of raw material which advance along a machine direction,
• a guide that is parallel to the machine direction and extends longitudinally along the machine direction along the plurality of processing stations, the guide being fixed to the machine,
• a handling system movably mounted on the guide and configured to move relative to the guide along the plurality of processing stations,
• a multi-axis industrial robot automatically movable along said plurality of processing stations by means of said handling system,
• said multi-axis industrial robot comprising an end-effector arranged to automatically clean and/or inspect the automated apparatus of the plurality of processing stations,
• a main electronic control unit configured to drive a cleaning and/or inspecting process carried out by the multi-axis industrial robot in real time with an operation of the automated apparatus for producing the sanitary articles,
• wherein, in operation, said multi-axis industrial robot is driven for automatically moving along the plurality of processing stations, cleaning and/or detecting operative parameters and failures of the automated apparatus of the plurality of processing stations by means of said end effector, simultaneously with the operation of the automated apparatus,
• wherein said handling system comprises:
• a carriage slidably mounted on said guide, and
• a cable-driven robot associated with the carriage, configured for moving said multi-axis industrial robot with six degrees of freedom, consisting of three in translation and three in orientation according to three axes.