ABB Robotics, a leading supplier of industrial robots, will unveil a range of high-performance palletizing products at Interpack 2011, held in Düsseldorf, Germany, May 12-18. The new products, which include two palletizing robots, a powerful programming software package, and three new palletizing grippers, will complement the company’s existing products to fully address the market demands for easier, faster and more efficient robotic palletizing options. 

Leading the expanded product line is the compact IRB 460, the fastest known palletizing robot on the market, according to a company statement. Capable of up to 2,190 cycles per hour, the 4-axis robot is suited to high-speed, end-of-line palletizing and bag palletizing of products that weigh up to 50 kilograms. With a reach of 2.4 meters and a maximum payload of 110kg, the IRB 460 occupies 20% less floor space and runs 15% faster than its nearest rivals.

The second new robot is the IRB 760 designed for high-output, full-layer palletizing.  Boasting an impressive payload capacity of 450 kilograms and a reach of 3.2 meters, this 4-axis robot features a high inertia wrist – double that of competitors – that enables it to rotate heavier and larger products faster than any other robot. This superior speed makes the IRB 760 especially suited for palletizing beverages, building materials, and chemicals.

Three FlexGripper end-of-arm tools round out the new hardware product offerings, including a heavy-duty claw for high-speed bag palletizing, a vacuum gripper for light and medium weight cases, and clamp gripper for handling heavy cases.

The most revolutionary aspect of the new palletizing portfolio is ABB’s new software. The RobotStudio Palletizing PowerPac leverages the company’s 13 years of palletizing software expertise (FlexPalletizer & PickMaster5) with the virtual programming environment of RobotStudio. The new PowerPac allows users to configure, simulate, and program ABB robots and grippers for palletizing solutions, in one step, with little or no robot programming experience required, while reducing to minutes programming tasks that previously required days.  

The new products enhance the existing array of established ABB robots to form the strongest palletizing portfolio in the industry. The existing ABB palletizing robots include the:

• IRB 260, optimized for handling single or multiple products for case packing applications.
• IRB 660, featuring an unmatched combination of speed, reach, and payload for the most rigorous box pattern, stability, precision and cycle time demands.
• IRB 4600, a 6-axis robot, the lightest general-purpose robot in its class. The IRB 4600 can be floor- or shelf-mounted, tilted and even inverted.
• IRB 6640, a 6-axis robot, with outstanding inertia capabilities, a wide working range and a maximum 235 kg payload, ideal for heavier, centralized palletizing applications.
• IRB 7600, a 6-axis robot, the largest palletizing robot with a payload of up to 500 kg, is ideal for full layer palletizing.

ABB’s complete range of palletizing robots can now be combined with FlexGrippers and the PowerPac to provide a cost-effective, easy to use, one-stop choice for palletizing and material-handling applications.