Application
Depalletizing
Depalletizing robots remove cases or layers from a loaded pallet and feed them onto a line, the reverse of palletizing and often the harder problem because incoming pallets vary more.
The robot identifies the top layer of a pallet, whether uniform or mixed, and picks cases off one at a time or in groups, placing them onto an outfeed conveyor for downstream processing.
Incoming pallet loads are rarely as consistent as the patterns a palletizer built, so vision-guided pick location and layer height sensing do more work here than in straight palletizing.
Mixed-case pallets, mis-stacked layers, and damaged product are common enough that the gripper and vision system need margin for handling irregular picks without stalling the line.
Related applications
Common questions
- What robots are used for depalletizing?
- Depalletizing suits palletizing, 6 axis industrial robots. Examples include fanuc m 410ic, abb irb 460, yaskawa motoman mpl160.
- What payload and reach does depalletizing need?
- Payload is typically 20 to 300 kg with reach around 2000 to 3200 mm.
- What matters most for depalletizing?
- Vision-guided pick location and layer sensing. Vacuum gripper suited to mixed case handling. Conveyor outfeed synchronization. Tolerance for irregular or damaged pallet loads.