A pharmaceutical order filling system receives pharmaceutical orders and uses a loading device to label containers and load the labeled containers onto a pallet. The loading device is configured with at least one container drop assembly that receives containers to be labelled and loaded onto the pallet and that is in communication with a label assembly configured to print and apply labels to the containers. The loading device also includes at least one loading rotary wheel configured to receive the labelled containers and hold the labelled containers in a pick position to be moved from the pick position to a predetermined position on the pallet. The loading device may be configured to accommodate multiple sizes of containers and to consolidate multiple sizes of labelled containers into a single loading rotary wheel for loading onto the pallet.

An item packing system configured to sort and/or pack items into item containers, the system comprising a robotic arm. At least one end effector for holding and manipulating an item to be sorted and/or packed, wherein at least one end effector comprises a pressure sensing assembly. A controller configured to receive sensor signals from the pressure sensing assembly to obtain an indication of a magnitude of contact pressure for contact between the end effector and the item held by the end effector. A direction of contact pressure for contact between the end effector and the item held by the end effector, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the end effector is correctly holding the item based on the indication of the magnitude of the contact pressure and the indication of the direction of contact pressure.

Embodiments of product handling systems facilitate transfer of individual product items from incoming bulk form into dedicated trays for inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging. Inspection may comprise interrogation of product items within a tray by electromagnetic (e.g., optical, hyperspectral) or other (e.g., physical, acoustic, gas sensing, etc.) techniques. Prior to packaging, product items disposed within the tray may be stored in a moveable carousel responsible for controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, illumination, ambient gases, product-to-product interactions, and/or others. Movement of product items from a carousel's transfer station to an outside staging position may be accomplished using robots and/or conveyor belts. Embodiments may allow rapid, low-cost consumer selection of specific individual product items based upon their accompanying metadata (e.g., source, identifier), in combination with the results of inspection (e.g., visual appearance). Embodiments may receive product items pre-packaged in tray format to expedite inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging.

Robotic pick-and-place automation is used to transfer oral solid pharmaceuticals from moveable trays or canisters. Sensors are used to verify that the pharmaceuticals have been properly placed in the desired pharmaceutical locations precisely according to the patient prescription data. A pharmacist places pharmaceutical products within dispensing trays or canisters to present the pharmaceutical products for picking and placing via the robotic pick-and-place machinery. Once the canister or tray is located adjacent the pick-and-place device, a sensor or imaging unit associated with the pick-and-place device verifies that the pharmaceutical product, the size, shape, and/or color of an expected pharmaceutical product that is to be placed within the packaging material in accordance with patient prescription data stored by a computer associated with the system. Sensors verify that each individual pharmaceutical specified by a patient prescription have been deposited into each specified location strictly in accordance with the patient prescription data.

A packing method of packing articles into a packing box comprises pre-grouping articles on a pre grouping surface provided by a pre grouping conveyor belt of a pre grouping conveyor, and providing the articles from the pre-grouping surface of the pre-grouping conveyor belt into the packing box. This is done consecutively by providing one of a cassette box and the packing box at a discharging end of the pre-grouping conveyer; moving downwards said one of the cassette box and the packing box while driving the pre grouping conveyor belt such that the pre-grouped articles on the pre-grouping conveyer-belt moves towards the discharging end of the pre-grouping conveyor and the opening of said one of the cassette box and the packing box, and that the articles of the pre-grouped articles are discharged from the pre-grouping conveyor belt into said one of the cassette box and the packing box and onto one another; and, in case the articles of the pre-grouped articles are provided into the cassette box, providing the articles from the cassette box into the packing box.

An apparatus and method for transferring a pattern from a universal surface to an ultimate package. The apparatus comprises an end effector for a pattern transfer robot. The end effector comprises a crowder plate with crowder plate slats spaced apart a distance to form openings between the crowder plate slats. The universal surface comprises a finger wall with finger wall slats spaced apart a distance to form openings between the finger wall slats. A portion of the crowder plate slats are sized to pass between a portion of mating finger wall slats.

Packaging apparatus and methods include a plurality of article grippers driven by independently controlled motors in an end-of-arm tooling (EOAT), for picking articles, grouping articles, adjusting group pitch and placing article groups in packages where incoming articles and packages are continuously or intermittently moving and without motion of the entire EOAT in the direction in which articles and packages are picked and moved. Hole healing and incoming product registration apparatus and methods are disclosed.

The invention is based on a primary packaging, in particular a primary paper packaging, for receiving at least one product (12), in particular a food product, with at least one enveloping unit (14), which in particular comes into contact with the product (12) directly, in particular a tubular bag; the enveloping unit (14), in particular the tubular bag, comprising at least one barrier layer (16) for a protection of the received product (12), in particular from humidity, and comprising at least one carrier layer (18), in particular paper layer, which is connected with the barrier layer (16), in particular by substance-to-substance bond.

It is proposed that the primary packaging comprises at least one functional unit (20), which is in particular embodied in a one-part implementation with the enveloping unit (14), for a protection of the enveloping unit (14) and/or of the received product (12) from damages.

The gripper (2) according to the invention comprises a first receiving plate (6) for receiving a first product portion (5a) and a second receiving plate (7) for receiving a second product portion (5b), wherein the receiving plates (6, 7) are movable relative to one another, and a first movable stop (9) which is movable relative to the first receiving plate (6), and a second movable stop (10) which is movable relative to the second receiving plate (7). The gripper (2) is distinguished by the fact that the first stop (9) and second stop (10) are movable relative to one another so as to move the product portions (5a, 5b) towards one another when the gripper (2) is closed such that the product portions (5a, 5b) then overlap one another.

A produce packing robot is provided comprising a plurality of heads for picking up items of produce from a plurality of pick-up locations, and moving the items of produce and dropping them off at a plurality of drop-off locations. The plurality of heads move together in a first direction on a common rail. The robot may also comprise a range imaging camera and controller for sensing the location of the drop-off points dynamically.