Palletizing, a physically demanding task for human workers, is often associated with high-speed packaging lines that produce thousands of cartons per hour. The repetitive nature of this operation, coupled with the handling of multiple SKUs, can lead to fatigue, injuries and production losses.
Robotic Automation offers a more efficient and sustainable solution, eliminating the need for manual labor while increasing flexibility and reducing downtime.
Robotic palletizing systems can be customized to suit various infeed requirements, including gravity conveyors, powered roller conveyors and flat top belts. Accumulation buffers, such as LBP conveyors, can be incorporated to manage fluctuations in production flow. Spiral conveyors facilitate vertical transportation of cartons to and from overhead storage.
Fixed palletizing systems, while suitable for high-volume dedicated lines, can be vulnerable to disruptions. A breakdown in either the palletizer or packer can halt the entire production line. Flexible palletizing cells, on the other hand, offer greater resilience and productivity when multiple packaging lines are present.
In flexible palletizing cells, cartons are collected, sorted and transported to overhead buffers using spiral conveyors. A dedicated palletizing area equipped with multiple robotic cells then handles the packaging of various SKUs. Bar code scanners and sortation systems, such as ARB conveyors, ensure accurate sorting and feeding of cartons to pick point conveyors.
Each robotic cell can be configured with either a floor-stacked pallet solution or pallet handling conveyors. The number of SKUs a robot can handle depends on the line speed; slower lines may benefit from a 7th Axis track to increase SKU capacity. These high-speed robots are capable of achieving up to 900 cycles per hour, significantly enhancing palletizing efficiency and productivity.
A Variety of grippers are used to suit the application
- Vacuum grippers can be used for stronger and lighter weight cartons, where higher line speeds are required
- Pneumatic friction grippers with a bottom claw are the widely preferred and economical option
- Servo grippers are more expensive and suitable for higher speed applications. They serve 2 purposes. They save cycle time where the size difference in cartons is high. They also protect the products inside the cartons which are prone to crushing when excessive force is applied. Higher speeds can be achieved with servo grippers
- Full length claw grippers can be used to handle carton with fragile bottles or juice cans which are prone to crushing when using friction grippers
- Robot grippers can also be designed to do additional functions such as slip sheet placement and empty pallet handling. This saves cost, but eats into robot cycle time
BENEFITS OF ROBOTIC CARTON PALLETIZING
- Can be easily retrofitted to existing brownfield plants with space and ceiling height constraints
- New variants can be easily added and layer configurations can be done from HMI
- Errors eliminated when multiple SKU's are merged and palletized in a warehouse
- Precise and uniform stacking
SUCCESFUL PROJECTS
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
Industries Served
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Food & Beverage
Automating the palletizing of carton boxes filled with packaged goods, drinks and other consumables for efficient stacking and shipping
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Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare
Streamlining the palletizing of carton boxes containing medical supplies, ensuring safe and organized transport
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Industrial & Manufacturing
Handling the palletizing of heavy-duty carton boxes containing tools, equipment and industrial components for bulk shipping
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E-commerce & Retail
Streamlining packaging of personal care, cleaning products and other household items for retail distribution
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Home & Personal Care
Shampoos, Bodywash, Moisturizers and Cleaning liquids produced in bulk need to be palletized for bulk transport
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Automotive
Auto components required for the assembly lines and spare parts required for service
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Consumer Durable Goods
Large consumer goods such as air-conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators also need to palletized for transport
