7robotics takes home ABB’s “Most Innovative Solution” award for robotic pallet building system

7robotics was recognized for its Robotic Pallet Building System, developed in collaboration with Canopy Lumber Products.

Photo By 7robotics

ROSEBURG, Oregon — 7robotics, an ABB Robotics Value Provider and integrator of custom robotic automation, has been awarded the Most Innovative Solution at the 2024 ABB Robotics Value Provider Awards in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Presented on May 15th during ABB’s Americas Value Provider Conference, the award honors creative, high-impact applications of ABB robotics technology. Selected from a competitive field of partners across North and South America, 7robotics was recognized for its Robotic Pallet Building System, developed in collaboration with Canopy Lumber Products.

The pallet line at  Canopy Lumber Products.

The system reimagines pallet manufacturing by automating manual tasks like nailing and stacking, enhancing safety, increasing throughput, and supporting flexible, scalable production. Key features include:

  • Smart tooling with product present verification, drop detection, empty nail gun detection, automatic nail gun lubrication, and air pressure feedback.
  • Three safety zones and an integrated area scanner protect operators while allowing continuous production.
  • Multi-SKU flexibility with support for future expansion.
  • Intuitive and user-friendly HMI for real-time product selection, nail depth adjustment, job tracking, and stack management—reducing training time and simplifying operation.
  • Dramatically reduced changeovers compared to the previous manual process enable efficient small-batch production and maximize system uptime.

Capable of driving up to 12,000 nails per day, the system has delivered measurable results and helped Canopy Lumber Products reduce manual handling, improve worker safety, and boost overall efficiency. See the system in action.

“Our goal with this system was to solve real challenges for our customer—namely, safety risks and inconsistent throughput,” said Joey Koenig, President of 7robotics. “We know robotic systems will play a bigger role in flexible manufacturing, and we’re lucky to work with an innovative customer like Canopy. To be recognized by ABB in such a strong pool of integrators is incredibly humbling.”

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Larry Adams | Editor

Larry Adams is a Chicago-based writer and editor who writes about how things get done. A former wire service and community newspaper reporter, Larry is an award-winning writer with more than three decades of experience. In addition to writing about woodworking, he has covered science, metrology, metalworking, industrial design, quality control, imaging, Swiss and micromanufacturing . He was previously a Tabbie Award winner for his coverage of nano-based coatings technology for the automotive industry. Larry volunteers for the historic preservation group, the Kalo Foundation/Ianelli Studios, and the science-based group, Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST).