Productivity and efficiency are the main goals most warehouses, manufacturing plants, and other facilities strive toward, both daily and as a long-term goal. As consumer demands increase steadily, companies have to work to find solutions to their productivity issues. Automation is the answer to many productivity questions, but many facilities utilize a trial-and-error approach before investing. One of the expected points in an application that lacks efficiency is the secondary packaging line.

In many operations, trucks must be loaded and unloaded swiftly and effectively while protecting the products that ship out. Every facility has a slightly different approach, as every facility processes different products—unitizing loads in a beneficial process to both efficiency and profitability.

Unitizing loads is creating one solidified unit out of many smaller units. It works to protect the primary packaging and the products loaded together during a rough transportation process. Unitizing loads is also effective in cutting down truck loading and unloading speeds. The preferred method of unitizing loads is palletization before stretch wrapping the products on the pallet. Discover the different types of palletizers available, along with the considerations for your unique application.

Palletizing by Hand

Palletizing by hand is the old-fashioned and most inefficient way of palletizing loads. Hand palletizing is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process that can slow down an operation. Manually palletizing loads requires workers to place individual items on a pallet, one at a time. Below are a few pros and cons to this method of palletization.

Pros

While this is a labor-intensive and outdated method, there are a few plus sides to manually palletizing loads. Check them out below:

  • No initial investment for a machine: Save money initially.
  • Takes up less floor space than a machine in a warehouse.

Cons

There are quite a few downsides to hand-palletizing loads, especially in the long-run. A few of them are listed below.

  • High-labor costs: You lose money in the long-term.
  • Higher potential for worker injuries: Higher worker injury costs.
  • Slower speeds: Less output.
  • Less consistency in quality of loads: More potential for primary packaging and product damage during transport.

Palletizing by hand is an inefficient, old-fashioned option that often costs companies more than the investment in a palletizer machine long-term. Palletizer machines cut down on labor costs and increase the efficiency of any operation. Hand wrapping can also lead to worker injuries, as it is highly physical labor. Investing in a machine palletizer system is ideal for cutting down on worker injuries and the costs tied to them.

Robotic Palletizers

Another one of the different types of palletizers is a robotic palletizer. Robotic palletizers are typically positioned between a pallet dispenser and a pallet conveyor belt line that carries incoming products for optimal efficiency. A Robopac USA TopTier Palletizer offers solutions to previous problems with robotic palletizers. With a robot palletizer from Robopac USA, your operation can enjoy all the following pros:

  • Best value for palletization for any product line.
  • Easy to use.
  • Highest safety rating possible.
  • Bottom-up support of products.
  • Small footprint.
  • Configurable for your space availability.

The TopTier Palletizer from Robopac USA solves one of the largest issues with robotic palletizers, namely the lack of bottom up support. Our palletizer offers servo-controlled row pick and place solutions where the product is 100 percent bottom supported until deposited on the load. That leads to higher rates and the ability to handle nearly any product.

Low Infeed Palletizer

Low Infeed Palletizers are another option offered by Robopac USA for palletizing your loads properly for safe and efficient shipment. Low infeed palletizers work with existing floor-level conveyors, making them perfect for facilities with existing floor-level conveyor systems.

Low infeed palletizers utilize modular engineering to achieve one to three layers per minute. Below are a few specs from a Robopac USA low infeed palletizer machine:

  • Can infeed 23 to 60 inches.
  • Has a 4.5-to-29-inch case dimension range.
  • Has a maximum case height of 18 inches.
  • Has a 38-to-50-inch layer dimension range.
  • Has a minimum footprint of 162 by 115 inches.

All low infeed palletizers from Robopac USA come equipped with a modular design, EasyStack software, EuroDrive gear motors, color touchscreen, and B&R Servo drives. All of these features work to increase the productivity of your operation’s secondary packaging line.

High Infeed Palletizers

High Infeed Palletizers are upper-level infeed palletizers that offer the highest speeds available. A high infeed palletizer is another high-quality palletizing machine provided by Robopac USA. Our high infeed palletizers are perfect for a comprehensive palletizing experience. Our shared modules’ layout maximizes the layout flexibility while reducing the costs by increasing manufacturing speeds and total control of the machine’s efficiencies. Discover a few details about our high infeed palletizer machines:

  • One to four layers a minute.
  • Has an infeed height range of 108 to 148 inches.
  • Has a case height of up to 36 inches.
  • Has a minimum footprint of 80 by 80 inches.
  • Can handle weights of up to 1000 pounds.

All high infeed palletizers from Robopac USA come with modular engineering. Modular engineering allows for higher flexibility in the configuration of machine components, so the induction and load exit orientation can meet your production’s exact requirements.

EasyStack Software

EasyStack software is exclusive to TopTier, a Robopac USA company. This software allows palletizers to build any pallet pattern, with up to 99 patterns stored. You can access these patterns instantly without issue. End users can create new designs to make their layout entirely custom to their facility using the HMI touch screen. The HMI touchscreen and orientation flexibility are available on both conventional and robotic palletizer models. With this software, your operation is entirely customizable to your company’s needs.

When your operation is searching for a high-quality palletizer machine for sale, look no further than Robopac USA. We make quality and reliable palletizers designed to help improve efficiency and profitability for your business. Our palletizer machines provide you with concurrent stretch wrapping and positive product handling, ensuring proper load construction before any layer deposit. All of our machines come with full support from Robopac USA through our parts and service departments to ensure your machine runs as efficiently as possible and enjoys a long lifespan. Contact Robopac USA today for more information and to learn what one of our palletizer machines can do for your operation. We offer all the palletizer types you need for the most optimal secondary packaging operation.

The Different Types of Palletizers