The demand for improved line efficiencies and reduced costs has manufacturers increasingly looking to automated material handling for a solution. Where speeds are low, depalletizing and palletizing operations can be served by manual labor. As speeds increase or the product becomes difficult to handle, automating these operations becomes a necessity. Over the last five years, robotics has entered the picture as an alternative to conventional depalletizers and palletizers in many situations, blurring the decision-making process as to what solution is best for a particular application.

If robotics appears to be the answer, an additional facet of the decision-making process will ultimately be what types of robots and components will go into the solution. Most current robotic palletizers or depalletizers use either gantry robots (pictured at left), known as "square" robots, or jointed-arm robots(pictured below), known as "round" robots, both nicknamed for their types of motion. Gantry robots are linear-motion robots, meaning they move up, down, and across in a work envelope that can be more than 80 ft long. They are typically built to the dimensions of a specific project and offer more overall flexibility, including the capacity to work with a large number of pick-and-place locations. Jointed-arm robots are more limited in the size of their work envelope but are typically more economical and faster. In a typical palletizing application, a jointed-arm robot can build four pallet loads within its work cell.

Five Do's and Don'ts to Live By

• Don't be taken in by the "flexibility" hype you often hear from robotics companies. Conventional solutions can be more flexible than robotic solutions, depending on the given application.


• Do get a firm guarantee on robotic rates, including consequences if those rates are not met. A majority of customers believe their systems have never achieved the rates they were promised.


• Don't be too quick to use vacuum tooling; clamping may offer better performance and flexibility.


• Do ensure that your personnel receive adequate training. No robotics system is as easy to operate and troubleshoot as the salesperson will lead you to believe.


• Do find a robotics integrator that specializes in the task you are trying to accomplish. Experience in robotic welding systems does not guarantee success in robotic case palletizing.