Robot systems
Industrial Gantry Robot Systems
Sage manufactures custom industrial gantry robot and Cartesian automation systems for loads, travel distances and facility layouts that exceed the practical limits of conventional automation.
Heavy-duty gantry automation engineered around the load
A Sage gantry robot is a coordinated machine, not a catalog arm mounted over a process. The bridge, trolley, vertical axis, end-of-arm tooling, controls, safety system and material flow are engineered together around payload, reach, accuracy and production requirements.
Gantry platforms are especially effective when a system must cover multiple machines, storage positions or process stations while keeping the floor below available for production. Sage designs, fabricates, programs, installs and services the complete system from one accountable engineering team.
Application data to define
- Payload and center of gravity
- Required X, Y and Z travel
- Throughput and motion profile
- Building, floor and support conditions
- Product variation and gripping method
- Maintenance access and recovery strategy
What the system can include
Large working envelopes
Long X, Y and Z travel can connect multiple operations, storage locations and load stations with one coordinated platform.
Heavy and awkward payloads
Structural members, drives and tooling are sized for the actual product weight, center of gravity and dynamic loading.
Custom mechanical design
Sage engineers the gantry structure, gripper, conveyors, controls and guarding as an integrated production machine.
Sage project examples
Gantry robot applications in production
These examples from Sage’s project library show how product characteristics and process requirements shape the gantry, tooling and surrounding equipment.
Newspaper insert palletizing
Sage designed, built and programmed an open-gantry system to palletize stacks of loose, slippery newspaper coupon inserts onto wood pallets. The system also picks and places slip sheets used as moisture barriers.
The application brings product handling, pallet building and slip-sheet placement into one robotic system. The stack and sheet-handling requirements determine the tooling and sequence.
Tire and wheel storage & retrieval
Sage has deployed gantry-based automated storage and retrieval systems for tire handling at Tire and Wheel Assembly suppliers serving automotive production plants. These systems store and retrieve tires as part of the manufacturing and distribution flow.
Sage’s published application material describes integration with tire mounting and balancing processes, factory controls and other robotic equipment. The project library below includes a tire and wheel AS/RS demonstration.
Shafted-roll handling
In a documented Sage roll-handling application, a gantry with J-hooks picks up a large roll by its shaft and places it onto an upender next to a shaft extractor. After shaft removal, the roll is upended and transferred to a conveyor.
This application combines the gantry, roll tooling, shaft extraction, upending and conveyor transfer. Those equipment interfaces are part of the complete handling sequence.
Project video library
See related Sage systems in operation
Related project images
Frequently asked questions
When is a gantry robot better than an articulated robot?
A gantry is often the stronger choice for very large rectangular work areas, long travel, multiple machine positions or unusually heavy and bulky loads. Sage evaluates both platforms before recommending a system.
Does Sage manufacture the complete gantry system?
Yes. Sage designs and manufactures the gantry platform and integrates tooling, controls, conveyance, safety equipment, programming, installation and lifecycle service.
Continue your application research
Bring us the application data.
Share the product, payload, rate, process sequence and available layout with a Sage applications engineer.