Cobots enable seamless and flexible integration into existing production processes thanks to their small footprint. Components such as those from the modular system for robotics solutions from item Industrietechnik further increase this flexibility. The high availability of different end effectors is another advantage of lightweight robots. These are tools that are attached to the end of the robot arm and can be easily retooled. This gives cobots a remarkable variety of applications, making them ideal for the unergonomic task of palletizing, for example. The robots place products in boxes on a pallet that is intended for transportation or shipping. Get an overview of other typical areas of application for cobots in the free white paper from item.

Increasing time pressure due to ever shorter delivery times is a fundamental challenge in palletizing. This is where robots can really come into their own: Cobots equipped with suction pads palletize over 1,000 packaging units in a single shift. Depending on the robot type, they can move several tons of weight. The packaged products are removed from conveyor belts by grippers and finally placed on pallets. However, palletizing is just one of numerous tasks in which lightweight robots demonstrate their advantages. In the following video you can see a clear summary with examples that are particularly relevant for small and medium-sized companies:

Palletizing with robots is also so efficient because cobots are easy to program thanks to their graphical user guidance. Employees can often quickly teach the cobot how to handle new package dimensions by guiding the robot arm by hand. The robot's movement profiles created in the process can be put to productive use immediately. In addition, palletizing with a robot significantly reduces the strain on employees: as palletizing is a monotonous and repetitive task with heavy loads and high precision, it has a negative impact on health. The use of cobots reduces the strain on employees. They also have more time for more complex tasks where they can make even better use of their skills.