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Your Product · Frozen Foods

Frozen product changes the challenge.
JLS keeps every pick predictable.

Frozen hamburger patty stacks, entrees and meals in trays and pouches, IQF and breaded items — JLS robotics pick reliably in cold, wet conditions where frost and condensation are constant, and stack frozen patties. Made to get wet. Built for plants operating under applicable USDA/FSIS or FDA requirements.
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Over 70 years
Built on precision, reliability & trust
Multiple
U.S. patents in food packaging automation
Application-matched
Sanitation matched to machine, process & plant zone
U.S. Built
Engineered in-house

JLS builds robotic packaging automation for frozen foods — vision-guided and sensor-based non-vision systems that stack frozen patties, load IQF and breaded items into thermoformers and trays, and case-pack frozen entrees, meals, pouches, and bags. The Patty Hawk picks reliably in cold, wet conditions where frost and condensation are constant. IP69K-rated components handle the daily washdown in plants operating under applicable USDA/FSIS or FDA requirements. Every line engineered, built, and supported in-house by JLS. Assembled trays, bowls, and meal kits — fresh or frozen — are covered in more depth on the Ready Meals page.

In action

Watch JLS handle frozen foods —
at full production speed.

Patty Hawk: case packing frozen IQF patty stacks Patty Hawk

Patty Hawk: case packing frozen IQF patty stacks

The Patty Hawk counts, stacks, and case-packs frozen IQF hamburger patty stacks at line speed.

Pain points

Frozen food's toughest
packaging headaches. Solved.

We've spent decades on cold, demanding lines. These are the problems frozen food processors bring us most — and how JLS robotics solve them.

Cold-environment picking The challenge

Reliable picking on frozen product in cold, wet conditions

How JLS solves it
The Patty Hawk uses sensor-based, non-vision picking that works reliably in cold, wet conditions where frost and condensation are constant — so frozen patty stacks are picked accurately, every cycle.
Frozen patty stacking The challenge

Frozen patty stacks that topple or crack

How JLS solves it
The Patty Hawk picks pre-formed frozen patty stacks and places them into the case-pack pattern with controlled placement — stacks stay square into the case, reliably in cold, wet conditions.
Cold-room labor The challenge

Labor that's hard to staff in cold, wet production rooms

How JLS solves it
Vision-guided robots take over the cold, repetitive packing positions, fill chronic labor gaps, and free your people for higher-value work.
Throughput & line speed The challenge

Throughput & consistency capped by hand-packing

How JLS solves it
Patty Hawk, Talon, Osprey, and Hawk run at line speed with repeatable placement every cycle — from the former and freezer through the tray line and into the case.
Ice and frost on frozen product The challenge

Ice, frost, and condensation on product and packs

How JLS solves it
Open-frame, sloped stainless steel construction with NEMA 4X-rated control enclosures — and IP69K-rated robots where the application calls for them — sheds moisture and frost, and JLS tooling and vision are tuned for frosted IQF surfaces — so picking stays accurate even with condensation and ice buildup.
SKU changeover The challenge

Frequent SKU and pack-format changeovers

How JLS solves it
Recipe-driven, application-dependent changeover through the HMI — with quick-change end-of-arm tooling where the application allows — lets you switch between patties, nuggets, meals, and pack formats without reprogramming.
Applications

Frozen food packaging automation,
forming to case packing.

From primary loading through case packing — Talon loads your packages; Patty Hawk, Osprey, and Hawk case-pack them — with construction matched to cold, wet conditions and your plant’s sanitation program.

1

Frozen patties & formed product

The Patty Hawk counts, stacks, and case-packs frozen IQF hamburger patty stacks into the required case-pack pattern — sensor-based detection, reliable on frozen product in cold, wet conditions. Other round patty formats are reviewed per application.
Patty Hawk
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2

Frozen entrees, meals & trays

Talon TL loads single- and multi-compartment frozen entrees and meals into foam, CPET, and MAP trays; Osprey TL then loads finished trays into cases — gentle handling for delicate components, up to 180 trays/min in a Tri Head Osprey TL configuration.
Talon TLOsprey TL
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3

Thermoformer, IQF & breaded items

Talon places IQF and breaded items — nuggets, tenders, fillets, and portioned product — into thermoformer pockets, VSP, and MAP trays with proper orientation, vision-guided and no mechanical sorting. Finished packs are then case-packed at line speed.
Talon TFOsprey TL
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4

Bags, pouches, cases & cartons

Osprey BP loads flat pouches and bags of frozen vegetables, fruit, and entrees into cases; Hawk top-loads trays and thermoformed packs into RSC or retail-ready cases, or Peregrine IS forms, loads, and closes cartons — a compact-footprint cartoner.
Osprey BPHawkPeregrine
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Have a custom frozen food product?

