In today's competitive manufacturing environment, streamlining processes and maximizing efficiency are top priorities. Many manufacturers are now looking to automation as the answer to these challenges. While robotics and other technologies may be utilized throughout a facility, the end-of-line processes, such as palletizing, are a great area to start.
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However, the amount of available options also make palletizing automation selection a bit of an overwhelming task. Palletizers can range from relatively standard to extremely custom depending on the application requirements. No matter where you wind up, the necessary first step is to determine which palletizer type you can implement: cobot or industrial.
Today, we’ll detail and compare the key differences between cobot and industrial palletizers, along with several application examples to give you a better idea of how each method is helping various manufacturers. Our goal is to help you better understand the differences so you can be on your way to implementing the ideal automation solution for your production line.
Cobots, short for collaborative robots, are designed to work safely alongside humans. They are both user-friendly and agile, allowing them to be up and running quickly. They also tend to cost less on avergae than an industrial cell. Let’s take a look at their general specifications:
Cobot palletizers excel in industries that produce smaller payloads and lower cycle volume. They are commonly found in food and beverage plants palletizing packaged goods ranging from snacks and baked goods to canned and bottled drinks. The medical industry relies on them to handle pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. Smaller and lighter consumer goods are handled by cobots as well, including anything from toys to delicate electronics.
Industrial palletizers are highly capable, heavy-duty systems designed to handle high speed and high-volume requirements. They can be heavily customized to accommodate a higher range of cell configurations, making them highly versatile as well. Let’s take a look at their key specs:
Footprint - larger than a cobot, typically 10'x10'x10' high, due to extensive safety guarding.
Industrial palletizers are designed for more demanding applications that require moving heavy payloads quickly. They are found in the automotive industry, palletizing heavy car parts and components. The construction industry relies on them to palletize bricks, blocks and other heavy building materials. For the beverage industry, while cobots handle smaller loads, industrial palletizers take care of cases and kegs with ease.
Both cobot palletizers and industrial palletizers deliver measurable automation benefits. Selecting the right one for your production line depends on your specific requirements. Ultimately, it will come down to weight, size, production volume, and to some extent, floor-space. And let’s not forget the big one: budget. Industrial palletizers are more capable and therefore more expensive, while cobots tend to be more affordable and attainable, as long as they can handle your application.
Either way, end-of-line automation offers a relatively easy introduction to robotics, freeing up valuable labor resources for more complex and valuable tasks.
Robotic palletizing has been a game changer in packaging lines and warehouses for decades, but some considered automation not an option over concerns like space limitations and lack of robotic programming expertise. Collaborative robots have been opening up new automation avenues in many applications, but it wasn’t until higher-payload and longer-reach cobots, like FANUC’s CRX-25iA and CR-35iB, that are now causing many to reconsider automating palletizing to boost efficiency and productivity.
Read on to see how FANUC cobots with their new capabilities can help more businesses achieve their productivity goals.
According to a report from PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, entitled “Robots and Cobots An Automated Future,” the percentage of cobots used in packaging automation is expected to grow from 27 percent to 57 percent by . One of the main reasons for this growth is the flexibility and adaptability of cobots. Years ago, automating palletizing required a big footprint and a fixed application. Cobots have changed those restrictions, making automated palletizing a viable option for much smaller spaces as well as operations that might need to change their palletizing area.
FANUC’s CRX-25iA cobot has an enhanced 30kg payload capacity and long 1,889 mm reach, making it perfect for palletizing applications. If a higher payload capacity is needed, FANUC’s CR-35iB is the industry’s strongest collaborative robot featuring a 50kg payload capacity, a large work envelope and a small installation footprint, which works well in tight spaces.
With the labor shortage, companies from all industries across the U.S. are struggling with finding workers. This can lead to shutdown lines and unfulfilled manufacturing orders. Even if operations are staffed, having people repeatedly lift heavy boxes or other products all day can put them at risk for workplace injuries. Cobots are excellent alternatives for these palletizing applications. FANUC’s CRX product line excels with flexibility due to the 120 V power requirements and lightweight, which allows the cobots to be mounted to a portable platform. This enables manufacturers to move the automation between lines as needed.
