Robotics in a Second: How Modern Grippers Are Revolutionizing Packaging

Whether it’s fragile baked goods, delicate fruit, or sensitive pharmaceutical products: In today’s packaging industry, milliseconds determine quality, efficiency, and scrap rates. Companies like the Schubert Group are demonstrating how modern robotics and adaptive grippers are overcoming these challenges—with finely tuned mechanics, intelligent sensor technology, and systems that are increasingly capable of “feeling” and “seeing.”

In highly automated packaging lines, processes run at a breathtaking pace: Products are sorted, aligned, and packaged—often several hundred times per minute. At the same time, demands are increasing. Consumer goods are becoming increasingly customized—and more delicate. This is particularly evident with products like cookies or fresh fruit: even minimal differences in pressure can render the goods unsellable. Different technologies are used depending on the product: Light baked goods like cookies are usually picked up by suction, while grippers are primarily used for heavier or harder-to-handle products such as cakes or croissants.

Solutions for this sector come primarily from modern robotics. One example is provided by the internationally active Schubert Group from Crailsheim. Founded in 1966 as a manufacturer of packaging machines, the family-owned company is now considered a pioneer in the integration of robotic solutions:

In addition to “touch,” “vision” is also becoming increasingly important. Modern 3D vision systems detect products in real time, even when they are scattered randomly on a conveyor belt. The combination of image processing and sensor technology makes it possible to precisely determine the position and orientation of products, dynamically adjust gripping points, and operate reliably and efficiently even with varying product shapes.

This interaction of various data sources is considered a central component of modern packaging robotics. Companies such as Schubert integrate these technologies directly into their packaging machines with the goal of creating holistic systems. Typical applications for such solutions include delicate confectionery and baked goods, fresh foods with variable shapes, and pharmaceutical products with high safety requirements.

As promising as technological advances are, putting them into practice remains a challenge. Adaptive gripping systems must integrate seamlessly into existing production lines, process large amounts of data in real time, and remain economically scalable. The demand for qualified specialists is also growing—both in the development and operation of these systems.

At the same time, it is clear that development is advancing at a rapid pace, driven by artificial intelligence, improved sensor technology, and adaptive systems. Future robotics solutions will be even better equipped to adapt autonomously to new products and requirements, leading all the way to fully adaptive packaging lines.

Companies like Schubert are already working on such concepts today and see them as a key driver for the industry’s future.