If it can be frozen, formed, breaded, or IQF-packed, our engineers have probably packed it — and if not, we'll figure it out.

Talk to our frozen food automation experts

Test before you commit

Send us your frozen products.
We'll put them to the test.

JLS Flight Lab puts your product on real JLS robotics in York, PA. Before the design is finalized, send us product samples — frozen patties, IQF items, breaded product, or frozen meals — or a close proxy, subject to project scope and availability. JLS application engineers test tooling, pick method, and pack pattern to establish feasibility; rate is validated during FAT before shipment, with final commissioning completed at your facility.

Feasibility
Tooling & pick method tested
U.S. Built
York, PA Flight Lab
Pre-sale
Application testing, subject to availability
Schedule a Flight Lab test

Designed to get wet. Built to be cleaned.

In a frozen food plant, sanitation and cold-environment reliability are non-negotiable. JLS matches each frozen food system's construction to the plant's sanitation program — up to full daily, high-pressure, high-temperature washdown — and engineers it for accurate operation in cold, wet conditions, so your line stays compliant in facilities operating under applicable USDA/FSIS or FDA requirements, and your downtime stays low.

IP69K*
Rated components for washdown
NEMA 4X
Rated control enclosures
Cold & wet ready
Reliable cold-room picking
Open-frame
Sloped, minimal harborage

* IP69K refers to the ingress-protection rating of selected components (robots, motors, enclosures) specified for an application — not a rating of the complete machine.

FAQ

Frozen foods packaging automation FAQs.

Frozen-product picking, sanitation, throughput, ROI, and integration.

Most JLS frozen food packaging projects evaluate payback in the 24–36 month range, depending on labor cost, shift schedule, line speed, uptime improvement, and the specific application. Labor savings scale with the platform, line speed, and labor model, with added value from improved throughput and more consistent frozen product handling. JLS reviews your product, package format, line speed, staffing model, and current production challenges to determine where automation creates the strongest return.

JLS automates frozen IQF hamburger patty stacks (other round patty formats reviewed per application), frozen entrees and family- or single-serve meals in trays and pouches, IQF items, and frozen breaded products — loaded into thermoformer pockets, trays, pouches, bags, cartons, and cases, and case-packed in cold, wet conditions.

The Patty Hawk uses sensor-based, non-vision picking that works reliably in cold, wet conditions where frost and condensation are constant. Tooling is engineered and lab-tested for frozen product so picking stays accurate on frozen product.

The Patty Hawk picks pre-formed frozen patty stacks and places them into the case-pack pattern with controlled placement, so stacks stay square into the case — reliably in cold, wet conditions.

Yes. Frozen food system construction is matched to the plant's sanitation program and to the condensation that comes with moving between freezer and ambient — open-frame, sloped stainless steel construction, NEMA 4X-rated control enclosures and, where the application calls for it, IP69K-rated robots and components. The Patty Hawk uses an IP69K-rated robot in a hygienic washdown system. Systems are designed for frozen food plants operating under applicable USDA/FSIS or FDA requirements.

Yes. JLS integrates with spiral and IQF freezers, formers, breading lines, conveyors, tray sealers, thermoformers, cartoners, case packers, checkweighers, and metal detectors into one coordinated frozen line.

Patty Hawk handles frozen patty case packing. Osprey configurations handle other packaged frozen-food formats — including bags and pouches of frozen entrees and IQF product.

It depends on the product. Frozen patty stacks case-pack at more than 1,000 patties per minute on the Patty Hawk, product and tooling dependent; IQF pieces, breaded items and frozen meals are sized per application. Frozen product is rigid and consistent, which often allows higher rates than fresh — provided the freezer discharge is steady. JLS sizes the system around your actual product and line speed.

Changeover between frozen SKUs — patty diameters, stack heights, bag or tray sizes, case counts — is recipe-driven through the HMI, with tooling changes designed to be simple and repeatable. Cold-side changeover takes longer for people than for machines, so recipe selection matters more here than in ambient areas. JLS reviews your SKU mix and changeover frequency so the system fits the plant's schedule.

Yes. Before the design is finalized, JLS tests your product samples (or a close proxy) in our York, PA Flight Lab with tooling configured for it to establish feasibility of the tooling, pick method, and pack pattern — reducing project risk before final design. Samples are tested subject to project scope and availability; rate and performance are validated during the project FAT before shipment, with final commissioning completed at your facility.

