Fast, stable stacking

MORE AND MORE companies are seeking to adapt new sustainable solutions in their manufacturing processes, and warehouse management is no exception.  Having the right equipment in place, of course, helps to prevent a number of issues in the factory. The system supplier, BEUMER Group, which has positioned itself as a single-source provider of filling, palletizing and packaging technologies, has developed stronger and more intelligent robotic grippers intended for complex palletizing and de-palletizing needs. 

The BEUMER robotpac series palletizes/ depalletizes a wide range of packages using specially developed gripping systems

Safety is foremost in stacking, whether it be bundles such as bags, cardboard boxes, crates, canisters or trays. As a space-saving, fully automatic articulated robot, the Beumer robotpac scores well in performing this task. The robot has been designed to tackle even difficult palletising and de-palletising challenges with ease and efficiency, according to Beumer.  The company has developed fully automatic gripping systems that are easily exchangeable and suitable for each item to be packed. 

Over the years, the company has established extensive expertise in the design of grippers and control technology. 

Assortment of grippers for a variety of tasks

For palletising bagged goods and cardboard boxes, the fork gripper picks up the packaged item from a take-away roller conveyor and secures it using a holding-down device during transport. Once the target position on the pallet has been reached, the gripper opens with a horizontal movement and the push-off plate pushes the packaged item off the fork. The fork gripper is designed to deliver gentle product handling and precise placement of the packaged items.  The double fork gripper is also designed for palletising bagged goods and cardboard boxes. It can also pick up two bags simultaneously from a double take-away roller conveyor. Once the packaged item is placed on the pallet, the fork is raised and the tool approaches the target position for the second packaged item. The placement occurs consistently with the first fork’s stacking process. Once both forks have placed the packaged items, the tool returns to the pick-up position.

The finger gripper has been developed for palletising bagged goods. It takes the bags from hoist equipment on the take-away roller conveyor and carries it to the target position. Here, the fingers open as the slide plates remain in a closed position. This action guarantees that the bag is guided along the sides during the stacking process. The double finger gripper is a high-performance tool designed for maximum palletising capacity.

Parallel and suction grippers

The parallel gripper is a special tool for palletising cardboard boxes and other dimensionally stable containers with parallel side walls. The essential components are a fixed plate that functions as a limit stop and a pneumatically activated clamping device that pushes the cardboard box horizontally against the fixed plate.

The suction gripper is fundamentally able to handle all goods with ‘suctionable’ surfaces, which include bagged goods which belong to the most frequently palletized products. The suction gripper places its suction head above the product and then lowers the suction head tightly against the product surface. The vacuum pump starts and creates a vacuum in the suction head. Then, the bag is picked up and transported to the target position. Air is released into the suction head and the bag is then placed. The suction gripper is used for low palletising capacities.

The suction gripper is designed to handle products with ‘suctionable’ surfaces

Combination and special tools

In addition to these gripping systems, a large number of specialty grippers and combination tools are available from Beumer. Special tools enable simultaneous processing of secondary tasks, including sheet or empty pallet placement on the conveying systems or barcode reading. Should the needs of the user be so specific that none of the standard grippers is suitable, then BEUMER can design a system specifically for those unique requirements. Virtually all products can be palletised with a robot.

Precise and gentle 

The BEUMER robotpac distinguishes itself through its precision and availability, as well as through its gentle product handling. An ultrasonic system provides accurate measures of the stacking height, making it possible to calculate the exact placing position of the packaged items and stack these precisely and carefully. This precision guarantees an optimal stack configuration. The latter not only serves as a mark of quality for your customer, it also ensures high stability during shipping and storage.

Designed for safe and precise stacking, the robotpac handles bagged goods efficiently 

System and control from one source

That the BEUMER control systems do not require special robot-related expertise – and this is due to their user-friendly design – is also a major advantage. To enable operators to control the new robotpac more easily and quickly, the intralogistics specialist has equipped the machine with the BEUMER Group Human Machine Interface (HMI), an operator panel with an optimised user interface and optimised navigation, which creates easily understandable and intuitive interaction, so that the user can quickly define efficient working sequences. The operator can control the machine safely, independently of prior skills, training and capabilities. For the manufacturer, this feature translates to savings in time and money as the machine offers high economic efficiency.

Regulated by complex control mechanisms, the BEUMER robotpac can stack packaged goods of variable dimensions on one pallet. Individual programmes cover all packing patterns, so that complicated and tedious adjustments become a thing of the past. The switch to another programme with the BEUMER robotpac requires a mere push of a button. Thereby, the BEUMER robotpac optimises the material flow quickly and easily adapting itself to products of different sizes and characteristics.

Robust and empirically tested machine components, together with state-of-the-art geared motors, guarantee smooth operation. Therefore, the BEUMER robotpac is not only easy to maintain, but also extremely quiet. The performance can be enhanced cost-effectively. Equipped with an additional drive axle and an integrated motor connected to the control system, the BEUMER robotpac is freely movable on a guide rail. Consequently, it can be used in distribution centres for order picking tasks. The BEUMER robotpac demonstrates its reliability even in dusty environments typical of packing plants and of the building material industry.