Delta or Cartesian robot: which one do I need?

A delta robot is fast and suits small, light products picked from a conveyor, but its vertical reach is short, so it is a poor fit for deep cases. A Cartesian (gantry) robot is slower but carries heavier loads and reaches down into deep cases. Tell us your product and output, and we'll tell you which one fits.

What products suit a delta robot case packer?

A delta robot case packer suits small, light products picked quickly from a conveyor and placed into cases, and the delta robot is the faster of the two robot types. Typical utilities are 380 V three-phase, 2.5 kW installed power and 0.6–0.8 MPa air. Share photos of the product and the case or tray, plus your target output, and we check the fit.

How does a gantry robot reach into deep cases?

The gantry spans the conveyor line and reaches down into deep cases, and it carries heavier loads than a delta robot. Our Cartesian robot case packer runs 4–8 cycles per minute as a typical packing speed, on 380 V three-phase, 2.5 kW installed power and 0.6–0.8 MPa air, with the final figure matched to your product and case.

What does a tray loading line do?

A tray loading line loads products into trays and sorts them. Some models also open the trays from a stacked magazine, count the products, or pass the loaded trays on to a packing machine. The AM-ZT100 is semi-automatic, so an operator handles part of the cycle by hand; the AM-ZT200 runs the whole cycle automatically. Ask us which model fits your product and tray.

How does a matrix tray loader work?

A matrix tray loader loads products into trays in rows and columns. The AM-ZT400 is a fully enclosed machine with a pusher that lines the products up before loading, and the AM-ZT500 is an in-line machine with an upright tray magazine instead. Tell us your product and tray and we tell you which fits.

Robotic case packer: how many cycles per minute?

Our Cartesian robot case packer runs 4–8 cycles per minute as a typical packing speed. For other machines the speed is set by your product, the case or tray and how many items go in at a time, so we do not quote a fixed figure. Send photos of your product, the case or tray and your target output.

What do you need from me to choose the machine?

We need photos and the size of your product, the case or tray it goes into, and your target output. With those we tell you whether a delta robot, a Cartesian robot, an articulated or dual-arm robot or a tray loading line fits, and send an exact quote within 24–48 hours.

Guide

Delta, Cartesian or Articulated Robot for Packing?

How to choose packing automation: a delta, Cartesian (gantry), articulated or dual-arm robot, or a tray loading line, with the machines we supply and the product details we need to match them.

What is a robotic case packer? A robotic case packer is a machine in which a robot picks products from a conveyor and places them into cases or trays. The main choice is the robot type: a delta robot for fast picking of small, light products, a Cartesian (gantry) robot for heavier loads and deep cases, and, when the products go into trays, a tray loading line.

Key takeaways

Delta against Cartesian is speed against reach: the delta robot is the faster of the two, the gantry robot lifts more and goes deeper into the case.
The Cartesian model lists typical utilities of 380 V three-phase, 2.5 kW and 0.6–0.8 MPa air, and a typical packing speed of 4–8 cycles per minute.
Articulated robots are multi-jointed arms; our dual-arm tray packer works inside an enclosed cabinet with glass doors, with products arriving on a side conveyor.
Products that end up in trays, in rows or counted out, are a job for a tray loading line, from a semi-automatic model to a fully enclosed one.
Speeds depend on the product, the case or tray and the items per cycle, so we ask for photos and the size of the product, the case or tray, and your target output.

A vertical articulated robot at a packaging line. What you will see: a yellow six-axis robot arm picking and placing parts at a packaging line.

Side-view comparison of three packing robots: a delta robot hanging over the conveyor, a Cartesian gantry robot spanning the conveyor and reaching into a deep case, and an articulated robot arm picking and placing at an angle. — Figure 1. Delta, Cartesian and articulated robots: where each one works.

Delta or Cartesian: the short answer

Choose a delta robot for fast picking of small, light products, and a Cartesian robot for heavier products and deep cases. A delta robot picks products and places them into cases, and it is the faster of the two robot types. A Cartesian (gantry) robot spans the conveyor line and reaches down into deep cases; it is slower, but it carries heavier loads. Both are set up around your product, your case or tray and your output, and both list typical utilities of 380 V three-phase, 2.5 kW installed power and 0.6–0.8 MPa air.

Articulated and dual-arm robots

An articulated robot is a multi-jointed arm, usually with six axes, that can pick, turn and place products at many angles. Our vertical articulated robot AM-CZ500 is an arm for packaging lines that picks and places trays. Our dual-arm robot tray packer AM-XZ80 is an enclosed cabinet with glass doors: products arrive on a side conveyor and two arms place them into trays inside.

