CoBot Palletiser

The Nexus cobot palletiser is a collaborative robotic palletiser that stacks finished cartons onto pallets at the end of a packaging line. Also called a palletising cobot, palletising robot or cobot palletizer, it works safely alongside operators without safety fencing, sets up for a new product in under 30 minutes, and stacks up to 12 cartons a minute with a standard payload of 20 kg (30 kg optional). Nexus supplies, installs and supports cobot palletisers Australia-wide, with palletising robots available for sale to food, beverage, pharmaceutical and general manufacturing lines.

How it works

A collaborative robot arm picks each carton from the end of the line, using a vacuum or mechanical gripper, and places it on the pallet in a programmed pattern. Built-in force sensing and collision detection let it slow or stop when a person is close, so it runs in a shared workspace without the fenced cell a conventional industrial robot needs. The operator selects the stacking recipe on the screen, swaps a full pallet for an empty one, and the cobot carries on.

Capability

• Payload: 20 kg per pick as standard, with a 30 kg option for heavier cartons, sacks and cases.
• Reach and stacking height: up to 1.8 m stacking height, covering standard Australian and Euro pallet patterns.
• Speed: up to 12 cartons per minute depending on carton size and pattern.
• Changeover: a new stacking job is set up in under 30 minutes and stored in the job memory for instant recall.
• Dual pallet stations: the cobot fills one pallet while the other is being swapped, so it does not wait on a forklift.

Whether you want to buy a cobot palletiser for 10 kg cartons of snack food or a heavy payload cobot palletiser for 25 kg sacks, the same arm covers both with a change of gripper and recipe. Single picks above 30 kg move you to a conventional palletising robot.

Cobot palletiser versus conventional palletising robot

A conventional palletising robot is faster and carries heavier loads, but it needs a guarded cell, more floor space and an integrator for every change. A cobot palletiser fits into existing floor space, needs no fencing (subject to a risk assessment), and is programmed by your own operators. For most small and mid-volume lines in Australia, which hand-stack today, the cobot is the right size. If you need more than about 12 cartons a minute or single picks above 30 kg, a conventional robot is the better fit and Nexus can specify that instead. Our guide on cobots versus industrial robots covers the difference.

What a cobot palletiser costs in Australia

The price of a cobot palletiser is driven by payload, stacking height, speed and how much line integration is needed, and Nexus prices each system to the job. For indicative Australian market ranges before you enquire, see our cobot palletiser price guide.

Advantages

• Labour: removes a repetitive, injury-prone manual task and frees the operator for other work.
• Flexibility: switches between pallet patterns, carton sizes and products in minutes.
• Safety: force sensing and collision avoidance support safe interaction with workers.
• Cost: low maintenance and low energy use give a short payback on lines that currently stack by hand.

Industries and examples

• Food manufacturing: cartons of finished product, ingredient bags and packaging materials, to food safety requirements.
• Pharmaceuticals: cases of medicines and medical supplies, to quality standards.
• Beverage: crates, cartons of bottles and cans, and shrink-wrapped trays.
• Chemicals and agriculture: sacks, pails and jerry cans.
• General manufacturing: automotive parts, electronics and any boxed product that leaves on a pallet.

Output

Packing speed of up to 12 cartons per minute, subject to carton size, weight and pallet pattern.

Related automation: delta robot pick and place for upstream handling, and the full robotics range. Read what a cobot palletiser is for an introduction. Contact Nexus Australia for a quote on a cobot palletiser.