With advances in FANUC’s sensor technology, the CRX-25iA and CR-35iB can be equipped with 3DV iRVision. This enables the cobots to locate and pick products on a pallet and place them onto another pallet or a platform part of an Automated Storage & Retrieval System (ASRS). Using information from the sensors, cobots can adjust their positions on the fly when the pallet location shifts. This feature gives the cobots tremendous flexibility with the ability to handle one or more units at a time according to the pallet configuration. Additionally, cobots can form multiple layers on a pallet after picking the products. Cobot palletizing solutions can easily accommodate these different pallet patterns and handle multiple infeeds of different SKUs on the same line.
Finally, cobot palletizers are safe to work alongside people. With the proper safety assessment, cobots don’t require industrial fencing around their workspace. Cobots’ sensors can detect a person in their line of operation and stop their movement; this ability enables them to be placed in proximity to people.
In the past, robotic programming was potentially a big hurdle to adopting automation for those that had no expertise or personnel to handle the task. However, FANUC cobots’ intuitive hand guidance and easy-to-use Tablet TP programming make it a snap for even those with no prior robot experience.
The cobots do not require special programming or complex languages. Operators simply program through the hand guidance option by leading the cobot through paths to teach a new task. They can also use the FANUC Tablet TP with drag-and-drop user interface to easily program the cobot as well.
Building custom pallets has never been easier with FANUC’s PalletTool® software. Once product dimensions are entered, PalletTool provides a list of possible pallet patterns as well as the space efficiency for each pattern.
When the pallet pattern is selected, all information about the pattern, including the product weight, total number of layers, pallet/infeed retreat, approach distances, and gripper information, are saved within the unit load created. This enables the operator to easily switch between products either at startup or while the system is already running just by changing the current unit load.
Operators can also create and modify unit loads directly from the Tablet TP with FANUC’s PalletTool 3 software using the newly updated user interface. This unlocks the ability to quickly modify systems on the floor without needing a computer.
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Additionally, FANUC’s PalletPRO simulation software can be used to completely build and prove out a palletizing application on a PC. PalletPRO can create a complete work cell layout, including infeed and pallet stations, slip sheet and pallet dispensers. Hundreds of unit load pallet configurations can be created and visualized in 3D using PalletPRO’s built-in library of industry standard patterns. The data created in PalletPRO can be downloaded to a FANUC controller containing PalletTool software.
Cobots, which were once thought for only low-payload applications such as pick-and-place and material handling, are now a viable tool in the packaging and production line. Even for operations that are working in tight spaces or limited resources, the ability of cobots to be deployed in a variety of environments is bringing all the benefits of automation to businesses that never thought it was possible.
If you want to stay competitive in today’s ever-changing global market, FANUC is the provider to talk to. Whether you are looking for new automation solutions or improving existing equipment, FANUC can help you achieve your goals while improving overall efficiency and profitability.
With over 40 million automation products installed worldwide and decades of automation experience, more companies trust FANUC for their automation needs. We have the largest network of Authorized System Integrators and line builders, and can quickly evaluate opportunities for faster, more efficient production.
Contact us to discuss your needs and let us help you start reaping the benefits of automation!
By Debra Schug PR and Content LeadRobotic palletizing has been a game changer in packaging lines and warehouses for decades, but some considered automation not an option over concerns like space limitations and lack of robotic programming expertise. Collaborative robots have been opening up new automation avenues in many applications, but it wasn’t until higher-payload and longer-reach cobots, like FANUC’s CRX-25iA and CR-35iB, that are now causing many to reconsider automating palletizing to boost efficiency and productivity.
Read on to see how FANUC cobots with their new capabilities can help more businesses achieve their productivity goals.
According to a report from PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, entitled “Robots and Cobots An Automated Future,” the percentage of cobots used in packaging automation is expected to grow from 27 percent to 57 percent by . One of the main reasons for this growth is the flexibility and adaptability of cobots. Years ago, automating palletizing required a big footprint and a fixed application. Cobots have changed those restrictions, making automated palletizing a viable option for much smaller spaces as well as operations that might need to change their palletizing area.
