By Bill O’Boyle, Senior Account Manager
Robotic palletizers in the warehouse are nothing new, and there’s hardly an operation of any size that doesn’t use some form of automated equipment to palletize product. Automation revolutionized our ability to move product quickly and safely and position it with precision stability – but today’s palletizing issues are broader than just speed and certainty. As the number of SKUs skyrockets and the diversity of sizes, shapes, types and materials used for product packaging continues to expand, flexibility is one of the most critical factors to consider when choosing to install or upgrade your palletizing systems.
Designing now for future flexibility is key to meeting these changing demands while achieving sustainable returns on your automation investment. The goal is to maximize productivity of your facility’s operation, today and tomorrow.
Yes, there are multiple kinds of palletizers, including case (designed for lifting and stacking) and gantry (used to pick and position product from multiple lines) models. But the robotic palletizer that works best for your operation and application is not going to be an off-the-shelf or out-of-the catalog purchase. The ability to adjust, reconfigure and customize your palletizing capabilities to meet your operation’s unique requirements is vital to accommodating changing product qualities and volumes.
There are, of course, many considerations: your budget; current and projected production/throughput rates; configuration, elevation and reach demands; and your facility’s size and footprint. Within those broad strokes, specifics, such as the variety of end-of arm tooling styles needed, ease of conversion, operational reliability, maintenance costs and requirements, and training needs, must also be addressed.
Here’s the bottom line: To future-proof your operation – and maximize your ability to manage costs, increase throughput and improve ergonomics, only a custom-designed, modular robotic solution is going to be able to handle the job.
DMW&H custom engineers robotic solutions designed to meet your unique project requirements. Featuring fast, pre-programmed changeovers and customizable end-of-arm tooling, our customized solutions provide speed, flexibility and dependability for virtually any layer pattern, product or container, including cases, shrink packs, totes and trays.
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