Robotic Palletizing of Pails

Our customer manufactures dry wall compound. They needed an efficient system to automate the delivery of empty pallets, palletize cases of product, and deliver completed pallets out of the cell. The solution needs to deliver completed pallets as quickly as possible while staying ahead of the filling lines and be easy to use.

There are three mixers to make the compound; these run in batches. There are pails from different vendors with slightly different characteristics. Periodic cleaning and maintenance of the mixers also interrupted the flow of the pails into the palletizing cell.

The mixers prepare the compound and fill the open top pails in an automated delivery system. This system includes the lidders that place and clasp the lid into position onto the pallet. The reliability of these lidders was critical to the success of the project.

MESH designed an infeed belt conveyor system for pail delivery to MESH designed and built pick-up stations. These stations prepare the row of four pails for picking. They rotate each pail and locate the handle, then separate the pails into position for the robot to pick four pails per trip.

MESH provided a pallet dispenser and transfer cart to deliver empty pallets from the pallet dispenser and take finished pallets away from the palletizing cell to the automated wrapper.

Each infeed lane provides 4 cases per minute. The system is sized to run three lanes at a time.