The challenge
Every plant has one: the station nobody wants to staff. On this packaging line it was the end of line palletizing station, where two operators lifted cases onto pallets thousands of times a shift. Turnover there was the highest in the plant, and every departure restarted the same cycle: weeks of inconsistent stacking while a new hire learned the patterns, crushed corners on the light cases, and pallets that looked fine at the dock but did not survive the truck ride.
Why the first gripper quotes stalled the project
The robot was never the hard part. The quotes that came back for conventional off the shelf palletizing grippers all shared the same flaw: each tool was built around one box size and one pick pattern, with very limited flexibility to adapt. On a line running multiple box sizes, weights, and palletizing patterns, a single pattern gripper is not a solution, it is a new problem wearing a purchase order. The plant would have been buying its next bottleneck.
Our solution
Our Area Surface Gripper (ASG) works the other way around: the tool is configured to the application, not the application to the tool. For this line, that meant a single gripper covering every box size, weight, and palletizing pattern in the product mix.
Five pick patterns, one tool
The product mix required single, double, triple, quad, and offset picks. Cup size, cup count, and zone configuration adapt to each case without replacing the gripper, because the ASG is built from modular SLS printed sections rather than a fixed welded frame. When the product mix changes, the configuration changes with it.
Vacuum zoning sized to the real holding force
Palletizing punishes lazy vacuum sizing in two directions at once: oversize the grip and light cases crush, undersize it and heavy cases drop mid move. Vacuum zoning is sized to the real holding force requirement of each pick pattern, and zones that miss the product on an offset pick are isolated so they do not drain the grip from the zones on the case. The cup count and layout follow from the same inputs rather than from a catalogue figure.
Flow matched to porous cases
Cardboard leaks, so the vacuum generation is matched to the porosity of the actual cases rather than a sealed surface ideal. The physics behind this, why cardboard demands flow rather than deeper vacuum, is covered in our gripping face guide.
Full specifications
| Material | Nylon PA12 |
|---|---|
| Gripping method | Zoned vacuum, foam sealing face |
| Pick patterns | Single, double, triple, quad, offset |
| Zone control | Independently valved zones sized per pattern |
| Configuration | Cup size, cup count, and zoning adapt per case without replacing the tool |
| Construction | Modular printed plenum sections |
| Application | End of line case palletizing, mixed box sizes |
Results
Two operators moved off the line
Both moved into cell monitoring and quality roles, turning the highest turnover station in the plant into a job people keep.
Zero pallets rejected for bad stacking
Stacking consistency stopped depending on who was on shift, and corner crush disappeared with the calibrated zoning.
Every box size covered by one tool
Single, double, triple, quad, and offset picks run from one configurable gripper instead of a tool per pattern.
Frequently asked questions
What gripper is best for robotic palletizing?
A foam faced area gripper is the default for palletizing cases and cartons because cardboard is porous and pick patterns vary. Zoned vacuum lets one tool handle single and multi case picks, while the foam face seals imperfect surfaces that defeat individual suction cups.
Can one gripper handle multiple box sizes and pick patterns?
Yes, if it is configured for it. A zoned, modular area gripper performs single, double, triple, quad, and offset picks across different box sizes by activating the zones each pattern needs, so changing the product mix means changing the configuration, not the gripper.
How does vacuum zoning work in palletizing?
The gripping face is divided into independently valved zones sized to the holding force each pick pattern requires. Zones that miss the product are isolated so they do not drain grip from zones on the case, which is what makes offset and partial picks reliable.
Do collaborative robots handle palletizing payloads?
Increasingly yes, but the payload budget is tight, and the gripper weight decides whether the numbers work. Lightweight 3D printed tooling returns payload to the case, which is often the difference between a cobot cell that hits rate and one that does not.
Have a similar application?
Send us your cases, your patterns, and your rate. Our engineering team will configure an ASG around your line instead of quoting you a gripper that only works until the next SKU.