Start by separating two symptoms: a case that slips or falls while being carried indicates a pick or grip problem, while a case that remains held but lands crooked or offset indicates positioning, geometry, or pallet-state data. Stop the cell safely, prevent an unexpected restart, and then follow the branch that matches what you observed.
First identify what actually failed
Watch the complete cycle, using the cell’s approved observation method rather than entering the guarded area. Note the first point at which the case deviates. A case that is never securely attached, slides during acceleration, or falls before the place move is primarily a grip-confirmation problem. A case that stays attached until release but is rotated, shifted, overhanging, or placed on the wrong layer points toward presentation, coordinates, dimensions, height, or pallet-state information.
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| Observed symptom | Most useful diagnostic direction | Checks to make first |
|---|---|---|
| Case slips or falls while being carried | Grip, vacuum, air, power, or confirmation signal | Vacuum/grip feedback, cup condition, leaks, wait time, compressed-air and power continuity |
| Case is held but lands crooked or offset | Presentation, grip alignment, dimensions, TCP, or pallet geometry | Conveyor stop position, centered pickup, configured box dimensions, TCP, pallet height and coordinates |
| First layer is acceptable but later layers drift | Accumulating measurement or pallet-state error | Actual layer height, box dimensions, virtual pallet viewer, and physical stack alignment |
| Robot reports a suction timeout | Insufficient vacuum or a confirmation setting that is not being reached | Suction detection setting, waiting time, circuit sealing, and air supply |
These are diagnostic directions, not a universal fault tree. Controller names, signal meanings, and allowable settings vary by robot, gripper, PLC and application. Record the robot model, gripper model, program revision, alarm text, layer number and whether the fault is repeatable before changing anything.
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Make the cell safe before inspection
A dropped case can leave another load unstable, and a gripper that has lost vacuum can release a load without warning. Follow your site’s lockout, guarding, access and restart procedures. Use the installed robot and end-effector manuals for the permitted inspection mode, reset sequence and adjustment limits. Do not reach into the cell, defeat an interlock, or rely on a teach pendant stop as a substitute for the site’s energy-control procedure.
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Robotiq’s safety documentation states: “Loss of vacuum can occur due to power failure or air supply interruption.” Treat an electrical or pneumatic interruption as a possible cause even if the supply appears normal when you arrive. A qualified person should verify stored pneumatic energy, electrical isolation and the stability of the pallet before touching tooling or cases.
Branch A: diagnose a case that was not securely picked
Verify the grip or vacuum signal
Check the robot or PLC input that confirms a successful grip. Compare the displayed vacuum or pressure value with the limits specified for the installed system; do not substitute a generic pressure number. Confirm that the signal changes at the expected point in the cycle and remains valid through the lift and transfer. If the program uses a minimum-vacuum threshold, a timer, or a “part present” input, verify that the input is wired to the intended channel and that the logic does not acknowledge a grip before the measurement is stable.
A successful signal at pickup does not prove that the load remains secure. Review the signal during acceleration, the lift, and the approach to the pallet. If the signal drops, the controller should follow the application’s loss-of-grip response rather than continue over the pallet. The correct response and reset procedure are model-specific.
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Inspect suction cups and the contact surface
With energy isolated and the gripper supported, inspect every cup for cuts, hardening, deformation, contamination or a loose mounting. Check that cups sit flat on the carton and that no cup is blocked by a seam, label, strap, dent, rounded corner or porous material. A cup can look intact while failing to seal on an irregular face. Clean or replace cups only with parts and materials approved for that gripper, and verify the cup type, mounting and operating requirements before ordering replacements.
Also inspect the case surface. Dust, stretch film, condensation and damaged corrugate can reduce sealing. If cartons vary, record which case style fails; a repeatable failure on one size or surface usually indicates a suitability or recipe issue rather than a random robot fault.
Check wait time and circuit leaks
A suction timeout can occur when the controller checks for vacuum before the circuit has had time to evacuate. Confirm the configured vacuum-wait or grip-confirmation time against the installed gripper’s manual and the actual cycle. Increasing a timer blindly can hide a leak or slow the cell without making the grip reliable.
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Inspect hoses, fittings, manifolds, valves and the cup circuit for loose connections, cracks or audible leaks. Check whether an unused port is properly sealed. Ducorobots troubleshooting guidance identifies suction-detection settings, waiting time, circuit sealing and compressed-air supply as possible causes of a suction timeout. Use the machine’s specified leak-check method and limits; the available guidance does not establish one pressure threshold for every installation.
