Pick and place
We can help you integrate an automated pick-and-place system that is perfectly suited to your operational needs. Whether loading and unloading machines, sorting, packing or handling food: our pick-and-place robots set the pace.
Pick and place by KUKA. How does it work?
Within easy reach: intelligent solutions from a single source
Picking up workpieces, positioning them and setting them down – pick and place is one of the most common robotic applications in manufacturing in Industry 4.0. One that takes place in virtually every production process. The variety of robotic tasks is therefore great, as is the automation potential existing in the field of pick and place. Flexible industrial robots from KUKA with payloads of up to 10 kg take on these often monotonous and repetitive tasks with top precision and maximum speed. Our software solutions are designed to meet the special requirements of pick and place: they coordinate and synchronize, for example, the gripping and packing of up to 2,000 component parts per minute by multiple robotic systems in a line. This further increases productivity. Processes automated in this way not only save money, they also shorten production time. We configure your individual application and together we master the challenges of numerous industries.
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Pick & place robotics
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Pick & place software
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Pick & place knowledge
Precision on the move
At KUKA, decades of know-how meet software, robots and cells capable of rapidly automating the entire process chain. By using pick-and-place robots along conveyor belts, you save valuable working time that your employees can use to attend value-added activities. Together we can find your ideal pick-and-place system – tailored specifically to your production environment, tasks and products to be handled.
Pick and place & machine loading and unloading
The loading and unloading of machine tools, and process and testing machines is one of the most common tasks in the field of pick & place. The industrial robots load the individual blanks and unload the finished parts. There is a great variety of applications:
- Glueing machines for smartphone production
- In-circuit testers in electronics manufacturing
- Battery process machines
- CNC machines
- Injection molding machines
Pick and place & order picking
The requirements in the e-commerce, pharmaceutical and retail sectors are becoming increasingly demanding. Robot-based item picking with ItemPiQ from Swisslog helps to reduce operating costs and improve work efficiency in small parts warehouses. Depending on size, weight, goods-to-robot system and storage method, ItemPiQ is capable of picking up to 1,000 items per hour. The advantages:
- Seamless integration of software solutions
- Wide product variety
- Easy to operate
Pick and place & measuring and testing
Loading and measuring automatically: pick-and-place robots help not only with the loading and unloading of testing machines but also with quality control. For example, KUKA industrial robots can pick up test items individually, thus offering maximum flexibility for independent test areas.
Pick and place & handling
Picking and placing goods requires high precision. This is especially true for short-cycle production environments. Robots are the optimal choice here: they provide high-speed assistance around the clock. This includes blood samples (see video) as well as cheese, fruit and vegetables. Other examples include:
- Automation of lines for printed circuit boards (PCBs)
- Glass handling in smartphone manufacturing
- Handling of wafer boxes
- Handling of small parts
- Handling of battery cells
Pick and place & packing
Pick-and-place robots are also an asset in the process area of packing. Together with the KUKA.PickControl software package, you can easily coordinate and control multiple robots, for example, to increase productivity during packaging. Possible applications include:
- Packaging of 3C devices (for example, smartphones, laptops, tablets, office equipment, etc.)
- Packaging of foodstuffs
- Attachment of protective pads to the top of televisions before packaging
Pick and place & palletizing
There are also pick-and-place tasks in the field of palletizing. For this purpose, KUKA offers customized solutions for palletizing applications of all types and complexities. The palletizing robots with payloads of up to 1,300 kilograms and the KUKA.PalletTech palletizing software make it possible to improve performance quickly and easily, for example in these pick-and-place tasks:
- Mono-palletizing
- Cold storage palletizing
Pick and place & bin picking/sorting
KUKA industrial robots reliably detect every component, even in the most complex of scenarios: so-called bin picking involves picking unsorted parts from bins and other containers. The ultimate pick & place challenge can be intelligently automated with the combination of robot arm, gripper, software and 3D sensor for image processing.
KUKA pick and place: our support, your advantage
When you're partnering with KUKA, you benefit from a unique range of consultancy and support services of the highest quality. Our hotline is there for you around the clock*, as is access to our wide range of digital services. Training your employees at our Colleges is just as much a part of our good services as consulting and support across our KUKA TechCenters worldwide. We are your partner for the entire automated process chain and the complete product life cycle.
*Subscription to maintenance packages may be required in some instances
KUKA know-how for your needs: automation technologies at a glance
Our robotics and automation knowledge is as extensive as the variety of pick-and-place applications that they compliment. Here you can see at a glance the applications and process technologies for which we can provide you with technical support:
Available at anytime, anywhere and from any device: your access to KUKA product information and digital services for pick and place
In the my.KUKA digital customer portal, you can check product data and product availability at any time, purchase hardware (including spare parts) and software products directly online, manage licenses and support requests, and much more.
