The throughput is incomparable to manual solutions, as palletizing machines can process up to 200 units per minute. A palletizer with proper maintenance can run 3 shifts a day for many decades and achieve very high production rates throughout its life.
Loading pallets manually is strenuous work that is inherently dangerous to the human body if done long enough. Using a palletizer to load products gives your employees a better quality of life and reduces the risk of injury by reducing repetitive movements.
Most palletizers are equipped with safety features such as light-curtains at entry and exit points that trigger the machine to stop if an object is detected. Trapped key interlockings, which are a series of locks placed on palletizers, require a key to be removed from the HMI and placed in the gate lock in order to operate specific portions of the machine. This ensures operators are kept safe and unable to access dangerous areas while the palletizer is in motion.
When palletizing is done by a human, there’s a higher margin of error than a system that has been programmed to execute the task at hand. The consistency of conventional or robotic palletizers allows them to produce loads that are compact, shaped, and stable. Properly palletized loads reduce damaged products during transportation within the plant or during shipment.