In brief: a pick-and-place robot lifts a product from a defined or detected location and places it at a required position and orientation. The best robot type depends on the path, payload, rate, working envelope and whether products arrive consistently or need machine vision.
Technical guidance by Oxford Industrial Automation. Updated 1 September 2026.
Which robot is best for pick and place?
Delta robots suit rapid overhead picking where lightweight products move through a controlled conveyor area. SCARA robots suit fast planar transfers and vertical placement. Six-axis robots provide more freedom when the path, tool angle or surrounding equipment is complex.
Architecture is only the first decision. Product presentation, grip reliability, conveyor tracking, placement tolerance and upstream and downstream flow usually determine whether the cell can sustain its target output.
High-speed conveyor picking
Vision, encoder tracking and controlled spacing coordinate picks from a moving belt.
Fixed-position transfer
Fixtures, nests or pallets create repeatable pick and place locations for stable operation.
Orientation and sorting
Vision or sensors identify pose, type or quality before the robot routes each item.
Packing and machine loading
The cell places products into trays, cases, fixtures or downstream equipment to an agreed pattern.
Pick-and-place selection questions
| Product | Size, mass, centre of gravity, surface, fragility, variation and permitted contact |
|---|---|
| Presentation | Fixed nest, tray, conveyor, random flow, stacked layer or unstructured container |
| Motion | Pick and place coordinates, required orientation, obstacles, dwell and release conditions |
| Performance | Good placements per minute, simultaneous picks, conveyor speed and allowable misses |
| Tooling | Vacuum, mechanical or custom grip, sensors, services and changeover requirements |
| Quality | Position tolerance, inspection, reject path, traceability and recovery after a failed pick |
Calculate the complete pick-and-place cycle
Robot travel time alone is not the production cycle. Include product detection, image processing, grip confirmation, conveyor synchronisation, process dwell, release, rejects and any wait caused by upstream or downstream equipment.
The feasibility review should use representative products, including difficult surfaces and worst-case variations. A concept that works with one ideal sample may not be robust across a real production batch.