Box Lifting Devices for Stacking, Palletizing & Carton Handling
Ergonomic Partners designs custom box lifting devices for applications that require boxes or cartons to be lifted, transferred, stacked, or palletized. Systems can be configured around box size, weight, material, gripping surface, and required pick and place positions.
We have developed solutions for more than 20 documented box and carton handling applications, including flexible and open-top cartons, heavy boxes, high-reach stacking, and multi-box handling.
Box Lifting and Transfer
Box lifting applications can require very different tooling depending on the load. Box size and weight matter, but so do carton rigidity, surface condition, available gripping area, and whether the box can be picked from the top or handled from the side. The examples below include vacuum tube lifters, multi-cup tools, and adjustable grippers for flexible cartons and varying box sizes. For a conveyor-to-pallet application with several carton sizes, see our carton palletizing lift assist case study.
250 lb Box Lifter
Vacuum tube lifter designed to pick and move large cardboard boxes weighing up to 250 lb.
50 lb Box Lifter
Vacuum gripper for boxes up to 50 lb with left- or right-hand operator controls.
Have a box lifting application? Send us the box sizes and weights, carton type, pick and place heights, and required cycle rate. We can review the application and recommend an appropriate lifting approach. Contact us for a quote.
Box Stacking and Palletizing
Stacking and palletizing applications often require a box lifter to work across a wide vertical range, from picking near floor level to placing cartons at the top of a finished stack. EP has built systems for high-reach stacking, flexible cartons, 100 lb boxes, and applications where several boxes are lifted in a single pick. Automatic pallet levelers can also help maintain a more consistent working height.
High-Reach Box Lifter
Telescoping-handle vacuum lifter designed for stacking boxes at heights up to 9 ft.
High-Reach Box Stacking in a Tight Work Cell
This application required boxes to be handled from near floor level to the top of a 110-inch stack within a tight work cell. EP developed a side-grip vacuum lifter with a force-sensing handle to provide the required vertical reach while keeping the operator closer to the load.
Problem: The customer was using a long-handle vacuum tube lifter to reach the top of a box stack at approximately 108 inches. The long handle required additional operating space and forced the operator to stand farther from the box while positioning the vacuum tooling. Together, those issues added approximately 5–10 seconds to each pick.
Solution: Ergonomic Partners developed a side-gripping vacuum tool integrated with a Gorbel Easy Arm and a force-sensing handle designed for both high and low placement. The system lifts boxes from floor level to approximately 110 inches while allowing the operator to keep the handle at a practical working height. Because several of the customer’s cartons were open at the top, the vacuum tooling grips the side of the box instead of requiring a top surface.
Results in This Application:
- Approximately 5–10 seconds were removed from each pick.
- The operator could remain closer to the box while locating the vacuum cups.
- The handle provided better leverage while moving the tool through the work cell.
Side-grip box lifting tools can also be configured for applications that involve removing boxes from pallets as well as stacking them.
Need to stack or palletize boxes at different heights? Send us your box dimensions, load weights, stack height, and available work-cell space. We can review the application and help determine the right lifting configuration. Contact us for a quote.
Specialized Box Handling
Some applications require more than simply picking up a box and setting it back down. The box may need to be rotated, emptied, reoriented for storage, or handled with different tooling at the same workstation.
EP has built vacuum tools for rotating flexible and porous cartons into an upright position, turning corrugated boxes to discharge their contents, and changing between box and pail handling tools on the same lifting system. Related case studies also show applications where cartons are turned during palletizing or picked, opened, and positioned during Gaylord assembly.
Box Emptying Tool
Vacuum gripper rotates corrugated boxes so their contents can be discharged into a hopper.
Where vacuum gripping is not a good match for the load or required placement, EP also builds pneumatic and mechanical box handling tools. See our pneumatic and mechanical gripper tools.
Box Lifting Case Studies
These projects show how box lifting systems have been configured around specific carton sizes, handling sequences, palletizing requirements, and work-cell constraints.
Have a box or carton handling application? Share the load details, handling sequence, and required pick and place positions. We can review the application and discuss a custom lifting solution. Contact us for a quote.
Related Lifting and Palletizing Solutions
Explore related solutions for vacuum lifting, automated palletizing, and ergonomic lift assist applications.
Vacuum Lifters
Compare vacuum tube lifters, vacuum lifting frames, and other vacuum handling systems for boxes and other materials.
Robotic Palletizing Systems
Explore automated palletizing systems for boxes, pails, bags, and other packaged products.
Ergonomic Lift Assist Devices
Review additional vacuum, pneumatic, magnetic, and manipulator-based lifting approaches.
Ergonomic Partners designs and builds custom box lifting devices and vacuum lifting solutions for box and carton handling applications nationwide. We have representatives that specifically serve Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Nebraska, Kentucky, Iowa, and Oklahoma.