Stack Algorithm Implementation in Robot-Based Mixed Case Palletizing System

This paper documents the design procedure of a mixed case palletizing system using the ABB robot variant, IRB660. With the evolution of the e-commerce industry and rising volumes of stock-flow in warehouses and trading facilities, there has been a requirement for the automation of some of the most important operations. An automated palletizing system is a potential solution for this problem, to create optimized pallets with greater packing density and pallet support compared with the manual practices in operation. By completing this project, the authors will provide an entirely robotized palletizing system capable of responding to any customized packing order in a quick and efficient manner. The system is designed to handle 1000 or more cases per hour making it ideal for any warehouse or logistic facility dealing with a high number of stock-keeping units. Starting with a literature review and market research on the available systems, three different bin packing algorithms were stated: the Guillotine, MAXRECTS, and Skyline algorithms. Further, a new metric ‘percolation’ was introduced to measure and compare the packing quality of a pallet. The main section of this paper consists of a study of the design solution the authors have implemented for the AI stacking algorithm while introducing the palletizing UI used in the system. A data-driven 3D bin packing approach was considered for the stacking process which makes use of even-height super boxes to form dense and supported pallets. This method was chosen for its flexibility and reliable packing density of 80% made within a short time frame. Moving to the UI, a sample design of a graphical user interface (GUI) was first made in Figma while focusing on the different functionalities of the palletizing system before implementing the UI as a Windows Forms application. A 2D image of the ongoing pallet is displayed with several other customizing features such as selecting the stacking pattern and choosing different box/ pallet dimensions. Finally, a workcell was devised in RobotStudio® to simulate the operation and testing facilities of the authors' design solution. In close, this report satisfies all the design requirements with detailed descriptions and analyses of the team's approach.