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02/2025 – 06/2025

Fully automated KUKA palletising cells for building materials

For a US building materials manufacturer, two fully automated KUKA palletising cells were realised: pallet magazine, conveyor technology, press table (lift + 90° rotation), paper applicator (lift + rotation with intelligent singulation logic) and automated handover to transfer carriage. Each cell with own PLC (TIA Portal V19) and 4 positioning axes.

Project at a glance

Period
02/2025 – 06/2025
Industry
Building materials
Region
USA (Midwest)
Role
Lead Automation Engineer

Project Details

Initial situation

  • •Existing palletising cell reached end of life: outdated, error-prone, too many problems – complete rebuild with press table, paper applicator and automated pallet supply required (greenfield plant)
  • •3 interface technologies (S7 communication press, ProfiNet KUKA, hard-wired I/O transfer carriage) required precise motion control synchronisation and modular PLC architecture

Solution

  • •Positioning axes programming: 4x SEW Movi-C control press table (lift + 90° rotation) and paper applicator (lift + rotation for interlayers) – cycle-time-optimised and safety-integrated. Identical engineering for second cell
  • •Intelligent singulation logic: Vacuum sensor on paper applicator detects single-sheet pickup, error handling prevents double sheets, layer-by-layer interlayer placement follows precise pallet pattern specification
  • •Modular PLC architecture in TIA Portal V19: FB structure for motion, safety, KUKA interface and material flow – enables parallel maintenance of both cells and easy scaling for cell 3/4
  • •Interface integration: S7 communication (press status, product release), ProfiNet (KUKA coordination, SEW drives), ProfiSafe (distributed safety), pneumatics (pallet magazine, paper applicator), hard-wired I/O (limit switches, vacuum sensor)
  • •Safety concept: Distributed safety with graded access modes (auto, teach, service), diagnostic dashboards for maintenance and remote support, safety-validated release per ISO 13849

Impact

  • •Full automation from pallet magazine to outbound: press table and paper applicator synchronised with KUKA palletising (cycle time faster than press) – no waiting times in production flow
  • •Intelligent paper singulation (vacuum sensor, error handling) guarantees layer-accurate palletising – interlayers are picked individually, double sheets prevented, pallet pattern precisely maintained
  • •Identical PLC programs for both cells enable parallel maintenance, fast fault diagnosis through modular blocks and easy scaling – cells 3/4 can be integrated without re-engineering

Technologies & interfaces

Siemens TIA Portal V19 (2x identical PLC programs)4x SEW Movi-C positioning axes (press table + paper applicator)KUKA palletisersIntelligent singulation logic (vacuum sensor, error handling)ProfiNet / ProfiSafe (KUKA, SEW, safety)S7 communication (press interface)Pneumatics (pallet magazine, paper applicator)Distributed safety (graded access modes)

Project FAQs

What was Prybisch Automation's responsibility?
Lead Automation Engineer. Positioning axes programming: 4x SEW Movi-C control press table (lift + 90° rotation) and paper applicator (lift + rotation for interlayers) – cycle-time-optimised and safety-integrated. Identical engineering for second cell
Which technologies were integrated?
Siemens TIA Portal V19 (2x identical PLC programs), 4x SEW Movi-C positioning axes (press table + paper applicator), KUKA palletisers, Intelligent singulation logic (vacuum sensor, error handling), ProfiNet / ProfiSafe (KUKA, SEW, safety), S7 communication (press interface), Pneumatics (pallet magazine, paper applicator), Distributed safety (graded access modes).
Where was the project delivered?
USA (Midwest).

Client takeaway

The combination of 4 positioning axes per cell, intelligent singulation logic and identical engineering for both cells shows: robotic palletising is more than robots – precise automation engineering creates low-maintenance, scalable end-of-line solutions.

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