Innovative Robotic Palletizing Line – Gripper Design for Delicate Product Handling in ATEX Environment

Background

A customer operating in an ATEX-certified environment needed a reliable robotic palletizing line to handle delicate products. The application involved using a robotic arm to pick up multiple soft and flimsy products and drop them into a trolley.

Challenge

The customer was facing serious challenges with the existing system:

– Unreliable gripping mechanism – The robotic hand used a friction-based gripper which was not suitable for soft and delicate products.
– Product damages – Due to the flimsy nature and dimensional tolerances of the product, the gripper caused frequent breakage and damage.
– Low productivity – Inconsistent gripping led to low output, disturbing the customer’s overall production schedule.
– ATEX compliance – The environment required solutions that adhered to strict safety standards.

These issues created frequent downtime and impacted the end customer’s production efficiency.

Alligator Automation’s Approach

Alligator Automation carefully analyzed the problem and re-engineered the gripping solution. The team carried out:

– Root-cause study – Evaluated product fragility, dimensional variations, and handling issues.
– Custom gripper design – Developed an innovative robotic hand gripper with a pin-based mechanism. Instead of relying on friction, a small pin was inserted into the product top for a secure hold.
– Pilot implementation – Built and tested a pilot unit, proving the concept on-site in real operating conditions.

Solution Delivered

– Introduced a reliable pin-insertion gripper suitable for delicate, dimensionally varying products.
– Ensured safe handling within ATEX environment requirements.
– Stabilized the pilot and scaled the solution to multiple lines.

Results & Impact

– Reliability – Drastically reduced product damage by eliminating friction-based gripping failures.
– Higher Productivity – Achieved consistent, reliable pickup and placement, improving throughput.
– Customer Confidence – Success of the pilot resulted in repeat orders.
– Scalability – Delivered 7 additional robotic palletizing lines of the same solution to the customer.

Conclusion

This project demonstrates how Alligator Automation’s engineering expertise and innovation in robotic palletizing lines and gripper systems can address complex challenges in sensitive environments. By designing a tailor-made pin-based gripper, we delivered a robust, scalable, and reliable solution that significantly improved productivity and customer satisfaction.