What is a Palletizer?
Why should I automate my End of Line?
February 4, 2022
Palletizing fertilizer bags
February 4, 2022
A palletizer is an automatic machine suitable for stacking goods or packaged products on a pallet, through a pre-determined pattern of movements, without errors.
Palletization is a fundamental practice for any company that places a product on a pallet (boxes, sacks, bins, bundles, trays, etc.) and is one of the first processes that can be automated within a production cycle.
This activity has been carried out manually for several decades, nowadays technological progress imposes a change of course. A higher productivity in the packaging process allows to remain competitive, without incurring possible decline in business opportunities.
Furthermore, the manual handling of goods on pallets takes long time and can put a strain on workers, subjected to considerable physical effort, as well as energy and time consumption, which could be more efficiently employed by the company.
The palletization quality of a machine is also hard to replicate by a hand operator. A Robot can easily reach up to 2 meters in height, ensuring as well greater stability for the loaded pallet.
These are the reasons why many companies from diverse sectors decide to implement a palletizer, which replaces humans in the arduous task of stacking products, in a easier way and with a shorter amount of time.
A palletizing system is custom designed to meet customer's needs, and is therefore able to handle any kind of products.
How does a palletizer works?
A palletizer robot uses a mechanical arm and a gripping head to transport the goods from a platform to the pallet, coordinating with the production and packaging line speed, using a higher work rate and precision compared to manual work.
It is usually connected to an automatic handling system (roller conveyor), which allows the transport of goods to the destination area.
The system is managed by a simple touch screen panel, easy to interact for any operator after dedicated training.
Palletization can take place on a pallet previously positioned by the operator or by the robot itself, or this operation can also be automated thanks to the use of a mechanized pallet dispenser.
At the end of the process, when the pallet is completed, the operator picks up the pallet through a dedicated trolley.
The main advantages of a palletizer
Owning a palletizer guarantees a series of considerable advantages:
- High Capacity
A palletizing robot is certainly the ideal partner for faster production and packaging lines. The palletizing speed varies according to the products to be handled, the Europack Winner series efficiently reaches up to 800 products per hour. A production capacity of this type would require a deployment of several forces solely to manage this operation. - Low Maintenance
A robotic palletizer requires little maintenance. At each tot. of cycles that have occurred, the need for a simple intervention is promptly indicated, to ensure work safety and continuity, even with high loads or performance. - High Flexibility
The use of different gripping heads (forks, grippers, suction cups, combined), depending on the product to be palletized, gives the machine extreme versatility, making it highly customizable. - Limited Area
A Robot is the ideal solution for those who have limited space in their production plant. The dimensions of an end-of-line system may vary depending on the configuration of the packaging line, but the extreme flexibility of a robot allows installation even in confined spaces, while respecting the most up-to-date safety standards imposed by the market. - Reduced Injuries
In addition to all the advantages already listed in terms of increasing efficiency and reducing costs, another key factor to consider is the health of workers. Palletizers, in fact, allow the prevention of accidents in the workplace: the handling of excessively heavy loads are highly correlated with back pain and injuries that impact on the health of employees. Moreover, they are also useful in the handling of dangerous substances, for which human contact should be better avoided or in dangerous environments for the health of workers. - Safer packaging
The technological content of these machines allows for safer and more stable packaging on pallets, ready to be shipped without further human controls. In addition, the quality is certainly higher than human loaded pallets, often unstable and inaccurate.
Do you want to verify the benefits of integrating an automated palletizing system within your production cycle? Contact us and let's evaluate them together!
