About Automated Material Removal
Robotic bin picking can be integrated into a wide range of manufacturing processes, including assembly, machine tending, packaging, and more. Industries such as automotive, electronics manufacturing, medical device manufacturing, and general manufacturing can all benefit from the precision, consistency, and efficiency that robotic bin picking provides.
Robotic Bin Picking Automation Applications
Robotic Bin Picking: Assembly
Automated bin picking in assembly transfers loose components, like screws, connectors, or housings from a bin and places them directly and precisely into the assembly process. Robots automatically orient and place these parts for downstream assembly operations without manual sorting.
Key Advantages:
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Eliminates manual screw/fastener placement for high-mix, low-volume assemblies
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Ensures consistent orientation and placement in assembly fixtures
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Reduces part handling errors and missing components
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Enables fast changeovers between SKUs with minimal downtime
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Integrates directly with collaborative or traditional assembly lines
Robotic Bin Picking: Pick and Place
Robotic bin picking streamlines pick-and-place operations by allowing robots to pick randomly oriented parts from bins and place them precisely on conveyors, trays, or downstream machines. It removes the need for pre-oriented parts or vibratory feeders.
Key Advantages:
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Handles random orientations and mixed part types without additional fixturing
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Increases throughput on repetitive pick-and-place tasks
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Reduces labor costs and repetitive tasks
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Compatible with compact layouts and confined spaces
To learn more about robotic pick and place, check out our pick and place page:
Robotic Bin Picking: Machine Tending
Robots pick parts from bins and load them into CNC machines, presses, or grinders, then remove finished parts to continue the process. Bin picking allows continuous, automated feeding even with irregularly oriented parts.
Key Advantages:
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Maintains consistent machine uptime with continuous feeding
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Handles varied part sizes or geometries without retooling
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Reduces operator fatigue from repetitive loading/unloading
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Enables unattended operation during off-shifts or nights
To learn more about robotic machine tending, check out our robotic pick and place page:
Robotic Bin Picking: Palletizing
Bin picking robots extract items from bulk bins and stack them on pallets in precise patterns, often preparing them for shipping or further processing. The system can handle multiple SKUs or mixed part layers.
Key Advantages:
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Automates complex stacking of randomly oriented parts on pallets
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Supports high-mix pallet configurations without manual rearrangement
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Reduces product damage through controlled placement
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Increases throughput for high-volume shipping or manufacturing
To learn more about robotic machine tending, check out our robotic palletizing page:
Robotic Bin Picking: Packaging
In packaging operations, bin picking robots transfer parts from bulk bins into kits, trays, or boxes for packaging and shipping. It enables rapid, accurate preparation of mixed-product kits without pre-sorting.
Key Advantages:
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Ensures correct parts are picked and placed into each kit or package
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Reduces manual labor for repetitive kitting and packaging tasks
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Handles multiple SKUs and adapts to changing product mixes
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Minimizes errors and missing components in kits
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Enables faster throughput for e-commerce or assembly-ready packages
What are the Benefits of Robotic Bin Picking?
Handles Randomly Oriented Parts
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Picks parts directly from bins or totes without manual pre-sorting or orientation.
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Adapts to multiple SKUs in a single bin, reducing the need for separate feeders.
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Uses 3D vision and grasp planning to reliably extract parts even in cluttered or overlapping arrangements.
Increases Throughput
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Continuously feeds parts to machines, conveyors, or assembly fixtures faster than manual operators.
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Reduces cycle times by minimizing downtime between picks and placements.​​
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Maintains high-speed operation during multi-shift or 24/7 production schedules.
Reduces Labor and Ergonomic Strain
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Eliminates repetitive bending, reaching, and sorting that can lead to ergonomic strain.
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Frees operators for higher-value tasks instead of low-skill manual picking.
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Supports collaborative or traditional cells safely, letting humans work alongside robots safely.
Enables Data Traceability
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Captures pick success rates, cycle times, and part IDs for performance tracking.
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Provides real-time logs for quality control, enabling rapid identification of errors or defects.
