New Palletizing Solutions Incorporate Cobots

Several packaging machinery OEMs have introduced new solutions this past year that incorporate new heavier-payload, longer-reach cobots into a dedicated palletizing systems. One such company is ONExia, with its second-generation PalletizUR, the PalletizUR 2.0, which can handle case weights of approximately 20 kg using Universal Robot’s UR20 cobot arm. Emphasizes the company, the PallezUR 2.0 is not a kit. Every palletizer application is reviewed by ONExia’s engineers and is delivered with all the conveyors and grippers needed for a collaborative robot cell.

Packaging Robotics: The PalletizUR 2.0 from ONExiaAccording the company, the PalletizUR 2.0 can handle virtually any size case using the company’s robotics palletizing software, with no programming required. The cobot is controlled through a single touchscreen, which ONExia says provides a simplified user experience for daily operators. To add or edit pallet configurations, boxes are positioned using the drag-and-drop interface with advanced features built-in, including conveyor control, label orientation, and slip-sheet layer placement.

Says Greg Selke, chief executive officer of ONExia, “This is the easiest robot install our customers will ever have. Many in fact do not require any startup support from us when deploying additional palletizers to other lines in their facilities.”

As with all cobots, the PalletizUR 2.0 requires no caging or guarding to operate; it is third-party verified to meet the ANSI and RIA industry standards for collaborative robot safety.

Packaging Robotics: Sidel’s RoboAccess_Pal S palletizerSidel’s new palletizer, the RoboAccess_Pal S was designed to bring the benefits of cobots to palletizing operations for customers in the food, home, and personal care markets. Says the company, “With the introduction of cobotics in palletizing, Sidel has been able to answer the growing market demand for very compact and affordable cells, which generally replace manual operations. For more demanding lines, where robotic arms could offer higher technical performances, Sidel has drawn on its 50-plus years of palletizing expertise to create an all-in-one solution that combines a small footprint, a fast return on investment, and a higher case payload and speed.”