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Confirm that the gripper receives the required air quality, pressure and flow specified by its manufacturer. Look for a regulator that has moved, a closed isolation valve, a clogged filter, a failing ejector, a kinked hose or a valve that is not energized. Check the supply at the gripper, not only at a remote plant gauge, and inspect the time history if the cell records pressure.
Check for power interruptions, brownouts, loose connectors and cabinet or I/O alarms that coincide with the drop. A brief interruption can release vacuum or reset a valve while leaving no obvious damage. Do not change regulator settings or electrical protection values until the machine-specific documentation and an authorized technician establish the correct adjustment.
Branch B: diagnose a case that was held but placed incorrectly
Confirm repeatable case presentation
The robot can only place accurately if every case arrives at the expected pickup pose. Check the conveyor stop, side guides, sensors and timing. Measure the leading and side edges of several cases at the stop position and compare them with the taught pickup location. Look for conveyor slip, guide wear, sensor bounce, back-to-back cartons, gaps that vary with speed, or a stop that does not fully arrest the case.
If the infeed position changes, the gripper may contact the box off-center even though the program and pallet coordinates are correct. Correct the mechanical presentation or use the approved sensing and correction function for the installed cell. Do not compensate by editing pallet coordinates for an error that originates at the conveyor.
Check the configured grip point and alignment
Verify that the programmed grip location centers the vacuum pattern or clamp on the actual case. A gripper that picks a few centimeters off-center can carry the case with a consistent rotation or offset. Compare the taught position with the physical center of each carton format, including any overhang or asymmetrical packaging.
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Inspect whether the tool is square to the case at pickup. A tilted approach can seal one cup before another, twist a flexible carton or create a placement offset that grows when the case is released. Use the robot maker’s approved jogging and re-teach procedure; record the original values so a change can be reversed.
Validate box dimensions and case recipes
Compare the recipe’s box length, width and height with measured cases from the current production run. Confirm that the selected product code matches the cartons actually on the conveyor. Rounded, bulged, crushed or otherwise irregular faces can make the nominal dimensions misleading and can change the effective contact point.
Dimension errors affect both the pick and the pallet pattern. A wrong width can make the next case collide with its neighbor; a wrong length can create a progressive edge offset; a wrong height can make the robot release too high or too low. Measure several cases rather than relying on a single sample, and correct the source data in the approved recipe-management process.
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Check TCP, pallet height and coordinates
Validate the tool center point
The TCP defines how the controller interprets every taught pose. A changed tool plate, replaced cup assembly, bent bracket or incorrect TCP value can shift or rotate the case at every location. Use the controller’s documented TCP-calibration method and compare the result with the installed end effector. Do not infer a TCP correction from one bad placement; first rule out a moving tool, loose fasteners and an off-center pickup.
Measure the physical pallet and stack
Confirm the pallet type, dimensions, orientation and datum used by the program. Check that the pallet is seated against its stops and that a damaged or swapped pallet has not changed the reference. Verify the programmed pallet height against the actual empty pallet and the current stack, accounting for slip sheets, liners or separators used in the process.
For one documented system, the manual suggests estimating height by measuring a full pallet of boxes and dividing that height by the number of layers. Treat that as model-specific guidance, not a universal setting or a replacement for the procedure in your own manual. The correct method may use a sensor, a taught reference, a layer table or another calibrated datum.
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Compare the controller’s pallet viewer with reality
Many palletizing controllers maintain a virtual representation of occupied positions. Compare that viewer, layer count and next-target position with the physical stack. A missed pick, manual removal, restart after an interrupted cycle or an incorrect recipe can leave the virtual state one or more cases ahead or behind the real pallet. Reset or reconcile the state only through the approved operator workflow; manually forcing a layer counter can create a collision on the next move.
Watch for cumulative error. A small height or coordinate discrepancy repeated on every layer can produce a large offset near the top of the pallet. Correct the measured dimension, datum or state that causes the accumulation instead of adding an arbitrary per-layer compensation.