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Integrates with MES/ERP systems to track parts from bin to downstream operations for full traceability.
What Industries Utilize Robotic Bin Picking?
Automating random-part handling can save time, reduce errors, and free operators for higher-value work, but not every process benefits equally. Evaluating part size, orientation, volume, and labor requirements can help determine if bin picking is the right solution for your operation.
Bin picking can dramatically improve efficiency and consistency when your parts or operations meet one or more of the following:
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Small to medium-sized parts that can be securely grasped by standard EOAT
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Parts arriving in random orientations or mixed SKUs
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Manual sorting or feeding tasks that are repetitive, labor-intensive, or ergonomically challenging
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High-mix production lines requiring flexible automation without constant retooling
Bin picking may not be the best fit for very large or unusually shaped parts, or for processes where manual handling isn’t a bottleneck. High-speed, high-volume lines with extremely tight cycle times may also require specialized solutions beyond standard bin picking.
Glass tube bin picking
Exploring automated pick and place for your line? Schedule a meeting to discuss your application.
Is Robotic Bin Picking a Good Fit for Your Application?
What are the Main Components of a Robotic Pick and Place Cell?
The main components of a robotic bin picking cell are the robot, the vision, and the conveyors.
Types of Robots
SCARA Robots for Automated Bin Picking
Strengths: High-speed horizontal motion, precise repeatability, compact footprint, efficient for light, repetitive picks
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Tradeoffs: Limited vertical reach, lower payload capacity, not ideal for deep bins or large, irregular parts
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Best suited for: Shallow bin picking of small components, electronics, or precision assembly tasks in confined spaces​
Cobots - able to work along humans and good for low-to-medium palletizing with a small footprint.
Cobots for Automated Bin Picking
Strengths: Safe for human interaction, easy to program and redeploy, compact footprint, ideal for flexible workspaces
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Tradeoffs: Slower cycle times, lower payloads, limited reach compared to industrial robots, requires careful safety validation
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Best suited for: Low-to-medium volume bin picking, mixed-part assembly, or collaborative work where humans and robots share space​
Cobots - able to work along humans and good for low-to-medium palletizing with a small footprint.
Industrial Robots for Automated Bin Picking
Strengths: High payload capacity, long reach, fast cycle times, robust construction for continuous operation, wide model variety
Tradeoffs: Requires guarding or fencing, longer integration time, less flexible for frequent changeovers, higher initial cost
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Best suited for: High-volume bin picking of heavy or bulky parts, deep bins, or operations requiring maximum speed and durability​​
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Industrial robots - ideal for high-volume and heavy duty palletizing.
Vision
Vision is the foundation of robotic bin picking, as it allows for the robot to identify parts and their orientations. Modern systems use 3D cameras and advanced software to detect and locate randomly oriented parts, enabling the robot to plan precise and collision-free paths.
Vision hardware can be mounted either on the robot arm (eye-in-hand) or on a fixed fixture above the bin (static mount).
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Robot-mounted cameras can capture multiple viewing areas as the arm moves, which is helpful for complex or deep-bin applications where parts may be partially hidden or overlapping.
Effective vision systems must balance accuracy, speed, and reliability. Key considerations include:
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Depth resolution — critical for small or complex geometries.
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Field of view — wide enough to capture the entire bin but detailed enough for recognition.
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Surface adaptability — ability to handle shiny, dark, or transparent parts without loss of data.
Fixed cameras are mounted on an external structure and are ideal for faster cycle times and with less complex applications with consistent lighting.
By combining accurate 3D imaging with intelligent software, vision systems give robots the awareness needed to handle parts in complex, unstructured environments.
End of Arm Tooling
End-of-ar tooling (EOAT) is selected based on part size, shape, weight, fragility, and surface characteristics to ensure reliable handling without damage. The right EOAT allows a robot to perform tasks efficiently across a variety of applications, from assembly to packaging. Common types of EOAT for pick and place applications include:
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Vacuum grippers
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Magnetic grippers
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Finger grippers
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Soft/ adaptive grippers
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Custom/ hybrid (often a mix of multiple types of grippers)
