HTPHow to PackageProduction answers by Lancing UK
Automation and conveyors

How do I reduce damage and rejects around robotic pick-and-place?

Practical guidance for robotic pick-and-place: reduce product loss, damaged packs, material waste and avoidable rejects.

Answer format: direct explanation, ordered checks and relevant solution routes. . Application-specific engineering review is still required.

Direct answer

For robotic pick-and-place, weigh or count each waste stream separately before changing several settings at once. This is an automation or handling application where orientation, speed matching, accumulation, transfer geometry, controls and guarding affect reliability for robotic pick-and-place. Reach, payload, cycle time, product presentation, guarding and exception handling must be assessed together.. Use representative product and packaging, keep the order of results and identify the first point where the process moves outside the agreed limit. Then make one controlled change, repeat the same test and compare sustained good output rather than a single successful pack.

Production environment relevant to robotic pick-and-place
Work safely: Isolate machinery before inspection or clearing. Follow the machine manual, site procedures and competent-person requirements.

What usually causes this?

  • the target is set without measuring normal process capability
  • drips, spills, dust or trim are not collected and quantified
  • damaged packaging continues through several operations before rejection
  • machine settings are changed to solve symptoms rather than the first cause
  • the equipment or method is not configured for an automation or handling application where orientation, speed matching, accumulation, transfer geometry, controls and guarding affect reliability for robotic pick-and-place. Reach, payload, cycle time, product presentation, guarding and exception handling must be assessed together.

Checks to make in order

  1. Weigh or count each waste stream separately
  2. Record when and where the material becomes unusable
  3. Measure overfill, damaged packs and rejected good product
  4. Check whether the first defect is detected early enough
  5. Compare settings against the approved target
  6. Trial one reduction without compromising quality
  7. Calculate cost per thousand good packs

How to decide the next step

Robotic pick-and-place is an automation or handling application where orientation, speed matching, accumulation, transfer geometry, controls and guarding affect reliability for robotic pick-and-place. Reach, payload, cycle time, product presentation, guarding and exception handling must be assessed together.. Use the measurements to decide whether the next action is a material or packaging change, a setting correction, a maintenance task, improved feeding or a different machinery principle.

If the process cannot achieve the required waste and giveaway result across the full product and pack range, compare the best-matched route against a written acceptance test. Include cleaning, changeover, operator work, rejects and recovery from normal stops.

What to include in your production brief

Supplying the information below makes it easier to distinguish a setup problem from a product, packaging, feeding, maintenance or machinery limitation:

  • Product and pack dimensions and weights
  • Current process and measured cycle time
  • Required sustained output
  • Infeed and discharge conditions
  • Available footprint, height and utilities
  • Control, guarding and acceptance requirements
  • Samples that represent robotic pick-and-place
  • A short video of the present process and fault

Relevant solution websites

The first route is the primary match for this question. Final suitability must be confirmed with samples, output, site and acceptance information.

Automation MachineryPackaging ConveyorsAutomatic Packaging Lines

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Common search questions

Questions customers also ask

Open a question for a concise answer, then use the detailed guide above for the full production checks.

What should I check first for robotic pick-and-place?

Weigh or count each waste stream separately.

What commonly causes waste and giveaway with robotic pick-and-place?

Common causes include the target is set without measuring normal process capability; drips, spills, dust or trim are not collected and quantified; damaged packaging continues through several operations before rejection.

How can I prove that an adjustment has worked for robotic pick-and-place?

Record a representative baseline, change one variable, repeat the same measurement and compare enough good packs to show a stable improvement rather than a one-off result.

When should I consider different equipment for robotic pick-and-place?

Consider a different route when correct setup, suitable materials and planned maintenance cannot hold the required quality and sustained output across the complete range.

What information should I send before asking for a solution for robotic pick-and-place?

Include representative samples, dimensions, product behaviour, current method, required good output, acceptance tolerances, utilities and a video of the fault.

Which solution website is most relevant to this question?

The best-matched starting point is Automation Machinery at automationmachinery.co.uk. The actual product, pack, output and site must still be reviewed.