Evaluate whether the end effector suits the case
There is no universally correct palletizing tool. Manufacturers describe vacuum, clamp, fork, combination and custom approaches. Select or evaluate the tool against the actual case and process:
| Selection factor | Questions to answer | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Support method | Is vacuum, clamping, forks, a combination, or a custom fixture appropriate? | The method must hold the load through acceleration and release without damaging it. |
| Surface and geometry | Is the face smooth, porous, dusty, rounded, flexible or interrupted by seams? | Surface and shape determine sealing, contact area and repeatability. |
| Weight and payload | What is the heaviest case, and what are the robot, wrist and tool payload ratings? | A nominally successful pick can still exceed dynamic or moment limits. |
| Pick stability | Does the case remain centered during lift, acceleration, rotation and deceleration? | Static holding force alone does not describe behavior in motion. |
| Installed compatibility | Do mounting, utilities, sensors, I/O and software support the proposed tool? | An otherwise suitable tool can fail if the cell cannot control or monitor it. |
Do not choose a replacement gripper from the case name alone. Provide the tool supplier or service provider with case dimensions, weight range, surface details, speed, acceleration, pattern, environmental conditions and the robot/end-effector models.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A controlled troubleshooting sequence
Once the cell is safe and the symptom is classified, use a controlled sequence so one change does not obscure another:
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- Reproduce under observation. Run the approved single-cycle, reduced-speed or simulation mode. Stop if the load becomes unstable or the robot approaches an unexpected position.
- Check the simplest physical causes. Inspect case presentation, cups, hoses, fittings, tool fasteners, pallet stops and obvious obstructions.
- Verify feedback. Confirm that vacuum or grip confirmation changes when a known-good case is picked and remains valid through the transfer.
- Verify data. Check product dimensions, grip point, TCP, pallet datum, pallet height, layer table and virtual pallet state against measured conditions.
- Change one approved variable. If the manual permits an adjustment, document the original value, make only that change, and test the result on the same case format.
- Validate the full pattern. Run enough cycles to check first-layer placement, interlocking patterns, top-layer height and behavior after a normal stop and restart.
- Escalate with evidence. Give the integrator or manufacturer the recorded symptoms, readings, photos taken under safe conditions, program version, alarm history and changes already tried.
When to stop troubleshooting and call for service
- A case or tool has fallen and the stack, guarding or robot position is not unquestionably stable.
- Vacuum or air loss continues after approved inspection of cups, hoses, valves and supply.
- The robot’s TCP, safety configuration, motion limits or palletizing program may be wrong.
- The fault is intermittent and involves power, I/O, network or controller resets.
- The required pressure, vacuum, timing or reset values are not stated in the installed documentation.
- Correcting one recipe exposes collisions, unexpected reaches or a mismatch between the virtual and physical pallet.
Service personnel need the exact robot, controller, gripper and software versions. A model-specific manual is the authority for thresholds, calibration, reset paths and permitted modifications; generic advice cannot replace it.
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Preventing repeat drops and misplacements
After the root cause is corrected, update the maintenance and changeover checks that would have caught it earlier. Inspect cup condition and fittings at a defined interval, verify conveyor-stop repeatability after mechanical work, and require a recipe check whenever carton dimensions change. Keep a controlled record of TCP calibration, pallet references and approved vacuum or grip-confirmation settings.
Train operators to distinguish “not held” from “held but misplaced” and to preserve the alarm and state information before resetting. A reset that clears a suction timeout or advances a pallet counter can remove the evidence needed to find the cause. Include a safe restart test in the work instruction so the controller’s virtual pallet state is reconciled with the physical stack before automatic operation resumes.
The practical rule is simple: secure the load first, then prove the geometry. A reliable grip cannot correct a wrong pallet coordinate, and perfect coordinates cannot compensate for a leaking or unsuitable end effector.
Frequently Asked Questions
Could a low vacuum reading be caused by the air supply rather than a damaged cup?
Yes. Air-supply interruption, circuit leaks, suction-detection settings, waiting time and cup condition can all contribute. Check the complete circuit and the installed system’s specified limits before replacing parts.
Why do placements drift more on upper layers?
A small error in box height, pallet datum, TCP or layer data can repeat on every layer. Compare measured stack height and the controller’s virtual pallet state with the physical pallet, then correct the underlying measurement or state.
Should I increase the vacuum timeout to stop nuisance alarms?
Only if the installed manual and a qualified technician establish that timing is the cause. A longer wait can mask leaks or an inadequate air supply and may reduce throughput.
What information should I provide when requesting service?
Provide robot, controller and gripper models and versions; the alarm text; product dimensions and weight; layer number; grip and vacuum observations; recent changes; and the results of safe physical and data checks.
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