Pally General - Best practice
Mounting the robot
When mounting the robot onto the base, we recommend that the cable from the robot point in the opposite direction from the pickup position. This is to make sure the robot has the freedom of rotation it needs to palletize.
Mounting the gripper
Attach the gripper when wrist 3 is close to its zero position. This way, you can maximize the rotation range in both directions. Attach the gripper so that the tool connector (for UR robots) and X2 connector (for Doosan robots) are pointing in the same direction as the conveyor belt.
Recommended height of the pickup position
Height from floor to bottom of box: 740 mm
Recommended placement of pallets and conveyor relative to the robot base
Placing the conveyor and pallets is essential to avoid crashes due to tight paths, while also ensuring the robot arm has sufficient reach.
Recommended placement of pallets and conveyor relative to the robot base - UR10
Conveyor from the left and right
Distance A between the pallets: 660 mm
Distance B between the center of the robot and the center of the conveyor at the pickup position: 1000 mm
We recommend placing the pick position for the first box in the middle of the two pallets.
Conveyor from the front
Distance A between the pallets: 660 mm
Distance B between the center column and the stopper at the pickup position: 900 mm
Recommended placement of pallets and conveyor relative to the robot base - UR20
Conveyor from the left and right
Distance A between the pallets: 900 mm
Distance B between the center of the robot and the center of the conveyor at the pickup position: 1200 mm
We recommend placing the pick position for the first box in the middle of the two pallets.
Conveyor from the front
Distance A between the pallets: 900 mm
Distance B between the center column and the stopper at the pickup position: 1100 mm
Recommended placement of pallets and conveyor relative to the robot base - UR30
Conveyor from the left and right
Distance A between the pallets: 840 mm
Distance B between the center of the robot and the center of the conveyor at the pickup position: 1000 mm
We recommend placing the pick position for the first box in the middle of the two pallets.
Conveyor from the front
Distance A between the pallets: 840 mm
Distance B between the center column and the stopper at the pickup position: 900 mm
Recommended placement of pallets and conveyor relative to the robot base - Doosan
Conveyor from the left and right
Distance A between the pallets: 900 mm
Distance B between the center of the robot and the center of the conveyor at the pickup position: 1200 mm
We recommend placing the pick position for the first box in the middle of the two pallets.
Conveyor from the front
Distance A between the pallets: 900 mm
Distance B between the center column and the stopper at the pickup position: 1100 mm
Recommended placement of the sensors
Product presence sensors - Place the sensors as low as possible on the conveyor. Install one sensor at the very end of the conveyor to detect one box ready for pickup. Install the next sensor where the second box will be located. If palletizing multiple products from the same line, an adjustable mounting of sensor 2 is recommended, allowing it to be easily moved according to product size.
Priority sensors - It is recommended to install a sensor near the point where the line is full of products waiting to be palletized, to inform the robot that the buffer is approaching full capacity. This enables the robot to prioritize between lines.
Typical installation scenarios
Classic setup with one optimal pickup position
The recommended configuration is shown in the figure below. There is enough room around the pickup position where the robot can move the product towards the pallets. Usually, no additional configuration is required.
One pickup position with products coming in from the side
Setups similar to the illustration below introduce a few points to consider:
Pickup position should not be in the pallet shadow, i.e., behind a pallet seen from the robot.
Use a limited smart exit search.
Choose a fixed box_free high enough to move the box freely above the following boxes.
One pallet position and one pickup position on the opposite side
Setups similar to the illustration below introduce a few points to consider:
Choose box_free high enough to move the box freely above the following boxes.
Use relatively large values for smart exit min_x and negative min_y.
Recommended settings (approximately):
smart exit search area X: 500 - 1000 mm
smart exit search area Y: -900 - -700 mm (negative)
box free: 350 mm (or more, depending on the box height)
Two parallel pickup positions
For setups similar to the illustration below, the path planning algorithm needs to be tweaked as described below the illustration.
Fixed guide width for conveyor 2, measured as a in the illustration below
Fixed guide width for conveyor 1, measured as b in the illustration below
Measure conveyor total width from the left side of the left conveyor to the right side of the right conveyor. See total width for both conveyor 1 and 2, measured as c in the illustration below.
The robot may need to move the boxes above the other boxes on the conveyor when palletizing from one pickup position to the opposite pallet. We call this dual pickup mode. In such projects, set the box_free parameter fixed and high enough to move the box above other boxes on the other conveyor if necessary.
Two opposite pickup positions
Setups similar to the illustration below introduce a few points to consider:
The pickup position should not be in the pallet shadow, i.e., behind a pallet seen from the robot.
Use limited smart exit search.
Set "box free height" to fixed and high enough to move the box freely above the following boxes.
Limited space, walls, or other objects
Setups similar to the illustration below introduce a few points to consider:
Individually configure smart exit for the left and right pallet
The smart exit search area may be limited to a single point or a very small area to avoid collision with the wall.
Reserve enough distance between the wall and the pallet to perform box rotation.
We do not recommend mounting the conveyor at a 45-degree angle. This can cause issues with the handling of the smart exit area.