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Packaging & Case Pack

Application Category

OnRobot Packaging & Case Pack

End-of-arm tooling for cobot case packing, tray loading, and food handling — VG10 and VGC10 electric vacuum grippers (no air drop required), Soft Gripper for FDA-compliant food contact, and Gecko Gripper for flat non-porous surfaces. Right-sized for UR5e, UR10e, UR12e and Techman/Omron TM cobots.

Packaging is where cobot deployment lives or dies on three things: compressed air availability (clean rooms and food plants often can't have an air drop near the workcell), food contact compliance (FDA-grade materials, washdown, and grip behavior on raw or wet product), and package-type variety (a single line might run cardboard cases, blister packs, foil pouches, and clamshells in the same shift). OnRobot's packaging EOAT is built around these three constraints. The VG10 and VGC10 are electric vacuum grippers — no compressed air drop, no leak risk, plug-in-and-run. The Soft Gripper is FDA-compliant silicone for direct food contact. The Gecko handles flat non-porous packages (sealed cartons, shrink-wrapped trays, clamshells) where vacuum cups would lose grip. Below: pick the right gripper for your package profile.

Choose the right packaging EOAT

Package & Product Profile Best OnRobot Tool Payload Why
Cardboard cases & cartons (mid-payload) VG10 electric vacuum 10 kg rated (15 kg max) Dual-zone vacuum, four hand-adjustable arms with 16 cup positions, no compressed air required — ideal for clean-line case packing
Tight-space tray loading, small packages VGC10 compact electric vacuum 6 kg default (15 kg with custom plate) Compact 100×100 mm form factor fits inside cartons and trays; rotatable adaptor plate and extension pipe adapt to small parts and irregular tops
Raw food, produce, baked goods Soft Gripper (FDA silicone) Light items Food-grade silicone fingertips; gentle conformal grip on tomatoes, fruit, dough, packaged proteins; FDA 21 CFR compliant
Sealed cartons, shrink wrap, clamshells Gecko Gripper Up to 5 kg (Gecko SP 5) Dry-adhesion micro-fibers grip flat non-porous surfaces — works where vacuum can't seal (perforated film, textured plastic, glossy clamshells)
Heavy cases, multi-pack bundles (with air) VGP20 pneumatic vacuum Up to 20 kg High-payload pneumatic when shop air is available; faster cycle than electric for heavy case work
Mixed-package case pack (multiple grippers) Dual Quick Changer Two tools Mount VGC10 + Soft Gripper (or any pair) on the same cobot — switch between package types without stopping the line

Food & pharma applications: The Soft Gripper ships with FDA 21 CFR-compliant silicone fingertips for direct food contact. The VG10 and VGC10 also accept the Suction Cups for Foil and Bags Ø25 (FDA-compliant silicone, P/N 106964) for thin paper, foil, and plastic bag handling. All three grippers carry an IP54 rating — suitable for typical packaging line dust and incidental splash, but not for direct washdown or wet/damp environments without additional protection.

Browse Packaging EOAT & Accessories

VG10 and VGC10 electric vacuum grippers, VGP20 pneumatic vacuum, Soft Gripper food-grade silicone variants, Gecko Gripper and replacement pads, vision system components, and Dual Quick Changer for multi-tool packaging cells.

A complete packaging cell

A typical OnRobot packaging cell pairs four parts:

  1. Cobot: Universal Robots UR5e or UR10e for most case-pack and tray-load cells; UR12e when reach matters more than payload. Techman/Omron TM Series is a strong alternative when your line uses native vision and case orientation detection.
  2. EOAT: VG10 or VGC10 for vacuum-friendly cases and trays, Soft Gripper for food contact, Gecko for non-porous tops. Consider a Dual Quick Changer when the line runs mixed package types.
  3. Vision (optional): The OnRobot Eyes 2.5D vision system handles random case orientation, multi-SKU bin picking, and label-up verification — useful for high-mix lines where parts arrive in random positions.
  4. Conveyor & presentation: Indexed conveyor or fixed-position infeed at the pick point. Outfeed to a case erector, tray sealer, or downstream palletizer.

Layer above the hardware: D:PLOY Packaging — OnRobot's no-code wizard for case packing, tray loading, and high-mix pick-and-place from a vision feed. Browse the full OnRobot brand catalog →

Packaging & Case Pack FAQ

VG10 vs VGC10 — which electric vacuum gripper is right for my line?

Both are electric vacuum (no air supply needed) but they target different package profiles and payloads. The VG10 has a wider footprint with four hand-adjustable arms (16 cup positions, two independent vacuum channels) and is rated for 10 kg with the default attachments and up to 15 kg maximum — ideal for full-size case packing where you want one cup array for picking and another for placing. The VGC10 is more compact (100×100 mm body) with a rotatable adaptor plate and optional 50 mm extension pipe — rated for 6 kg with default attachments and up to 15 kg with a custom adaptor plate. Rule of thumb: full-size case packing with mid-payload → VG10. Tray loading, small cartons, tight spaces, or applications under 6 kg → VGC10.

Why electric vacuum instead of pneumatic for packaging?

Electric vacuum (VG10, VGC10) generates the vacuum onboard with no compressed air supply. Three reasons that matters in packaging: (1) clean rooms and food plants often restrict compressed air near product zones because air leaks are contamination risks; (2) plants without an existing air drop save the install cost of running a new line; (3) electric vacuum eliminates the operating cost and maintenance overhead of a compressed air system for the gripper itself. The trade-off is payload and cycle time — pneumatic VGP20 hits 20 kg with faster cycles. For most case-pack and tray-load work under 10 kg, electric is the right call.

Is the OnRobot Soft Gripper FDA-compliant for direct food contact?

Yes. The Soft Gripper's silicone fingertips are FDA 21 CFR compliant for direct contact with food. It's used in produce handling, bakery (loaves, baguettes, dough), packaged proteins, and confectionery. The conformal grip is gentle enough for tomatoes and ripe fruit but secure enough for transferring at production speed. The VG10 and VGC10 also accept the Suction Cups for Foil and Bags Ø25 (P/N 106964), which are FDA-compliant silicone for thin paper, foil, and plastic bag handling. For pharma applications requiring USP Class VI biocompatibility or specific EU 1935/2004 documentation, contact our application engineering team for the relevant certification packages.

When does the Gecko Gripper outperform vacuum?

Anywhere vacuum can't seal. The Gecko uses dry-adhesion micro-fibers that grip flat non-porous surfaces — sealed glossy cartons, shrink-wrapped product, plastic clamshells, perforated packaging film, and printed circuit boards all work better with Gecko than with vacuum cups. Two specific wins: (1) zero air consumption, so it works in clean rooms and energy-restricted lines; (2) no leak risk on textured or perforated surfaces where vacuum cups would lose seal mid-cycle. Limitations: payload is lower than vacuum (the Gecko SP 5 handles up to 5 kg / 11 lb), and the gripping pad needs periodic cleaning to maintain adhesion.

Can a single cobot pack multiple package types in one shift?

Yes — this is exactly where the Dual Quick Changer earns its place in packaging cells. Mount a VGC10 on side A for cardboard cases and a Soft Gripper on side B for food product, and the cobot can switch between them in roughly five seconds inside a single program. Lines running 4–8 different SKU types per shift typically deploy two grippers via the dual changer rather than stopping the cell to swap tools manually.

How does the OnRobot Eyes vision system fit into a packaging cell?

OnRobot Eyes is a 2.5D vision system with active IR stereo depth, 400–1000 mm working distance, and IP54 rating. It supports four application types out of the box: Detection, Sorting, Inspection, and Landmark (the last for fixed-reference waypoint navigation). Eyes can be robot-mounted (12 reconfiguration positions around the flange) or external-mounted depending on the cell layout. In packaging, that translates to random-orientation pick from an indexed conveyor, multi-SKU sorting where the cobot has to identify which product to grab, label-up inspection before placing, and Landmark-based pick from a fixed reference. Minimum workpiece is 10×10 mm or 15 mm diameter. It is not a replacement for high-end 3D vision systems — but for typical mid-volume case-pack and tray-load applications, it eliminates the need for fixed product orientation and saves significant fixturing cost.

Speccing a packaging cell?

Send us your product profile (food/non-food, weight, package type, line speed) and any compliance requirements (FDA, EU 1935, USP Class VI, washdown). We'll spec the cobot, gripper, vision if needed, and Dual Quick Changer config — and price the complete cell.

Get a Cell Quote Call 1-888-600-3080