Struggling with diverse SKUs, rising order complexity, and ever-shrinking delivery windows? Imagine you could solve the mixed palletizing puzzle once and for all – the answer lies in intelligent automation. Here’s how advanced 3D vision-powered robotics transform how warehouses handle complex orders.

Mixed Palletizing? A Challenge Ripe with Opportunity

Mixed palletizing, the seemingly simple act of consolidating diverse products onto a single pallet, has become a major bottleneck in warehouse logistics. While crucial for efficient outbound shipments and store-ready deliveries, this process presents a complex puzzle. 

Just imagine the sheer variety of SKUs, coupled with the rising complexity of customer orders. Think about the bustling distribution center, the 3PL hub managing countless clients, or the retail fulfillment network. 

Meeting ever-shorter delivery windows is a harsh challenge. All are grappling with the same core issue: how to consolidate a diverse range of products onto pallets for optimized logistics. 

The bottom line is: the manual palletizing is outdated. It’s slow, error-prone, and physically demanding. Results? Labor shortages and high turnover. 

Cross-docking adds complexity, requiring faster, more agile solutions. Low automation adoption worsens these problems, resulting in inefficiencies in labor, throughput, and accuracy. This challenge, however, offers a big opportunity. Industries can overhaul mixed palletizing and unlock gains in efficiency, accuracy, and profitability.

Smart Automation for Random Sequence Mixed Palletizing

The complexities of mixed palletizing demand a smarter approach. The solution lies in intelligent automation, and we teamed up with Jacobi Robotics to deliver an innovative system that offers a compelling example of how this can be achieved. 

This conveyor-based robotic solution tackles the challenges of random sequence, mixed-SKU palletizing head-on, streamlining the entire process from case induction to completed pallets.

Intelligent Buffering and Sequencing

A key innovation is the compact buffering robot. This dexterous robot dynamically manages case flow, temporarily storing, retrieving, and reordering cases within a small footprint. 

This intelligent buffer enables on-demand sequencing, optimizing the order for palletization without requiring the vast space of traditional sortation systems.

High-Speed Robotic Palletizing 

A high-speed robotic palletizer takes over once cases exit the buffer. It retrieves cases from the conveyor and builds stable, mixed-SKU pallets in real-time. 

The system’s advanced algorithms optimize stacking patterns based on case dimensions, weight distribution, and stability requirements. The robot can even stack multiple pallets simultaneously, ensuring efficient order completion. 

This automation eliminates manual pallet building, boosts throughput, and guarantees consistent pallet quality.

Scalability and Flexibility 

The demo showcases a system handling ~500 cases across ~20 SKUs, but it’s designed for scalability. The number of SKUs, buffer capacity, and palletizing configurations can be adjusted to accommodate higher volumes, varied order profiles, and different warehouse layouts and case retrieval processes. This adaptability makes it suitable for diverse environments, from distribution centers to 3PL hubs. 

Logistics Powered by Top-Tier Technology

The system’s strength lies in its sophisticated technology stack:

• Proprietary Motion Planning Software: Jacobi Robotics’ software enables high-throughput and dexterous manipulation. Advanced algorithms dynamically orchestrate case flow for precise pallet formation and load balancing.
• Industrial Robot Arms: ABB and Universal Robots provide reliable, high-performance automation.
• Precise Vision System: Photoneo’s vision system enhances picking accuracy and system flexibility through precise object recognition.
• Flexible Grippers: Schmalz’s grippers ensure secure handling of diverse case sizes and packaging types.
• Seamless Deployment: Our trusted network of integrator provide an end-to-end system delivery and ongoing support.

This automated mixed palletizing solution represents a significant advancement, offering a pathway to increased efficiency, accuracy, and profitability in today’s demanding logistics landscape.

How Photoneo 3D Vision Powers the System

The solution utilizes 3 PhoXi 3D Scanner XL  and additional L units strategically positioned above the conveyor and palletizing area. These scanners offer a large field of view (FOV) to capture full pallets and incoming case flows, ensuring precise localization of every box, regardless of size, shape, or position. Additionally, a PhoXi 3D Scanner L fine-details scanning, verifying each case’s dimensions and orientation before stacking, thus eliminating misalignment risks and ensuring flawless palletization.

 Three Photoneo Vision Controllers (VCs) serve as the intelligence hub of the system. They process the high-speed 3D data in real-time, synchronizing the movement of robotic arms.

Solving Mixed Palletizing Challenges with Superior 3D Vision

Mixed palletizing presents several hurdles that many machine vision systems struggle to overcome, but Photoneo’s 3D vision technology excels in addressing these challenges:

• Instantaneous Case Localization: Cases arrive out of sequence and must be detected, measured, and identified immediately. Photoneo’s structured light technology captures precise depth data at high speeds, enabling seamless real-time adjustments to stacking order.
• Handling Challenging Packaging Materials: Traditional 2D cameras and lower-grade 3D vision systems often struggle with glossy, reflective, or dark packaging. Photoneo’s proprietary depth-sensing algorithms eliminate noise and distortions, providing accurate 3D reconstructions regardless of material type.
• Large-Area Scanning Without Compromising Accuracy: The PhoXi 3D Scanner XL units provide broad coverage of the entire palletizing zone while maintaining millimeter-level precision. This allows for multi-box scanning in a single frame, ensuring efficiency without sacrificing accuracy.
• Comprehensive 3D Capture: The PhoXi 3D Scanner XL delivers wide-field, high-definition 3D scans, guaranteeing complete visual coverage of incoming boxes and pallet assembly processes.
• Precise Case Validation: Employing the PhoXi 3D Scanner L, real-time case dimension verification is achieved with exceptional accuracy, enabling optimized and reliable pallet stacking.
• Robust Material Handling: Sophisticated depth processing algorithms effectively manage diverse material challenges, including reflective, transparent, and irregular case surfaces, ensuring consistently accurate scans.
• Synchronized Multi-Scanner System: Three interconnected Vision Controllers facilitate seamless synchronization of multiple scanners, streamlining robotic integration and efficient data management.

Streamlined Warehouse Automation

The system is designed for rapid deployment and easy reconfiguration, minimizing downtime while allowing businesses to adapt seamlessly to changing operational demands. Its compatibility with existing warehouse processes ensures smooth integration with both manual and automated workflows, eliminating the need for modifications to upstream operations.

Leveraging AI-powered cycle time optimization, the system achieves exceptional throughput, handling between 300 and 1000 cases per hour. This efficiency translates into a scalable automation solution that reduces labor costs and enhances productivity and order accuracy.

With the ability to build stable pallet stacks up to six feet high, it ensures secure transport, maximizes trailer utilization, and minimizes product damage. Furthermore, its compatibility with major robotics platforms enables effortless integration into existing automation infrastructures, providing a future-proof solution for modern warehouses.

Ready to learn more about the powers of vision-guided robots? Explore Photoneo’s Complete Product Portfolio, Patented Technologies, and Proven Case Studies – All in One Download