Skip to content
English
Sign in
Go to Robotiq.com
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

How force sensing can be useful to put interlayers on a pallet

Use Find Surface to detect and pick interlayers accurately in palletizing setups

Context

This article explains how to use force sensing in a palletizing application to accurately detect and pick interlayers, especially when their height varies over time.

Information

In a palletizing setup, interlayers are commonly placed between product layers for stability. As the robot picks these interlayers, the height of the stack decreases. A practical way to adjust for this variable height is to use the Find Surface function from the Force Copilot suite.

Here’s an example setup (not to scale):

yololayoutyololayoutyololayoutyololayout

To pick an interlayer reliably:

  • The robot must center its Tool Center Point (TCP) over the interlayer.

  • The suction cups must contact the surface before gripping.

Because the stack height changes, using a fixed position would become inaccurate. Instead, use Find Surface to dynamically locate the topmost interlayer before gripping:

Step-by-step process

  1. Use the Find Surface node with direction set to Z+ in the tool reference frame.

  2. Robot moves downward until it detects surface contact.

  3. Force increases as the tool touches the topmost interlayer.

    forcesnesing

  4. At that moment, the robot stops—ready to grip.

The Find Surface node on the teach pendant would appear like this:

robotiq

 

Mobile palletizer use case

If the Robotiq Palletizing Solution is moved within the factory, the pick height may vary even though the box and pallet layout stay the same. Rather than modifying the program every time, you can insert a Find Surface node just before the Grip command to dynamically adjust the picking height.

This allows for flexible deployment without reprogramming. A typical program might look like this:

robotiq (1)

Note: The Find Surface function is part of the Force Copilot suite. For more information on force-based functionalities, visit elearning.robotiq.com.

Important: Code examples shown are for illustration only. Users must adapt them to their specific setup.

Tip: If cycle time is critical, consider using the pose_trans function (documented by Universal Robots) to offset the interlayer pick point each cycle instead of using Find Surface every time.

Conclusion

Using the Find Surface function in Force Copilot ensures consistent and precise interlayer detection, even when stack heights vary. This approach helps maintain reliable palletizing performance in both fixed and mobile setups.