ZhilianhaiIllustrative Project Brief: Cobot Palletizing Pilot
Purpose and scope
This illustrative planning brief is an original Zhilianhai editorial checklist, with no live tender, client or actual project budget. Its purpose is to evaluate a defined palletizing task using representative packaging and an agreed operating arrangement. It is a planning framework, not an equipment selection or an assurance that a collaborative robot will suit every production line.
Start with one carton family and pallet format. Define where the pilot begins at the infeed and ends at the completed pallet handoff. State whether conveyors, pallet supply, wrapping, labeling and outbound transport are included, excluded or supplied by others.
Describe products and presentation
Provide filled sample cartons, dimensions, weight variation, surface finish and known packaging weaknesses. Document required pallet patterns, overhang policy, finished height and changeover frequency. Include the least stable acceptable package in the agreed sample set.
The UR30 payload manual considers gripper mass and payload center of gravity. Ask the integrator to check the proposed arm, tooling and motion together; a carton weight alone does not establish suitability.
Carton condition and arrival orientation: to be documented.
Infeed height, spacing and upstream stop signals: to be measured.
Pallet location tolerance and removal method: to be agreed.
Specify the complete cell
Request a layout showing the arm, tool, controller, infeed, pallet positions and access for people. Robotiq's palletizing range includes distinct infeed, gripper and safety modules. This is a useful reminder to define the whole quoted configuration and its compatibility boundaries.
Assign responsibility for utilities, foundations or mounting, controls, guarding, programming and operator instruction. Agree who manages an empty pallet, damaged carton, incomplete layer and upstream stoppage. Record whether line integration is part of the pilot or a separately approved later stage.
Establish safety and acceptance gates
Universal Robots' Safety FAQ assigns assessment of the complete application to the integrator or integrating end user. Commission a documented review of the actual cell, including tools, products and human access, before authorizing operation.
Design gate: layout, scope, responsibilities and assessment actions are accepted.
Functional gate: agreed carton patterns, changeovers and controlled recovery scenarios are demonstrated.
Performance gate: acceptable pallets and intervention time meet targets under the recorded product mix.
Define inspection methods for carton damage, pallet stability and placement quality. Witness tests under the approved procedure and retain failures alongside successful cycles.
Manage operational uncertainty
Keep a risk register for packaging variation, slipping cartons, infeed starvation, blocked pallet removal and inaccessible maintenance points. Decide the stop condition and responsible person for each concern. A fast empty-arm demonstration should not be used as evidence of loaded production throughput.
Record every change to recipes, tooling, software and safety configuration. Agree how new products will be introduced after handover, including who can edit patterns and which changes require further assessment or testing.
Deliver the pilot decision
Provide the configuration list, approved layout, sample register, test results, instructions, backups and support responsibilities. Present throughput with its observation period and exclusions, then compare the result with the original problem. Record whether the project should proceed, change scope or stop.
Develop the commercial brief through Write a Robotics Buyer Brief and Robotics RFQ. More planning examples are in the Project Center. Editorial review: 10 September 2026.