Case Packing

A case packer sits between a bulk-pack or infeed conveyor and the case sealer, filling erected cases with individual products or collated groups. The robot picks from the infeed at line rate and places into an open case in a defined pattern, then hands the case off for taping or gluing.

Selection turns on cycle count and case pattern more than raw payload. A cell running 200 cases per hour with a six-pack collation head picks in bursts rather than one item at a time, which shifts sizing toward acceleration and swing radius over lifting capacity.

Tooling drives most of the throughput math. A vacuum multi-pack head that grabs six or twelve pouches at once can fill a case in one motion, where a single-item finger gripper needs a dozen picks. Getting the pattern right on the first try matters, because a misplaced item wedges the flap and jams the sealer.

Vision confirms count, orientation, and label-forward placement before the robot commits. Missing that check is the classic pitfall: cases ship short or with a smashed product against a flap, and the complaint arrives weeks later from a customer. A quality inspection station downstream of the packer catches the ones that slip.

Compatibility comes down to the erector and sealer. If the erector's cycle time drifts under the packer's, the cell starves and the robot idles.

If the sealer runs slower, cases stack on the outfeed and back-pressure the packer. Balancing those three machines is the integration work first-time projects usually underestimate.

Reach and payload set the practical envelope. Cases that are tall, deep, or heavy push toward mid-payload 6-axis arms like the FANUC M-20iD/25 or ABB IRB 2600, and a palletizing-class arm when the loaded case runs 25 kg or more. Lighter, slower cells often use a collaborative arm such as the Universal Robots UR10e.

Related work sits close on the line: packaging, palletizing, and labeling usually share the same conveyor. The FANUC M-410iC/185 is a common bridge model when one cell packs cases and stacks them onto pallets.