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Automation Insights

JLS Automation blog

Engineering perspectives on robotic food packaging — application deep-dives, ROI analysis, sanitary design, and the thinking behind every JLS line.

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The Frozen Patty Packing Problem: Why Standard Case Packers Can't Handle Stacks

The Frozen Patty Packing Problem: Why Standard Case Packers Can't Handle Stacks

Frozen patty stacks look simple. Uniform discs in neat columns — often with interleaving paper, a sleeve, or a bag, ...

July 6, 2026
Automating MAP Tray Case Packing Without Compromising Seal Integrity

Automating MAP Tray Case Packing Without Compromising Seal Integrity

Modified atmosphere packaging keeps product fresh. A compromised seal turns it into a liability.

July 2, 2026
How to Calculate ROI on Robotic Packaging Automation

How to Calculate ROI on Robotic Packaging Automation

Every conversation about packaging automation eventually reaches the same question: what's the payback?

July 2, 2026
What

What "Designed to Get Wet" Actually Means — and Why It Matters for Food Packaging Automation

Every robotic packaging equipment company says their machines can handle washdown environments. Very few of them ...

July 2, 2026
Case Packing Cartons, Clamshells, and Rigid Containers: Why One Machine Handles All Three

Case Packing Cartons, Clamshells, and Rigid Containers: Why One Machine Handles All Three

If your product comes in a rigid container — a carton, a clamshell, a tub, a cup, a bottle, a jar, or a can — you ...

July 2, 2026
From Stuffer to Shipper: What a Fully Integrated Chub Line Looks Like

From Stuffer to Shipper: What a Fully Integrated Chub Line Looks Like

Most chub producers don't have a packing problem. They have a line balance problem.

July 2, 2026
How VOB 2.0 Vacuum Tooling Handles the Toughest Flexible Packages

How VOB 2.0 Vacuum Tooling Handles the Toughest Flexible Packages

Vacuum tooling is the hands of a robotic case packer. If the tooling can't reliably acquire and hold the product at ...

July 2, 2026
Flat Pack vs. Vertical Pack: How to Choose the Right Case Configuration for Pouches

Flat Pack vs. Vertical Pack: How to Choose the Right Case Configuration for Pouches

When you're case packing pouches — pillow bags, stand-up pouches, vacuum packs, or thermoformed flexible packs — one of ...

July 2, 2026
Custom End-of-Arm Tooling: How JLS Designs a Gripper for Your Exact Product

Custom End-of-Arm Tooling: How JLS Designs a Gripper for Your Exact Product

A robot is only as capable as its end-of-arm tool. The EOAT — the gripper, the vacuum tool, the mechanism that actually ...

July 2, 2026
Primary Handling in the Food Zone: Why Your Pick-and-Place System Needs to Get Wet

Primary Handling in the Food Zone: Why Your Pick-and-Place System Needs to Get Wet

There's a fundamental difference between secondary packaging and primary handling that changes everything about how a ...

July 2, 2026

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