Palletizing Systems - Collaborative Robots to support Humans with the loading and unloading of boxes from Pallets

A palletizer is an automated machine that can be used to reduce manual labour in a warehouse environment by rapidly and accurately constructing uniform pallets from boxes, containers, or other items. For example, it can quickly arrange boxes of goods onto a pallet, according to the type of product and size requirements for shipment. This eliminates the need for manual sorting, stacking and packaging processes, which require many workers to complete efficiently. Additionally, a palletizer prevents injury to employees since it is programmed to lift heavy products with precision and consistency. All of these benefits lead to reduced labour time and expenses for the warehouse or distribution center.

The most common industrial applications for palletizers are in warehouses, factories, and distribution centers. Palletizers are typically used to move items of various shapes and sizes onto a pallet or platform quickly and efficiently. Automated palletizing solutions can be used to reduce the time, energy, and money spent on manual labour while increasing storage capacity and production throughput.

For example, a brewery could use an automated palletizer to quickly and safely place empty cans or bottles into cases or onto shipping pallets without any manual handling. An automotive component manufacturer may rely on palletizers to place heavy parts from its conveyors onto a single skid for shipment. And a third-party logistics service provider might install a robotic palletizer for rapid loading of mixed-SKU orders with minimal human intervention.

In summary, automated palletizing technologies present a variety of advantages over manual loading methods that make them ideal for many industrial applications. They save time and labour costs, decrease potential risks of damage due to human error, help increase speed and accuracy of loading operations, and can ensure maximum use of available space.

A palletizer machine typically consists of four main components: a pallet magazine, an elevation system, a robot arm and a control system.

The pallet magazine is typically used to store empty or full pallets as needed. It is also responsible for keeping the palletized material in its correct position depending on the order it needs to be processed.

The elevation system is used to move the pallets up and down inside the warehouse, allowing for faster loading and unloading of material. This component also stabilizes the entire system.

The robot arm is responsible for moving the materials from one level to another and placing them onto the applicable pallets in the proper order. It can include different tooling such as clamps, hook systems or suction cups depending on the type of product being handled.

Finally, the control system coordinates all of these components so that they are managed efficiently by providing instructions according to predetermined parameters and goals set beforehand. It will execute orders such as moving the pallet in certain directions or notifying staff when there are issues with the machine operation. The control system will also help manage inventory levels, helping streamline processes within a warehouse too.