FANUC’s CRX-25iA cobot has an enhanced 30kg payload capacity and long 1,889 mm reach, making it perfect for palletizing applications. If a higher payload capacity is needed, FANUC’s CR-35iB is the industry’s strongest collaborative robot featuring a 50kg payload capacity, a large work envelope and a small installation footprint, which works well in tight spaces.
With the labor shortage, companies from all industries across the U.S. are struggling with finding workers. This can lead to shutdown lines and unfulfilled manufacturing orders. Even if operations are staffed, having people repeatedly lift heavy boxes or other products all day can put them at risk for workplace injuries. Cobots are excellent alternatives for these palletizing applications. FANUC’s CRX product line excels with flexibility due to the 120 V power requirements and lightweight, which allows the cobots to be mounted to a portable platform. This enables manufacturers to move the automation between lines as needed.
With advances in FANUC’s sensor technology, the CRX-25iA and CR-35iB can be equipped with 3DV iRVision. This enables the cobots to locate and pick products on a pallet and place them onto another pallet or a platform part of an Automated Storage & Retrieval System (ASRS). Using information from the sensors, cobots can adjust their positions on the fly when the pallet location shifts. This feature gives the cobots tremendous flexibility with the ability to handle one or more units at a time according to the pallet configuration. Additionally, cobots can form multiple layers on a pallet after picking the products. Cobot palletizing solutions can easily accommodate these different pallet patterns and handle multiple infeeds of different SKUs on the same line.
Finally, cobot palletizers are safe to work alongside people. With the proper safety assessment, cobots don’t require industrial fencing around their workspace. Cobots’ sensors can detect a person in their line of operation and stop their movement; this ability enables them to be placed in proximity to people.
In the past, robotic programming was potentially a big hurdle to adopting automation for those that had no expertise or personnel to handle the task. However, FANUC cobots’ intuitive hand guidance and easy-to-use Tablet TP programming make it a snap for even those with no prior robot experience.
The cobots do not require special programming or complex languages. Operators simply program through the hand guidance option by leading the cobot through paths to teach a new task. They can also use the FANUC Tablet TP with drag-and-drop user interface to easily program the cobot as well.
Building custom pallets has never been easier with FANUC’s PalletTool® software. Once product dimensions are entered, PalletTool provides a list of possible pallet patterns as well as the space efficiency for each pattern.
When the pallet pattern is selected, all information about the pattern, including the product weight, total number of layers, pallet/infeed retreat, approach distances, and gripper information, are saved within the unit load created. This enables the operator to easily switch between products either at startup or while the system is already running just by changing the current unit load.
Operators can also create and modify unit loads directly from the Tablet TP with FANUC’s PalletTool 3 software using the newly updated user interface. This unlocks the ability to quickly modify systems on the floor without needing a computer.
Additionally, FANUC’s PalletPRO simulation software can be used to completely build and prove out a palletizing application on a PC. PalletPRO can create a complete work cell layout, including infeed and pallet stations, slip sheet and pallet dispensers. Hundreds of unit load pallet configurations can be created and visualized in 3D using PalletPRO’s built-in library of industry standard patterns. The data created in PalletPRO can be downloaded to a FANUC controller containing PalletTool software.
Cobots, which were once thought for only low-payload applications such as pick-and-place and material handling, are now a viable tool in the packaging and production line. Even for operations that are working in tight spaces or limited resources, the ability of cobots to be deployed in a variety of environments is bringing all the benefits of automation to businesses that never thought it was possible.
If you want to stay competitive in today’s ever-changing global market, FANUC is the provider to talk to. Whether you are looking for new automation solutions or improving existing equipment, FANUC can help you achieve your goals while improving overall efficiency and profitability.
With over 40 million automation products installed worldwide and decades of automation experience, more companies trust FANUC for their automation needs. We have the largest network of Authorized System Integrators and line builders, and can quickly evaluate opportunities for faster, more efficient production.
Contact us to discuss your needs and let us help you start reaping the benefits of automation!
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