Case Study | 3D Vision Addresses Depalletizing Challenges of Interleaved Stacked Condensers

Recently, a home appliance manufacturing base has deployed an automated condenser depalletizing vision solution integrated with Transfer Technology’s Epic Eye Laser L V2S laser 3D camera. The system supports single-scan detection and dual-layer identification for interleaved stacked workpieces, and meets the automated production demands with steady detection accuracy and consistent line throughput.

01 Workstation Challenges

This depalletizing workstation features highly complex incoming material conditions typical of the home appliance industry:

• Workpieces are stacked in a crisscross and interleaved layout between upper and lower layers. For bottom-layer condensers, only 70~150 mm of both end sections is exposed, resulting in an extremely limited effective recognition area.

• The on-site production covers 5 condenser specifications of different dimensions. Frequent line changeovers require the vision system to deliver strong compatibility and rapid model switching capability.

• The workstation adopts a high-speed cycle rhythm, allowing an extremely narrow time window for vision image capturing and algorithm calculation. Meanwhile, the system must fully meet the pick accuracy requirements of the clamping gripper.

02 Solution

To cope with complex on-site working conditions, Transfer Technology adopts a dedicated solution built around the Epic Eye Laser L V2S laser 3D industrial camera, effectively reducing on-site renovation costs. The camera is fixedly mounted directly above the workstation for overhead scanning of the entire condenser stack. Installed at a height of around 3000 mm from the bottom-layer workpieces, the system utilizes existing mounting brackets without requiring any major workstation structural adjustments.

Simplified and Efficient Operation Workflow

1.The conveyor delivers the full condenser stack to the designated position within the 3D camera’s field of view.

2.The robot transmits the condenser model information of the current pallet to the vision system and triggers synchronous 3D camera scanning.

3.The algorithm calculates the pose coordinates of both top-layer and second-layer workpieces simultaneously, and feeds back the positioning results to the robot.

4.The robot sequentially picks two condensers based on the coordinate data and places them at the next workstation. The cycle repeats continuously until the entire pallet depalletizing task is completed.

03 Measured Performance

Under continuous mass production operating conditions, all core performance indicators of the solution reach stable qualified standards. Key test data are as follows:

• Recognition Accuracy: ±1 mm for upper-layer workpieces, ±2 mm for bottom-layer workpieces

• Pick Accuracy: Overall pick accuracy of ±3 mm, fully matching the clearance tolerance of the clamping gripper

• Processing Efficiency: Single image scanning takes 1.5 s with an additional 1.5 s for algorithm calculation. The full vision workflow is well within the workstation cycle time requirements.

• Compatibility: Fully adaptable to 5 different condenser specifications. No recalibration is required for production changeovers, enabling fast model switching by invoking corresponding parameter sets.

For interleaved stacked incoming workpieces, the algorithm accurately distinguishes contours of upper and bottom-layer components. Even if only edge regions of bottom-layer workpieces are visible, the system can stably compute accurate workpiece poses, avoid missed and false detections effectively, and guarantee stable continuous operation of the production line.

04 Implementation Value

For home appliance manufacturers, this solution features low investment and high compatibility. It requires no modifications to existing conveyor lines or robot grippers. The depalletizing workstation can be automatically upgraded purely through vision system iteration, delivering a short deployment cycle and controllable renovation costs.

Its multi-spec compatibility enables the production line to flexibly adapt to fluctuating order demands, eliminating extensive debugging work for model changeovers. Consistent pick accuracy ensures procedural uniformity for downstream processes, reduces manual intervention, and elevates the overall automation level of the production line.

Transfer Technology consistently focuses on genuine pain points in industrial manufacturing. With mature 3D vision hardware and algorithm capabilities, the company delivers practical, replicable vision solutions for the home appliance, automotive, new energy and other manufacturing sectors, empowering factories to achieve steady intelligent upgrading.