Cisco-Eagle integrates a wide variety of material handling equipment and conveyors to meet today’s supply chain requirements. Many of these are modular, “out-of-the-box” solutions designed to address a range of applications.
Manufacturers and distributors look at all levels of the supply chain for opportunities to apply automation to increase efficiency and competitiveness. Palletizers are one of a number of activities that can play an important role and can be a critical link between you and your customer - enhancing your order fulfillment supply chain.
Palletizers are typically grouped into “layer forming” and “robotic” categories.Variations exist in each of these groups. For instance, robotic palletizers could be of a gantry type, or an articulating arm type. Products can enter palletizer systems from a number of elevations. Based upon requirements, systems are generally termed “low level” or “high level”. The “level” refers to the location of the pallet upon which product is loaded, not the location of the infeed conveyor.
Making the decision to automate palletizing activities can be straightforward, but deciding which technology is best for your business is a different challenge. Both layer forming and robotic palletizers have distinct places in the packaging world. Generally, as you increase the number of layers per minute, a layering palletizer becomes the preferable choice.
Additionally, with the growth in packaging sizes, shapes, and materials, palletizing can become complicated. Sustainable packaging and other environment-friendly goals directly impact material handling solutions. For example, solutions might need to accommodate flexible pattern requirements, or provide suitable end-of-arm tooling (end effectors) to address packaging variations. Which is best for you? This is where Cisco-Eagle can assist you in navigating through the various available technologies.
Many additional factors will impact your decision - number of lines served, case variations, layer patterns, footprint, risk management, cost, and flexibility, to name a few. By defining the application criteria, optimum solutions can be developed specifically for your palletizing needs. Gathering this data at the beginning of automation planning will guide you in the right direction, saving time, money and disappointment down the road.
Contact us to find out how palletizers can improve your operations.
