If you are evaluating robotic bin picking systems, you are usually trying to solve one of three problems: an upstream feeder that can't handle the part geometry, an operator hand-sorting parts from gaylords with rising injury rates, or a downstream cell starving because parts arrive in bulk rather than oriented. We build the cell around whichever is biting you hardest.
AMD Machines has designed custom bin picking automation for more than thirty years, with over 2,500 machines delivered. A robotic bin picking system from AMD is engineered around your part — geometry, weight, surface finish, nesting behavior, takt, and downstream handoff — and integrated with the vision, controls, and traceability your line and your customers expect.
What is a robotic bin picking system?
A robotic bin picking system is a production cell that uses a 3D vision sensor to find randomly oriented parts inside a bin, tote, or gaylord, then commands an industrial robot to pick a single part and present it to the next process. It runs at deterministic cycle time, handles unsorted bulk presentation, and serializes each pick for traceability.
Compared with bowl feeders and manual sorting, a bin picking cell:
- Handles parts that bridge, tangle, or are too large or heavy for vibratory feed
- Removes the repetitive lifting and reaching task that drives ergonomic injury rates
- Maintains consistent cycle time across bin depth and part orientation
- Logs each pick — pose, grip confirmation, timestamp — to your MES
How a robotic bin picking system works
- Scan — a 3D vision sensor (Photoneo, Zivid, Keyence) acquires a point cloud of the bin and remaining parts in 200–800 ms.
- Segment — AI software separates individual parts from the cluttered scan using CAD matching or trained deep-learning models.
- Pose estimation — the system computes the 6-DOF position (X, Y, Z, Rx, Ry, Rz) of each candidate part to ±0.1–1 mm.
- Grasp plan — the software ranks reachable parts, selects the highest-confidence pick, and computes an approach vector that clears bin walls and neighbors.
- Collision check — the full approach-pick-extract-retreat trajectory is simulated against the bin, fixtures, and surrounding equipment before motion is released.
- Pick and confirm — the robot executes the trajectory and the gripper (vacuum, mechanical, or magnetic) engages with sensed confirmation.
- Present and log — the part lands in a singulated nest, conveyor, or downstream cell; the result is serialized to the MES.
3D vision methods compared
| Sensor method | Best for | Typical accuracy | Typical scan time | Representative hardware |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured light | Shiny or dark parts; precision pose | ±0.1–0.3 mm | 300–800 ms | Photoneo PhoXi, Zivid Two |
| Active stereo | Mid-size parts at balanced speed and accuracy | ±0.2–0.5 mm | 150–400 ms | Keyence 3D, Cognex 3D-A5000 |
| Time-of-flight | Large parts, deep gaylords, lower-precision picks | ±1–3 mm | <100 ms | SICK Visionary-S, Basler ToF |
| Motion-aware (scan-on-the-fly) | Parts on moving conveyors or tight cycle times | ±0.3–1 mm | continuous | Photoneo MotionCam-3D |
We size the sensor to your part, bin depth, and required pose accuracy. Where appropriate we mount it on the robot wrist or on a linear axis so it can scan from multiple angles and resolve occlusions at the bottom of a gaylord.
Key components and technologies
- Robot and controller — FANUC (LR Mate, M-10iD, M-20iD, M-710iC), ABB (IRB 1200, IRB 2600, IRB 4600), Yaskawa (GP series), or KUKA (KR Cybertech, KR Quantec), sized to payload, reach, and bin depth
- 3D vision sensor — Photoneo PhoXi or MotionCam, Zivid Two, Keyence 3D, Cognex 3D-A5000, or SICK Visionary
- Bin picking software — Photoneo Bin Picking Studio, Mech-Mind Mech-Vision, FANUC 3D Vision iRVision, ABB PickMaster Twin, or MVTec HALCON
- End-of-arm tooling — vacuum (Schmalz, Piab), parallel and angular grippers (SCHUNK, Festo, OnRobot), or magnetic grippers for ferrous parts
- Controls and HMI — Allen-Bradley CompactLogix/ControlLogix or Siemens S7-1500, with FactoryTalk View or WinCC
- Safety — SICK or Banner light curtains and area scanners, dual-channel circuits per ISO 13849 PL d/e, risk assessment per ISO 12100
- Data — serialized logging to OPC UA, MQTT, or SQL; MES integration with Rockwell FactoryTalk, AVEVA, Ignition, or SAP
| Part attribute | Best gripper | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or smooth surface | Vacuum (Schmalz, Piab) | Fast and gentle; multi-cup sensing flags failed seals |
| Round shafts, tubes, no vacuum surface | Mechanical parallel/angular (SCHUNK, OnRobot) | Positive grip; tolerates small pose error |
| Oily or scaled ferrous parts | Electromagnetic (SCHUNK EMH) | Cuts through oil film; controlled release |
| Multi-SKU bin | SCHUNK SWS tool changer | Auto-swap between gripper types per part number |
Integration, controls, and traceability
Every AMD robotic bin picking system ships with:
- Per-part serialized records — pick number, 6-DOF pose, grip confirmation, downstream verification, timestamp
- Upstream and downstream handshakes — EtherNet/IP or PROFINET to machine tending cells, assembly stations, and end-of-line test systems
- Recipe management — barcode-driven setup loads gripper offsets, segmentation models, and place coordinates per part number
- Bin-empty and pick-rate trending on the HMI with rule-based alarms before the cell starves the line
Industries we serve
- Automotive — castings, forgings, and stampings fed from gaylords into machining and assembly
- Heavy equipment — large machined housings, hydraulic blocks, and weldments
- Electronics — small components delivered in totes for assembly feeding
- General manufacturing — mixed-SKU kitting, fastener handling, and tote-to-line transfer
Why AMD Machines
We are not a robot reseller dropping a vision app on a stock arm. We engineer the entire cell in-house — mechanical, electrical, controls, EOAT, vision, safety, and data — against the part in your bin and the takt on your floor:
- 30+ years of custom automation and 2,500+ robotic cells and machines delivered
- Sensor selection, EOAT, and bin presentation engineered together to minimize false picks
- One supplier for the machine tending, pick-and-place, and flexible feeding the cell connects to
- Machine vision and traceability designed in from day one
Have a part, a bin, and a takt time? That's enough to start. Request a quote or send us your part print and we'll scope the cell around it.