Often, yes. Frozen food automation is usually added at the freezer discharge or downstream of an existing bagger or tray sealer. The final design depends on floor space, line speed, how product presents leaving the freezer, cold-environment constraints, controls and sanitation access. JLS reviews the full line so the system fits the way the plant already runs.

JLS typically reviews the product type and dimensions, temperature, photos or video of the current line, package format, target speeds, SKU mix, labor model, sanitation requirements, available floor space, upstream and downstream equipment, and the main problem to solve.

Frozen food systems are designed, built and programmed at JLS in York, Pennsylvania, and supported by an in-house team backed by direct access to JLS engineering and controls expertise. Freezer-side equipment fails differently — frost on sensors, condensation at the freezer discharge, tooling behavior on rigid frozen product — and JLS's support team has direct access to the JLS engineering expertise behind those designs. Remote diagnostics, on-site service, training and parts are all in-house.

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Tell us what you’re packaging and what you’re trying to solve. A few sentences is enough.

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Ready for the realities of your frozen line?

Bring us your product. We'll test it in our York, PA lab, engineer the automation, and prove the application — before we say yes.

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JLS + Reiser: Expertise across the line

Planning a complete frozen food line?

JLS builds complete frozen food lines — from the former and freezer through patty stacking, tray loading, case packing, and cartoning — integrated as a single solution from one team in York, PA.

Full food production line — JLS + Reiser: expertise across the line Ten production-line stages across four zones. JLS-built robotic automation stages are shown in purple; stages available through Reiser's OEM portfolio in blue; customer-selected or partner equipment in gray. Dashed lines mark coordinated integration points. Prepare. Portion. Form. Load. Seal. Case. Carton. Collate. Stack. Secure. 01Mixing &blendingGrindingEmulsifyingMarinatingTumblingAvailable throughReiser portfolio 02Forming &portioningStuffingExtrudingPatty formingDepositingAvailable throughReiser portfolio 03FurtherprocessingSlicingDicingShreddingTenderizingAvailable throughReiser portfolio 04PrimaryloadingPick & placeVision-guidedLane loadingProduct collationJLS TALONJLS KESTRELJLS Automation 05PrimarypackagingThermoformingTray sealingVacuum / MAPSkin packAvailable throughReiser portfolio 06CasepackingRobotic case loadingRobotic loadingWashdown configurationsWashdown optionsJLS OSPREYHAWK · PATTY HAWKCase erecting & sealing via partner equip.JLS Automation 07CartoningForm, load,close cartonsCompact footprintWashdown-capable designJLS PEREGRINEPEREGRINE ISJLS Automation 08Collation /bundlingCount & stackBundle packMultipackPartner equipmentscope-dependent 09PalletizingLayer buildingRobotic palletizingSlip-sheet placeLayer padPartner equipmentscope-dependent 10LoadsecurementStretch wrapBandingCorner boardTop sheetPartner equipmentscope-dependent Tier 1 Primary Packaging The package that touches the product Tier 2 Secondary Packaging Cases, cartons, and multipacks for retail or distribution Tier 3 Tertiary Packaging Stretch wrap, ship-ready unit

Together, JLS and Reiser help food manufacturers develop coordinated processing and packaging lines—from product preparation and primary package loading and sealing through cartoning and case packing, with third-party collation, palletizing, and load securement coordinated into the plan.

Illustrative line architecture. Stages, equipment suppliers and sequence vary by product and project scope. Not every food line uses every stage, and slicing, cooking, freezing, inspection and other processes may occur in different positions.

Scroll left and right to scan the full line. Open the printable line map →

JLS-built robotic automation Available through Reiser’s OEM portfolio Customer-selected / third-party equipment Coordinated integration point

Reiser role across the line

Food-processing expertise, application development, equipment selection, product testing, and sales & lifecycle support.

JLS role at robotic packaging stages

Robotic engineering, product & package handling, controls interfaces, and integration & FAT when included in project scope.

Let’s talk more about planning your full line.

Tell us who you are and a bit about your line. An automation expert will reach out — and we’ll bring the right people from JLS and Reiser to the conversation.

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By submitting, you agree that JLS Automation and Robert Reiser & Co. may contact you about your inquiry.

Over 1,000 custom installs. Predictable performance. Premier, dedicated service.

  • Factory-tested reliability
  • In-house programming — York, PA
  • In-house support team, backed by direct access to JLS engineering and controls expertise
  • Fast dispatch from York, PA — within a day's drive of most East Coast and Midwest plants
  • Remote diagnostics + on-site support
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