Automation of palletising in industrial plants

Automatic palletisers create precisely uniform loads without the need for manual labour. They are available in many different configurations and can improve productivity when preparing large quantities of products for shipment or storage.

Below, we will address the questions that many companies have when considering implementing palletising automation in its industrial plants:

What is palletising automation?

The palletising automation is the use of machines or robots to stack and organise boxes or other packaging containers into a single unit for transport or storage. These machines are practical for warehouses, distributors and manufacturers who work with multiple pallet loads on a daily basis.

Although automatic palletisers will provide significant benefits to packaging operations, they are expensive pieces of equipment that take up a lot of space. For this reason, it is important to carry out a thorough cost-benefit analysis to ensure that you will get a good return on your investment.

The main difference between robotic palletising and other forms of automated palletising is that a robot offers much more control over how the pallet is arranged. With the right programming solution, mixed pallets with objects of different shapes and sizes can be easily created. It is also easy to reprogram the robot for completely new product lines, unlike conventional palletising machines where a change would require months of mechanical design.

Types of palletising automation

The palletising automation It offers many different configurations depending on your application, but most of them start with a conventional or robotic configuration.

A conventional low-level palletiser aligns boxes or containers in rows by pushing them against a stop point until the row is complete. The rows pass to a placement table, which carefully deposits them onto a pallet for load arrangement. There is also a high-level palletiser that works in a similar way, but instead of raising and lowering the individual layers to build a pallet, it is the pallet itself that moves to help build the layers. A high-level palletiser can handle faster production speeds compared to a low-level palletiser.

A robotic palletiser consists of a computer-operated electromechanical machine that can perform various tasks on its own. Robotic palletisers usually include some type of arm that grabs products from a conveyor belt and begins to form layers for unified loading. The advantage of these robotic palletisers is that they tend to take up less space than conventional palletisers and, in some cases, can be more economical depending on their application. The palletising automation Robotic palletisers have the capacity to work with multiple types of SKUs and pallet designs, whereas conventional palletisers are typically limited to a specific type of pallet design.

Almost any robotic arm can be used for palletising. As long as the robot can pick up objects and place them elsewhere, it can probably handle palletising. However, some robots are more suitable for palletising than others. The robot chosen will depend on the nature of the palletising task, the type of objects to be handled, and the level of performance required.

Here are some common types of robots:

• Palletising robots: probably the best option for most situations requiring palletising automation. These are large robots with a high payload capacity and long reach. They typically use shaft coupling, a design option that allows the robot's elbow actuators to be fixed to its base, increasing speed and payload capacity.
• 6-axis industrial robotsThey are good because of their flexibility; they can be used for many tasks within the workspace, including palletising. They come in a wide range of sizes, which means that you should be able to find the right one for the palletising automation. The largest robots currently on the market are 6-axis robots and are necessary for heavy objects.
• Collaborative robotsAlso known as cobots, they are best suited for low payload tasks that do not require speed. Cobots have the advantage of being able to operate without safety fences and are often used for small, low-throughput palletising. In addition, there are others. 5 reasons why cobots are the perfect solution for industrial SMEs.
• Delta Robots: They are typically used for high-speed pick and place, but it is also possible to use Delta robots for palletising automation detailed tasks. This is quite rare, but it is possible.
• SCARA robotsMost SCARA robots are used for light, detailed assembly tasks, which means they could be suitable for smaller palletising tasks. However, there are also some SCARA robots that specialise in heavy palletising.
• Gantry robotsThey can carry an even greater payload than all other types of robots, with the capacity to palletise almost anything that a bridge crane can lift.

Advantages of palletising automation

The palletising automation allows more products to be grouped together in a single day at speeds that manual labour simply cannot compete with. This improves operational efficiency and reduces the number of workers needed in industrial plants. It also limits worker injuries by removing some of the responsibility for lifting heavy loads, as machines now perform these tasks. These advantages of palletising automation help optimise operational efficiency while increasing the production of pallets ready for storage or shipment. Find out more about how you can increase efficiency with a Depalletising robot: Benefits and Applications.

Challenges of palletising automation

Despite the fact that the palletising automation Although it has some significant advantages over manual labour, the initial equipment required can be quite expensive.

Before making a final decision, the total savings in time and labour must be weighed against the cost of the palletising automation. This will clearly show how to get a return on the investment and how many months it will take to balance the budget.

You should also take into account the downtime that may be required to repair the automated system, as well as the cost of maintenance and repairs.

Although these machines can operate at incredible speeds without stopping, over time some maintenance will be required to ensure that everything continues to run smoothly. It may be necessary to keep a small area ready for manual palletising in case the machine is stopped for maintenance.

The final consideration is the amount of space required to configure and install the new equipment for the palletising automation. Conventional systems can take up a lot of space, and if higher-level systems are required, a lot of free space must be left. A robotic system usually requires less space than a conventional one, so one of these can be used if space is more limited.

When is palletising automation ideal? 

When one thinks of the palletising automation, People often think of huge robots moving large, heavy boxes on pallets stacked with products. This can lead to the mistaken belief that palletising automation is only suitable for large and heavy objects. However, the palletising automation It can be done on any scale because it is simply a more advanced version of pick and place.

The key detail that distinguishes a palletising task from a basic pick-and-place task is the fact that the placement or pick location always changes. Objects are placed on a grid on the pallet, so that each location is immediately adjacent to the previous one. Furthermore, placing objects on a pallet does not mean that they always have to be large wooden pallets, as a palletising task can be performed on almost any surface.

How to programme a palletising robot quickly and easily?

Regardless of the type of robot chosen for the palletising automation, Programming a palletising task can be easy if you use good robot programming software.

It may be tempting to manually code each point in the programme because this is the traditional way of creating a robot programme. However, this would be a mistake as it would make it difficult to update the code and reduce the advantages of using robotic palletising.

Ideal for palletising automation is to use robot programming software that can automatically navigate the various palletising locations. Simply enter the dimensions and properties of the palletising pattern (e.g. length, width, repetition properties) into the software. It will then automatically calculate the exact locations for the robot.

Conclusions on palletising automation

The palletising automation Robotic palletising is rapidly becoming a very popular option thanks to its flexibility and ability to handle mixed case pallets. The market for robotic palletisers continues to grow, largely due to the need to replace manual labour.

There are many machines available with different configurations to suit multiple types of applications. Whether you need a conventional or robotic configuration, the palletising automation will help increase productivity and the number of pallet loads produced per day. Don't miss the opportunity to learn more about the true cost of an end-of-line palletising robot for packaging.