Pick & Place with Cobots
Fast Gripping, Sorting, and Placement
In many companies, the process of moving, sorting, and preparing parts takes up valuable work time. Whether it’s loading trays, separating bulk materials, or transferring workpieces between production steps, these repetitive manual tasks are labor-intensive, tiring, and, over time, lead to lapses in concentration and fluctuations in quality.
Cobots are the ideal solution for automated pick-and-place processes. They perform repetitive picking and placing tasks at a constant speed and with precise repeatability of up to ±0.03 mm—day and night. Thanks to their intuitive operation and quick changeover, they are cost-effective even for small batch sizes and high part variety.
Get in touch with usThe advantages
Consistent Cycle Time & Productivity: Cobots never tire. They reliably maintain the specified production cycle around the clock, reduce bottlenecks, and increase your line’s overall throughput.
Reducing the Burden on Skilled Workers: Monotonous “pick-and-place” movements place one-sided strain on the musculoskeletal system. Automation frees up your employees’ time for more challenging, value-added tasks such as quality inspection or equipment maintenance.
Maximum flexibility in a small space: Thanks to their compact footprint and built-in safety features, cobots can be integrated directly into existing conveyor belts, tables, or machines—usually without the need for space-consuming safety fences (subject to a risk assessment).
Challenges
When it comes to gripping and placing, it’s rarely just about speed—it’s about adaptability: raw parts are often misaligned, surfaces vary, or products need to be handled with care. We have the right technical solutions:
Different Layers and Tolerances
Parts do not always arrive at exactly the same point or arrive in a random order on the conveyor belt.
The solution: We integrate 2D or 3D vision systems. The camera captures the exact position, orientation, and rotation of the workpiece in milliseconds and transmits the gripping coordinates directly to the robot.
Delicate or changing surfaces
Polished surfaces must not be scratched, soft parts must not be deformed, and heavy parts must be held securely.
The solution: We select the precisely tailored gripping technology—from electrically operated grippers with fine-tuned control to soft grippers that protect materials, and intelligent vacuum and magnetic grippers that prevent damage.
Wide variety of parts & frequent product changes
Rigid automation often fails due to changing components and small batch sizes.
The solution: Thanks to tool-less quick-change systems and programmable gripper jaws, a cobot can be retooled for a new component in just a few minutes. New gripping sequences are taught directly on the teach pendant without any programming effort.
Experience UR cobots in action
Book a cobot demoSuitable technologies
A fully functional pick-and-place system relies on the ideal interaction between the robot arm, the end effector, and intelligent detection. We configure a turnkey system that is precisely tailored to your workpieces.
The cobot
Universal Robots' broad portfolio offers the right combination of reach, payload, and dynamics for every pick-and-place application:
Long Reach & Heavy Loads: For filling large trays, container handling, or palletizing tasks, we rely on the high-performance models of the UR series (UR8 Long, UR15, UR20, UR30) with a payload of up to 35 kg and a reach of 1,750 mm.gib
Precise & Fast Handling: For lightweight components, test tubes, or small parts in tight spaces, agile models such as the UR3e or the UR7e are the top choice.
Compact powerhouses for high cycle times: When heavy multi-grippers or higher speeds are required, models such as the UR18 (18 kg payload with high dynamics) or the UR12e deliver optimal performance.
About cobots
2D & 3D Vision Systems
For unorganized workpieces, bulk materials, or synchronized conveyor belts, we rely on intelligent image processing (e.g., Robotiq Wrist Camera, OnRobot Eyes, or 3D sensors for bin picking). The camera captures the exact position and orientation of the parts in milliseconds while also enabling integrated quality inspection.
About Vision Systems
Gripper Technology
From delicate small parts to heavy workpieces, we rely on the right end-effector solution:
Soft Grippers & Custom Solutions: For highly sensitive, irregular, or scratch-prone components (e.g., in the medical technology or food industries).
gripper : Electromechanical (e.g., Robotiq 2F-85 or Hand-E) for fixed geometries; force, stroke, and position can be controlled with millimeter precision via software.
Vacuum & Surface Grippers: Ideal for flat workpieces, cardboard boxes, sheet metal, or porous surfaces—available with compact electric vacuum pumps upon request, eliminating the need for compressed air entirely.
About the grippers
Flexible Feeding Systems
Whether custom-integrated or ready for immediate use: For small parts delivered in a disorganized manner, we offer flexible solutions such as the FlexiBowl system or preconfigured Ready-to-Use feeders.
While modular systems offer maximum flexibility for complex layouts, the Ready-to-Use Feeder provides you with a fully configured, turnkey solution that’s ready to go. Through the combination of vibration, rotation, and integrated image processing, varying workpieces are reliably separated and presented in a way that allows for easy gripping—perfect for quick setup and maximum flexibility when handling a wide variety of parts.
About the feeding systemssolution finding
Process & Component Analysis: We analyze your workpieces, weights, required cycle times, and the type of feed (conveyor belt, tray, box).
gripper- & Sensor Selection: Whether it's a vacuum gripper, a 2-finger grippergripper , or a vision system—we determine the optimal components for a reliable grip.
Security Concept & Layout: We plan the integration into your existing environment and develop a security concept for fence-free operation.
Sample Gripping Test & Commissioning: In the test setup, we validate the cycle time and gripping reliability using your actual parts before the system goes into operation at your facility.
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