Coordinated Robots Bring Precision and Flexibility to Automated Bottle Capping

As packaging lines face increasing pressure to run faster, handle more variants, and fit into tighter footprints, automation strategies must balance precision, flexibility, and size. One effective approach is the coordinated use of compact robots integrated with machine vision - an architecture well-suited for highly repeatable tasks like bottle handling and capping.

What's covered?

• Introduction
• Step 1: Bottle Handling with a Low‑Profile SCARA
• Step 2: Identify Variability with Machine Vision
• Step 3: Bottle Cap Pick-and-Place with Vision-Integrated Articulated Robot
• Summary & Design Tips

The demo video shows an OVR Series 4-axis articulated robot and an OVR Series 3-axis SCARA working in tandem to unpack bottles, identify caps using a camera, perform accurate capping, and repack the finished product.  This demonstration illustrates how a system design that combines the right robot form factor, integrated vision, and coordinated motion can deliver reliable, high-precision packaging automation even in space-constrained environments.  The result is a compact, highly synchronized automation cell designed for consistent throughput and easy scalability.

Bill of Materials:

Compatible with 3rd Party Devices

 With easy mounting options and direct EtherNet/IP and RS-485 communication, the OVR Series robots can be easily integrated with devices from other companies, such as an end-effector and a vision camera.  Our EH Series 2-finger electric gripper is mounted at the end of the OVR Series 3-axis SCARA arm using a PDG60-2 mounting bracket, while a 3rd-party electric gripper from OnRobot is mounted to the ISO 9409-1-31.5-M5 standard mounting flange on the arm of the OVR Series 4-axis articulated robot.  The dedicated MRCU Series robot controller for the 3-axis SCARA communicates with its EH Series gripper, and the dedicated MRCU Series robot controller for the 4-axis articulated robot communicates with its OnRobot gripper. 

The process begins with the OVR Series 3-Axis SCARA Robot (Bottle Handing Robot) on the right side.  It's responsible for unpacking and positioning the white plastic bottles in preparation for the bottle capping process, which is performed by the articulated robot on the left.

What sets the OVR Series 3-axis SCARA Robot apart is its ultra‑low profile, measuring under 6 inches in height.  In modern packaging environments where conveyors, guards, and tooling are stacked tightly, vertical clearance is often the limiting factor. Traditional SCARA robots can struggle to reach into cartons or tightly enclosed packaging areas without additional mechanical complexity. The OVR Series 3-axis SCARA's flat,  low-profile design allows it to operate inside these restricted spaces while still maintaining full horizontal reach and precise motion control.

From an engineering standpoint, a flatter design of the SCARA enables:

• Closer robot placement to conveyors and cartons
• Reduced need for custom mechanical extensions
• Cleaner integration into existing packaging cells

Once the bottles are capped, they're placed on a "pallet" in the front.  Bottle placement locations are easily managed using a palletizing sequencing routine, ensuring consistent positioning and orientation with a variety of pallet patterns. For packaging engineers, this repeatability is critical; accurate downstream capping depends on every bottle arriving in the same location, cycle after cycle. Pallet-based motion programming is also easy and quick; ideal for future format changes while reducing commissioning and changeover time.

Once the bottle is in position and ready to be capped, the system must address one of the most common challenges in packaging automation: arranging randomly oriented components.

Bottle caps rarely arrive in perfectly aligned positions. Rather than relying on bowl feeders or complex mechanical alignment, this system integrates a vision‑guided picking process using a Cognex 2800 series camera. The camera captures bottle cap locations and orientation data, which is then transmitted directly to our MRCU "all-in-one" integrated robot controller.  Without first acquiring this data from the vision camera, a robot cannot determine the location of the bottle cap.

This vision‑based approach offers several practical advantages:

• Eliminates mechanical orientation tooling, reducing maintenance
• Supports multiple cap styles and sizes
• Improves flexibility for future product variants

For engineers designing automation cells, vision adds adaptability without sacrificing speed—assuming communication latency and coordinate transformations are handled correctly. In this system, tight integration between the camera, the robot controller, and the robot ensures accurate spatial mapping and consistent picking points.

The OVR Series 4-Axis Articulated Robot on the left side performs the bottle cap pick-and-place operation from its supply bin to the bottle. Using real‑time vision data, it identifies the correct cap, picks it from its detected position, and accurately places it onto the waiting bottle.

Articulated robots excel in this type of operation because of their:

• High repeatability in the XY plane
• Fast cycle times
• Stable vertical (Z‑axis) motion for controlled placement

Vision‑guided bottle capping requires more than just accurate picking.  It demands precise synchronization between motion axes, tooling, and placement force. Consistent vertical descent speeds, compliant tooling, or a torque control function can help prevent cross‑threading or damaged caps.

Can one robot perform both tasks?  From a system design perspective, separating bottle handling and cap placement across two robots allows:

• Parallel task execution, improving throughput
• Independent optimization of bottle handling and capping motions
• Simpler troubleshooting and scalability

Together, the OVR Series 3-axis SCARA robot and the OVR Series 4-axis articulated robot create a compact, coordinated automation solution that combines mechanical accuracy with intelligent software control. Their unified operation integrates a low-profile robot design, machine vision, and coordinated motion to deliver a cell that can quickly adapt to changing product requirements without extensive re-engineering.

As packaging requirements continue to evolve, driven by shorter production runs, increased customization, and tighter space limitations, automation systems must be compact, intelligent, and highly flexible. Coordinated SCARA robots paired with vision systems provide a strong foundation for meeting today’s demands while maintaining the flexibility to support future changes.

 

OVR Series Small Industrial Robots Lineup

SCARA Robots	Articulated Robots			Cartesian / Gantry Robots
3-Axis	4-Axis	5-Axis	6-Axis	3-Axis

Built-in Reliability: All rotational joints and bases for the OVR Series robots are equipped with motors and rotary actuators from the AlphaSTEP Hybrid Step-Servo Product Family for closed-loop, absolute-position control.