Which robot or machine for which job

Machine	What it does	Point to check	Page
Delta robot case packer	Picks small, light products from a conveyor and places them into cases	Short vertical reach: a poor fit for deep cases	Delta Robot Case Packer
Cartesian robot case packer AM-ZX150	Gantry spans the conveyor, places products into cases, reaches into deep cases	Slower; typical 4–8 cycles per minute	Cartesian Robot Case Packer
Vertical articulated robot AM-CZ500	Arm for packaging lines that picks and places trays	Matched to your product, case or tray and output	Vertical Articulated Robot
Dual-arm robot tray packer AM-XZ80	Two arms place products into trays inside an enclosed cabinet	Products arrive on a side conveyor	Dual-Arm Robot Tray Packer
Tray loading and sorting lines AM-ZT100 / AM-ZT200	Load products into trays and sort them	ZT100 is semi-automatic, so an operator handles part of the cycle by hand; ZT200 runs the whole cycle automatically	AM-ZT100 · AM-ZT200
Matrix tray machines AM-ZT400 / AM-ZT500	Load or pack products into trays in rows and columns	ZT400 is fully enclosed, with a pusher that lines products up; ZT500 is in-line with an upright tray magazine	AM-ZT400 · AM-ZT500
Tray opening line AM-ZT250	Opens the trays, then loads and sorts the products	Ends at a horizontal packing machine fed from a film roll	AM-ZT250
Counting tray packer AM-ZT300	Counts products and packs them into trays	Enclosed counting and packing section, long outfeed conveyor	AM-ZT300
Biscuit tray packer AM-ZT600	Places biscuits into trays	Inclined infeed to the placing unit; touch screen	AM-ZT600
Sorting and feeding lines AM-ZT150 / AM-ZP350 / AM-CF4	Feed products to packing in two lanes; sort on a turntable; one infeed feeds four packing outlets	Pick by how many lanes or outlets you need	AM-ZT150 · AM-ZP350 · AM-CF4
Automatic tray unloader	Feeds empty trays, one at a time, to your tray-loading line	Stacked tray magazine between vertical guide rods	Automatic Tray Unloader

When a tray loading line is the better answer

If your products are packed into trays, a tray loading line may fit better than a case packing robot. Our lines load products into trays and sort them, and the details differ by model: the AM-ZT200 runs the whole cycle automatically, the AM-ZT400 loads trays in rows and columns inside a fully enclosed machine, and the AM-ZT250 holds the stack of empty trays on vertical guide rods, opens them, loads and sorts the products, and ends at a packing machine fed from a film roll. The AM-ZT300 counts products before packing them into trays. Send a photo of your product with the tray and we tell you which one fits.

We have also supplied a line with a four-axis robot that loads good pens into trays, the insulin pen inspection and tray loading line, to Bangladesh. See how insulin pens are assembled and tested.

Flow of a tray loading line: empty trays come from a stacked magazine and are placed on the line while products are counted or lined up, both meet at a pick-and-place head that loads the products into the trays, then the trays go to an outfeed or a packing machine. — Figure 2. A tray loading line: trays from the magazine and counted or lined-up products meet at the loading head, then go to the outfeed or a packing machine.

More machines at work

Tray loading and sorting line AM-ZT200. What you will see: a pick-and-place head loading parts into rows of orange trays, with parts waiting in a stacked magazine.

Matrix tray loading machine AM-ZT400. What you will see: pick-and-place heads filling a matrix of orange trays, row by row.

Matrix tray packer AM-ZT500. What you will see: orange matrix trays moving along the line under the placing heads.

Tray opening, loading and sorting line AM-ZT250. What you will see: empty trays dropping from vertical guide rods onto the line, then running into the flow wrapper.

Biscuit tray packing machine AM-ZT600. What you will see: round products running along the infeed belt and being placed into trays.

Dual-channel linear feeding line AM-ZT150. What you will see: biscuits travelling along a long stainless steel infeed table into the flow wrapper.

Turntable sorting and packaging line AM-ZP350. What you will see: a star-wheel turntable taking ring candies from the feed track and indexing them on.

Sorting and packaging line AM-CF4. What you will see: a vibratory bowl and a long sorting track feeding tablets one by one into the packing film.

What to send us

Send photos and the size of your product, the case or tray it goes into, and your target output. With those we tell you whether the machine fits, and which type. Get an exact quote within 24–48 hours once we have your product details.

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