Pick & place: when 2D is enough, when you need 3D

2D is enough when

Parts present in a known plane. Fixtures constrain Z. XY plus rotation solves the grasp. Many assembly picks from carriers and conveyor transfers live here — and stay cheaper and faster than a 3D cell.

Hikrobot’s VisionMaster positioning tools are built for exactly this class of problem: finding circles, edges and patterns under translation, rotation and illumination change, then feeding pose to a robot or the next vision tool.

3D earns its place when

Bins, random orientation, stacked height variation or collision risk demand true pose. Structured light, stereo and time-of-flight each trade accuracy, cycle time and surface behaviour. Path planning and gripper clearance matter as much as the point cloud.

Integration reality

Hand-eye calibration ownership, robot frame conventions and cycle budget kill more projects than sensor datasheets. Simulate the grasp before you buy iron. See robot vision and measuring & positioning.

Hybrid cells

Bulk pick in 3D, then correct with 2D before place. Inspect after pick. Keep the PLC handshake explicit for “no part found”.