1.The variety of the objects that need to be palletised
It is important to have an indication how many different boxes and stacking patterns you have. This way we can prepare the right software for you to make sure the cobot surpasses your expectations.
2. The dimensions of the objects
The second step is to define the dimensions of the selected objects. We advise to measure 3 boxes of the same type at once and take the average of the 3. We say this because we often see that boxes with the ‘same’ size often have a deviation. As you would like to palletise as precise as possible, it is important that the cobot knows where to pick and stack the boxes exactly.
3. Extra items that are needed to palletise
Interlayer sheets are commonly used when palletising tins or buckets or when the stacking height is quite high (e.g., >2m) to increase the stability. This sheet can also be stacked with the cobot by using a sheet bin that is mounted on the conveyer belt.
4. Surface of the objects
The vacuum gripper is commonly used by cobots to palletise closed boxes. But what if you have an (partly) open box? No need for panic, with our fork gripper the boxes can be properly stacked. The gripper can be seen as a mini forklift that pushes its forks below the boxes and uses vacuum force to make sure the box will not fall of the gripper.
5. Throughput of the objects
It is important to know that a cobot has a speed limit due to safety reasons. If you need to stack 30 boxes p/m a cobot will not be the right solution for you. Reason for this is that the cobot arm might be physically capable of achieving this speed but it would not be safe to do so without any (infrared)fences. But using fences in combination with a cobot is possible and it increases the already high safety conditions.
6. Previous experience with cobots
If you already have some experience with a cobot, remember that the second implementation will be even easier. If you do not have prior experience with a cobot, do not worry, a cobot is easy to implement and work with.
7. Employee support
This one is the far most important to think about as your employees are the ones who get to work with the cobot. Make sure you have defined a clear goal that you want to achieve with the cobot and share this with your employees. On top of that, make sure you give your employees sufficient time to get used to the cobot so they will also see all of its benefits.
