How to Select a Palletizing Gripper for Your Products

Select a palletizing gripper by the surfaces it can contact, the load it must retain, and the path it must travel. A case’s mass is one input. Packaging stiffness, porosity, lid closure, and accessible support surfaces can change which gripping concept is practical.

The comparison below identifies sample tests to request. It does not specify a finished tool, a safe holding force, or an allowable acceleration for an unknown package.

Start with production samples

Collect filled cases at the limits of the product range. Include surface coatings, tape seams, printing, vents, damaged-but-acceptable packaging, and the expected range of fill mass. Photograph the permitted grip zones and any surfaces that must remain untouched.

For vacuum concepts, an apparently flat surface may still leak. Schmalz’s vacuum guidance distinguishes airtight and porous workpieces and identifies suction flow and area as relevant for porous material. Its example operating values are not transferred here to your cartons. Ask for measurements on your packaging rather than selecting a cup from mass alone.

Compare possible contact methods

Concept	Condition worth investigating	Question that can rule it out
Vacuum contact	An accessible surface can form a usable suction interface	Does leakage, a vent, flap movement, or deformation prevent reliable retention?
Side-contact grip	The package permits controlled side contact	Does the required contact damage the carton or contents, or allow slipping?
Under-support or fork-style concept	A support surface can be reached and later released	Can the tool enter and withdraw without trapping itself or disturbing adjacent cases?
Combined concept	One method alone leaves an unresolved handling constraint	Do the added mass, utilities, and mechanisms create new reach or recovery problems?

These are concept-level questions. A package may fit more than one approach, or none of them without a change to presentation or packaging. Do not treat the rows as interchangeable catalog products.

Check the tool with the robot and pattern

Give the integrator the complete carried assembly: tool, adapter, valves, hoses, sensors, and product. Ask for verification against the selected robot’s loading documentation, including offsets and the intended movement. Leave the numerical limits to the applicable manufacturer documentation.

Show the tool approaching and leaving the tightest placement in the pallet pattern. A grip that works at an open test bench may be unable to release a case between neighboring packages. Include empty-pallet handling or slip-sheet handling only if the proposed tool actually performs those tasks.

Make the trial record useful

Record	Capture during the trial
Sample identity	SKU, packaging revision, filled mass, surface and condition
Configuration	Tool revision, contact locations, utilities and motion program
Operating conditions	Pick orientation, travel, acceleration settings and placement
Observations	Missed picks, slips, deformation, damaged contents and release disturbances
Exceptions	Response to a failed grip, missing case, or interrupted sequence
Coverage	Number of attempts and which product variations were exercised

The supplier and project team should agree the acceptance limits and sample coverage before testing. A short demonstration cannot establish an unmeasured failure rate. Any proposed loss-of-power or fault test needs an approved test procedure and suitable controls; this page is not an instruction to release a load.

OSHA includes end-effector and released-workpiece hazards in its robot application guidance. Carry the selected concept into the application’s risk assessment, not just its output calculation.

Provide samples, allowable contact zones, pallet patterns, and the required throughput with the RFQ. Use the palletizing index to connect the tool decision to the full cell design.