One Palletiser for Several Lines, or One Robot Per Line? How Manufacturers Should Decide

Many manufacturers assume a robotic palletiser can only serve a single production line, but a single robot can often serve several at once. Granta Automation explains the three factors - speed, space and access - that determine which approach makes sense.

A robotic palletiser doesn't have to be tied to just one production line. Depending on how fast each line runs, a single robot can often serve several lines at once, while faster lines are usually better served with a dedicated machine of their own. Deciding between the two comes down to three practical considerations: speed, available space, and how staff need to move around the factory floor.

Speed is usually the deciding factor. A single fast line, running at several dozen units a minute, can easily occupy a robot on its own. Slower lines, on the other hand, can often share one machine comfortably, particularly where each line feeds its own conveyor into a shared robot cell, allowing the robot to group and place several identical products in one movement.

Where many pallets need to be filled from a slower, mixed stream of products, a track-mounted robot that can travel along a rail between a large number of pallet positions is often the most practical solution, since a stationary robot is naturally limited in how many pallets it can physically reach.

Space and access matter just as much as raw throughput. Combining several lines into one cell can save floor space, but connecting conveyors between lines can also block routes that staff need to walk. Any shared system also introduces shared risk: if one conveyor or sensor develops a fault, every line feeding into it may be affected, whereas a dedicated robot per line keeps problems contained to a single line.

There is no single right answer - the best configuration depends entirely on a site's products, speeds and layout. Granta Automation designs and builds all of these configurations and can help identify which one suits a particular operation. Visit our website and contact us today.