A palletizer is a machine that automatically stacks cases, bags, or other units of product onto a pallet, replacing what had been a physically demanding and costly manual task. The Lamson Corporation designed and installed the first mechanized palletizer in 1948, and the technology developed in stages afterward: row-forming palletizers that assembled a layer of product before placing it on the pallet appeared in the 1950s, in-line palletizers built for continuous high-speed processing followed in the 1970s, and robotic palletizers equipped with an end-of-arm gripping tool to pick and place individual items arrived in the early 1980s. Modern palletizers can receive incoming product at floor level or at an elevated infeed and can handle cases, bags, pails, drums, and bottles, and current research into mixed-case palletizing, where different-sized items must be packed efficiently and safely onto one pallet, increasingly applies three-dimensional bin-packing algorithms and machine learning to plan each layer.
Facts
SignificanceA palletizer automatically stacks cases, bags or other units of product onto a pallet, replacing a manual task that was time-consuming, costly and physically demanding for workers. 1 FAQs
How did palletizers change after the first machine in 1948?
Row-forming machines came in the early 1950s; in-line models in the 1970s; robotic palletizers in the early 1980s.
The first mechanized palletizer was designed, built and installed in 1948 by a company formerly known as Lamson Corp. Row-forming palletizers followed in the early 1950s, arranging loads on a row-forming area before moving them to a layer-forming area. The in-line palletizer was developed in the 1970s because higher speeds were needed. Robotic palletizers arrived in the early 1980s, using an end of arm tool to grab product from a conveyor or layer table and position it on the pallet.
Why is mixed case palletizing a harder problem than ordinary palletizing?
It is a 3D bin packing problem, and stacking mixed-size cases still largely involves manual labour.
Mixed case palletizing is a real-world form of the 3D bin packing problem: the goal is to stack cases of different sizes onto a pallet so that space is used well and as few pallets as possible are needed. It remains challenging, and stacking of mixed-size products still largely involves manual labour. A robot must work out the position of the oncoming item and how to pick it up, and also determine the size of the case and the best place to put it on the pallet.
Connections
In Field
Source Palletizer, Wikipedia
Sources
1. Palletizer, Wikipedia
History section
The first mechanized palletizer was designed, built, and installed in 1948 by a company formerly known as Lamson Corp.
Lead section
a machine which provides automatic means for stacking cases of goods or products onto a pallet
In Field: Industrial Engineering, Introduction
A palletizer or palletiser is a machine which provides automatic means for stacking cases of goods or products onto a pallet.
In Group: Warehouse and Material Handling Systems, Introduction
A palletizer or palletiser is a machine which provides automatic means for stacking cases of goods or products onto a pallet.
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