ABB FlexPicker Upgrade Handles Ultra-Fine Packaging with Adaptive Vacuum

The adaptive toolhead senses surface porosity and adjusts suction in milliseconds, drawing on embedded pressure maps trained with machine learning. ABB says customers can swap cups without recalibrating PLC recipes.

Swiss chocolatier Lindt tested the upgrade on seasonal assortments, reporting a 12% drop in product damage during high-speed wrapping. Pharmaceutical packagers are piloting the tool for blister packs that previously required manual inspection.

ABB will ship retrofit kits early next year, and the vacuum hardware integrates with the company's OmniCore controllers. The upgrade also logs per-pick data so customers can prove compliance with traceability standards.