How Can I Automate Case Packing for Flexible Packaging?

Everything you need to know about case packing flexible packaging

Flexible packaging is becoming increasingly common across many industries. In food and beverage as well as cosmetics, it is attractive for a number of reasons: lower material costs, compactness, easy shelf presentation and more.

Unlike rigid packs, flexible products can be difficult to handle automatically. However, technical solutions are available to automate case packing for flexible packaging across a wide range of sizes and weights.

What is flexible packaging?

Flexible packaging is particularly common in the food and beverage industry. The doypack, developed in the 1960s, is a typical example. This type of stand-up pouch can remain upright and makes product presentation easier. Flat-bottom plastic pouches are also widely used for grocery and confectionery products, while pillow and gusseted bags are common in snacking and dry-food applications.

Flexible packaging offers several advantages that explain its growing use. It can reduce raw-material consumption while still providing sufficient strength. It is practical for consumers, with formats that can be resealed or used as single portions. It is also attractive from a logistics perspective because it can reduce transport weight and volume.

Technical constraints when handling flexible packaging

Before automating the case packing of flexible packs, the characteristics of each product need to be understood. Conveying and handling pouches must be carefully designed to avoid damaging the product or compromising pack integrity.

The deformability of flexible packaging creates uncertainty in product position and geometry. A rigid carton has consistent dimensions, whereas the dimensions of a flexible pouch can change depending on how its contents are distributed. Automation therefore needs to be adapted to the behaviour of each product.

Choose the right type of case

Secondary packaging needs to be designed carefully so that automated case packing is reliable while also meeting customer requirements. In many applications, the case needs sufficient strength to compensate for the relative fragility of flexible packs and protect them during transport.

Several case types can address these requirements. The main families include:

• Shelf-ready cases: these keep products neatly upright and allow the case to be used directly on the shelf.
• Open cases: often used for products packed flat. Packs may be alternated head-to-tail to optimise the arrangement. Open cases can also reduce cardboard use. JYGA offers wrap-around case packers for open-case applications.
• Closed cases: these provide additional protection from the external environment. As with open cases, products are frequently arranged flat.
• Cases with a lid: often used in discount retail, this format provides a clean presentation without relying on tear-away perforations for shelf display.
• RSC cases: a transport case that can also be erected manually and does not necessarily require a particular product presentation inside.

Case dimensions should also be selected to optimise pallet utilisation and load stability.

Optimise automatic case packing: product arrangement

Depending on the case packing principle — individual or multiple product pick — flexible packs need to be prepared and arranged so that they can be inserted reliably.

A wide range of solutions can be used:

• Individual pick with a high-speed robot: a vision system locates each flexible pack so that the robot can pick, orient and place it in the case.
• Robotic grouping: using vision, products are grouped by a robot or mechanical module into batches according to the case packing pattern. The complete batch can then be pushed into the case or loaded by a robot.
• Stacker: particularly useful for highly flexible packs, products are inserted between stacker flights before being loaded into the case.
• Vertical accumulation system: flexible packs arrive continuously on a conveyor, are accumulated in a zone and then lowered before loading into the case.

Once the products have been grouped, case loading should follow immediately, either in one operation or in several successive loads.

Case packing solutions for flexible packaging

Several technical principles can be used for flexible packaging. Three common approaches are robotic wrap-around case packing, vertical drop loading and pick-and-place.

Pick-and-place

Well suited to highly flexible products, pick-and-place case packing provides accurate handling. The robot is fitted with an end-of-arm tool adapted to the product and, with the help of a vision system, can carry out different tasks:

• turn and position pouches;
• adapt the pick orientation to the incoming product position;
• optimise case filling intelligently when products vary in size;
• and more.

Because the mechanical principle is relatively simple, pick-and-place can provide a flexible, scalable case packing solution while supporting high throughput.

Vertical accumulation case packing

This solution is mainly used for upright arrangements at high throughput. It is particularly effective for flat products such as trays. The principle is straightforward: the case is positioned under the conveyor, products are accumulated in the vertical chute in the required quantity, then tipped into the case.

Horizontal accumulation case packing

Pouches arrive flat on a conveyor. They are rotated through 90° using a suitable mechanism and accumulated on edge in batches. Each batch is then loaded into the case in one operation.
This principle can optimise case-loading speed.