7 Palletizing Cell Structure Concerns That Have an effect on Cycle Time

There are numerous elements to think about if you find yourself designing a palletizing cell. Even small choices that you just make throughout the design part of deployment can considerably have an effect on the efficiency of the robotic, together with the all-important cycle time.

Palletizing cell format has a really clear impression on cycle time. Putting the elements of your cell in even a barely totally different place can add or subtract seconds off the time to finish one palletizing cycle.
With the suitable palletizing cell format, you possibly can enhance area utilization in your cell, obtain quicker cycle occasions, and enhance your cell throughput.
Here is how one can optimize your cell format rapidly and simply.
How palletizing cell format impacts cycle time
Palletizing cell format is the association of components inside a robotic palletizing cell. This contains elements like placement of the robots, conveyor place and orientation, pallet dimension, and numerous different elements.
The format can considerably have an effect on the cycle time and, thus, the efficiency of your complete palletizing course of. For instance, a robotic that’s positioned farther from the conveyor may take 2 seconds longer to select up a field than one that’s nearer. These 2 wasted seconds rapidly add up over the course of a piece shift – for a throughput of 12 pallets per hour, it might quantity to over 2 wasted hours per 24 hours.
When designing your cell, you additionally need to make different choices. For instance, do you need to use centralized or decentralized palletizing? Centralized palletizing includes utilizing a single robotic cell to deal with all of your palletizing duties. Decentralized palletizing includes utilizing a special robotic for every manufacturing line. Your alternative may even have an effect on cycle occasions.
There are numerous steps to design a robotic cell for palletizing. Optimizing the actions of your collaborative robotic is a robust method to get exceptional features from seemingly minor adjustments.
7 concerns when designing a palletizing cell format
Designing a palletizing cell may be very straightforward, particularly if you happen to use a instrument like our Palletizing Configurator, which does numerous the exhausting be just right for you.
Listed here are 7 elements that may have an effect on cycle time in your palletizing cell format:
1. Positions of robotic and conveyor
The place of the robotic and conveyors might be an important consideration in any cell format.
It’s best to place the conveyor in order that it may well ship the bins as near the robotic as potential. Typically, this implies orienting the conveyor so it reaches the pallet end-on and never horizontally.
2. Security tools or fencing
It is advisable to separate human employees from palletizing robots, even when utilizing collaborative robots.
Make sure that you allow sufficient area inside your security fencing or sensor zone in order that every part can match, together with leaving area for folks to enter to deal with the pallets.
3. Distances between cell components
The distances between cell components have a direct impression on the cycle time. Each pointless millimeter that the robotic strikes will add unproductive time to the duty.
Attempt to scale back distances as a lot as potential. Nevertheless, be certain to go away sufficient free area that you do not enhance the possibility of collisions.

4. Top of conveyor
The peak of the conveyor, relative to the robotic and pallet, can have an enormous impact on the cycle time.
By inserting the conveyor near the midpoint between the highest and backside of the loaded pallet, you can also make the velocity of every field placement extra constant. Containers within the middle of the pallet will probably be positioned quicker and people on the prime and backside will probably be barely slower.
5. X-Y distances
In addition to the peak, the horizontal (or X-Y) distances may also add or take away pointless cycle time.
Say that you just add an additional labeling step to the palletizing process. It’d really feel pure to position the labeling machine additional away from the conveyor to keep away from collisions. Nevertheless, this is able to add additional time to every field placement. As a substitute, it’s higher to reduce this distance.
6. Place of interlayer dispenser
In case you are utilizing interlayers between layers in your pallet, you will need to contemplate the location of the interlayer dispenser.
Typically, the perfect place for the dispenser is true behind the choose location on the conveyor.
7. Robotic answer used
Lastly, the particular robotic answer that you just use will strongly have an effect on the efficiency of the cell.
One issue to think about is how straightforward it’s so that you can edit the robotic packages. With an answer just like the Robotiq Palletizing Answer, you possibly can simply tweak this system if you happen to discover an inefficiency within the cell format. This lets you proceed to enhance this system and cycle time over time.
The important thing to an optimum format: decrease actions
As you possibly can see from the checklist above, lots of the concerns that have an effect on the cycle time of your palletizing robotic come down to at least one issue: distance.
By lowering the distances between elements in your cell, you scale back pointless actions that the robotic has to take between palletizing steps. It’s best to attempt to decrease actions whereas avoiding collisions between the weather of the cell.
The only rule is to have the choose level as shut as potential to the drop level.
By planning forward and utilizing instruments like our Palletizing Configurator, you possibly can be certain that the robotic strikes in probably the most environment friendly method.
The place to get extra professional recommendation on establishing your robotic
Do you want extra data on the right way to arrange your robotic palletizing system?
You may get numerous detailed recommendation in our free eLearning programs. The course on Lean Robotics for Palletizing is a good place to begin. In addition to educating you the fundamentals of robotic palletizing, it introduces you to typical layouts and lots of helpful recommendations on the right way to enhance effectivity in your palletizing course of.
What points of your palletizing cell do you assume are least environment friendly? Inform us within the feedback beneath or be part of the dialogue on LinkedIn, Twitter, Fb, or the DoF skilled robotics group.