An investigation on the operational improvement in robotic palletisation

A Pallet Loading Problem (PLP) occurs when identical rectangular boxes are to be stacked and packed on a rectangular pallet. The problem has many practical applications in distribution and logistics in packaging industries. An increase in the number of boxes that can be shipped on a pallet directly reduces the cost. In automated manufacturing palletising operations, the Pallet Loading Problem (PLP) usually deals with generating optimal pallet patterns of boxes on a pallet but a purely mathematical solution does not consider the physical aspects and restrictions encountered when using the robot and the gripper to implement these patterns. Therefore, merely getting an optimal pallet pattern does not guarantee an optimal pattern placement strategy. Very few published literature is available to address this problem, there is a need to develop a methodology that considers the palletisers physical characteristics and limitations in robotic palletising systems. This paper presents the development of a pallet pattern placement strategy with practical implementations for five-block patterns with the aim of improving the operational efficiency in robotic palletisation