Robotic case filling

The Pick & Place automatically picks products and places them accurately into boxes or crates. Using robotic handling, a 3D laser scanning system and product-specific grippers, it automates a labour-intensive packaging process while ensuring consistent product placement and packaging quality. The system can operate as a stand-alone solution or as part of a fully automated packaging line.

The Pick & Place is designed for products that need to be placed carefully and consistently into boxes or crates. Typical applications include bakery products such as baguettes, batards, round bread, oval bread and square bread, but the system can also be used for many other products and industries.

In practice, there are relatively few products that cannot be handled. The best way to determine suitability is by testing actual customer products in the system.

Product suitability depends on factors such as product dimensions, shape, firmness, surface characteristics and required throughput.

Products should be cooled and stable enough to be picked consistently. If there is any doubt, we can test the actual product and determine the most suitable gripper and machine configuration before a project moves forward.

The system uses a controlled picking and placing process. Products are picked up carefully and placed accurately into the box or crate rather than being dropped.

Combined with product-specific grippers and robot-controlled movements, this creates a gentle handling process that is particularly suitable for fragile and difficult-to-handle products.

Robotic pick and place is most beneficial when consistency, labour availability, product presentation or production capacity are important.

Unlike manual packing, every product is placed in exactly the same way. This creates a more predictable packaging process, reduces operator dependency and helps maintain a consistent packing quality throughout the day, as shown in several of our successful cases.

For most applications, Niverplast equips the Pick & Place with mechanical grippers. They provide a reliable grip on a wide variety of products and are less sensitive to wear than vacuum cups.

Vacuum systems depend on maintaining sufficient vacuum during operation. If vacuum is lost, products may not be picked correctly. In addition, vacuum cups often need to be changed when switching between product types and generally wear faster over time.

Mechanical grippers offer a dependable solution for many food applications, helping manufacturers achieve consistent handling with less maintenance and fewer changeovers.

The Pick & Place can be equipped with either mechanical grippers or vacuum grippers, depending on the product.

Vacuum grippers are typically used for products with flat surfaces. Mechanical grippers are used for products that can be gripped from the sides and are the preferred solution for most applications handled by Niverplast.

Under ideal conditions, the Pick & Place can process up to 1,200 products per hour. This capacity is based on approximately 20 picks per minute and 2 box changes per minute.

The actual capacity depends on factors such as product size, box dimensions, product orientation, pick complexity and the number of box changes required during production. Each additional box change reduces the achievable throughput.

The standard Pick & Place configuration supports the following box and crate dimensions:

Other dimensions may be possible on request, depending on the application and packaging requirements.

The Pick & Place uses a 3D laser scanning system rather than a conventional camera.

The scanner determines product position and measures product characteristics such as length, width and height. This information allows the robot to pick and place products accurately, even when products are presented in varying positions on the conveyor.

No. The Pick & Place is designed to handle products in random positions.

The scanning system identifies the location and dimensions of each product before the robot picks it up. However, products must not be stacked on top of each other and sufficient spacing is required to allow the gripper to operate correctly.

Yes. The Pick & Place can operate as a stand-alone unit or be integrated into new and existing production lines.

The system can be combined with conveyors, bag-in-box solutions, case closers, weighing equipment, palletising systems and other end-of-line automation equipment.

The Pick & Place can be connected to DAMORE (Data Monitoring & Remote Engineering), Niverplast's platform for machine monitoring and remote support.

DAMORE provides insight into machine performance, production trends and operational efficiency. Production and machine data can be collected and analysed to support process optimisation and continuous improvement.

In addition, remote access allows Niverplast engineers to assist with troubleshooting, diagnostics and machine optimisation without always requiring an on-site visit. This helps reduce downtime and enables faster support when needed.