Packaging Line Robots

Buying advice

Tell makers how the line is cleaned

Hygienic design depends on how you clean as much as on the robot. EHEDG Guideline 62 Part 1, first published in 2026, sets hygienic design criteria for robots in open food processing and covers both wet-cleaned and dry-cleaned areas. Before quoting, give each maker your cleaning regime: the chemicals and their strength, water pressure, how often you clean, and whether product is exposed where the robot works. Ask which parts of the robot count as product-contact or splash zones, how the arms and carrier come apart for cleaning, and which lubricants are used. Then ask for the documentation the maker can supply against EHEDG Guideline 62 Part 1.

Check vacuum and air against food rules

If your cell picks with suction, the air system touches your product. In the US, 21 CFR 117.40 requires equipment to be cleanable and food-contact surfaces to resist corrosion, and says compressed air or other gases used on food-contact surfaces must be treated so they do not contaminate food. Ask each maker how the vacuum is generated, where exhaust air goes, which filters protect the product, and what the suction cups are made of. Find out how quickly cups and gripper parts can be swapped for cleaning, and whether spares come in batches you can trace. If you also run allergen-containing products, plan separate gripper sets for each allergen group.

Make the robot speak the line's language

Looking at the listings in October 2026, you could see listed prices as low as about $38,000 for the Kawasaki YF003N and as high as about $60,000 for the Bosch Paloma, and all of them showed a price. On a packing line, the robot is one machine among fillers, flow wrappers and case erectors, and a stoppage at one travels up and down the line. PackML, published as ANSI/ISA-TR88.00.02, gives machines from different makers a common set of states and data tags. Ask whether each robot cell can report its states and counts in PackML form to your line controller, so a jam at the robot shows up the same way as one at the wrapper. That makes efficiency reports comparable and speeds up fault finding between shifts.

What to look for

• Sustained pick rate with your real product, not the catalogue maximum
• Hygienic or washdown design if you pack food, drink or pharmaceuticals
• Conveyor tracking and vision for products that arrive in random positions

Common questions

Why are packaging robots mounted overhead?

Delta robots hang above the conveyor so their light, parallel arms can move very quickly over the belt while leaving the floor clear for the line itself.

How do packaging robots handle changeovers?

A changeover usually means a new recipe in the controller and, where shapes differ, a quick-change gripper. List every product format you run when you request a quote.

Sources and further reading

• Guideline 62 Part 1: Hygienic design criteria for robotic systems in food processing environments, fundamental requirements for robots — European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG).
  Hygienic design criteria for robots in open food processing, covering wet and dry cleaning, construction and records.
• 21 CFR 117.40 Equipment and utensils — US Food and Drug Administration (eCFR).
  US food manufacturing rule on cleanable equipment, food-contact surfaces and the treatment of compressed air.
• PackML — Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC).
  Explains PackML, published as ANSI/ISA-TR88.00.02, which gives packaging machines common states and data.