A palletising cell handles both a product flow and a logistics arrangement. Arm selection goes with the gripper, layer patterns, pallets and pallet changes. Comparing proposals requires the same complete operation, followed by a distinction between documented arm capabilities and throughput achieved on your line.
Describe every product and its variation
The format record includes dimensions, mass, gripping surfaces, stiffness and incoming orientation. Add variations the cell must accept: deformed packaging, offset products or different mass. Selected samples need to represent those situations, not just the easiest product to grip.
Also specify excluded formats or those reserved for manual handling. One commercial family may contain products needing different grips. A stated recipe count does not replace the list of configurations actually assessed.
Define layers and the finished pallet
For each product, define pallet type, layer arrangement, orientations and required final height. Slip sheets, gaps and overhang limits belong in the pattern. A geometrically feasible layer does not by itself establish load stability.
Acceptance must therefore specify the required final condition and planned checks with your logistics team. Transport, wrapping and storage can add constraints to the stacked product. Responsibilities between the cell, final packaging and handling remain identified.
Size the complete grip
A single pick and a grouped pick do not carry the same mass or mass distribution. Include products, gripper, brackets and accessories. Then check wrist limits against the assembly’s centre of gravity and inertia in actual operating orientations.
The choice between vacuum, mechanical gripping or another principle is validated using the products. Trials examine retention, deformation, placement and grip confirmation. The response to an unconfirmed grip needs defining before finalising the sequence.
Connect the robot to line flows
Map incoming conveyors, pallet stations, empty pallets and removal. Define information needed to accept a product, form a group and release a load. Queues and pallet changes can become cycle phases that need measuring.
Operator and handling-equipment access should appear in the layout. The project defines changeover, inspection and recovery situations. Suva’s risk-assessment method covers the installation life cycle. Study this access during both operation and maintenance.
Use simulation with its limitations
Simulation helps assess layout, paths and patterns. FANUC, for example, documents PalletPRO for preparing cells with stations, pallet dispensers and slip sheets. The transfer described requires a controller with the associated software. That function is not assumed on an ESTUN system.
The digital model must state its assumptions about gripping, waits and changeovers. Packaging retention, stack stability and gripper behaviour need suitable physical checks. A simulated time remains identified as such.
Measure the cell with a representative mix
The acceptance protocol names products, patterns, observed cycle count and included events. It distinguishes robot motion from line waits. Pallet changes and missed picks are counted under an agreed rule, rather than removed after testing to improve the figure.
Keep results by format and record untested cases. An ESTUN palletiser sheet provides payload and reach but does not define your acceptance campaign. A new recipe or gripper change needs linking to the checks that must be repeated.
Common questions
Points to clarify.
Is robot payload the product weight?
It must cover the complete carried assembly, including gripper and accessories. Grouped picks also need a suitable load and inertia assessment.
Does a recipe handle every format change?
Covered formats, settings and mechanical changes must be listed. A software recipe does not replace tooling compatible with the product.
Can two catalogue cycle rates be compared?
Only if paths, loads and measurement conditions are comparable. For procurement, the useful reference is the same complete cycle defined with your products.
