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Your Product · Frozen Foods

Sub-zero changes the challenge.
JLS keeps every pick predictable.

Frozen patties (chicken, beef, plant-based), entrees and meals in trays and pouches, IQF and breaded items — JLS robotics pick reliably at sub-zero where camera systems fog and fail, and stack frozen patties down to −10°F. Made to get wet. Built to fit USDA-inspected and FDA-regulated plants.
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70+
Years of automation engineering
Multiple
U.S. patents (food)
IP69K-capable
Washdown construction
U.S. Built
Engineered in-house

JLS builds robotic packaging automation for frozen foods — vision-guided and laser-guided systems that stack frozen patties at sub-zero, load IQF and breaded items into thermoformers and trays, and case-pack frozen entrees, meals, pouches, and bags. The Patty Hawk picks reliably inside the freezer where cameras fog and fail. IP69K-capable construction handles the daily washdown in USDA-inspected and FDA-regulated plants. Every line engineered, built, and supported in-house by JLS.

In action

Watch JLS handle frozen foods — at full production speed

Sanitary robotic thermoformer loading Frozen Patties

Sanitary robotic thermoformer loading

Vision-guided robots load frozen and IQF product into thermoformer pockets in a full washdown environment.

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.

Sub-zero picking The challenge

Reliable picking at sub-zero temperatures

How JLS solves it
The Patty Hawk uses laser-guided, non-vision picking that works reliably inside the freezer, where camera-based systems fog and fail — so frozen patties and IQF product are picked accurately at sub-zero, every cycle.
Frozen patty stacking The challenge

Frozen patty stacks that topple or crack

How JLS solves it
The Patty Hawk counts, stacks, and shingles frozen patties into the exact case-pack pattern with controlled placement — stacks stay square into the case, down to −10°F.
Cold-room labor The challenge

Labor that's hard to staff in freezers and cold 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 construction with IP69K and NEMA 4X controls 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 changeover through the HMI plus quick-change end-of-arm tooling let you switch between patties, nuggets, meals, and pack formats in minutes — no programming or long downtime between runs.
Applications

Frozen food packaging automation, forming to case packing.

From primary loading through case packing — Patty Hawk and Talon® load your packages, Osprey® and Hawk case-pack them, all built for sub-zero and the daily washdown.

1

Frozen patties & formed product

The Patty Hawk counts, stacks, and shingles frozen chicken, beef, and plant-based patties into the exact case-pack pattern — laser-guided, reliable at sub-zero, down to −10°F. Osprey then case-packs the finished stacks at line speed.
Patty HawkOsprey
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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 or master bags — gentle handling for delicate components, up to 180 trays/min (three-head Osprey TL).
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.

Before any capital commitment, send us your product — frozen patties, IQF items, breaded product, or frozen meals. We'll run it on real JLS robotics in our York, PA Flight Lab with tooling configured for it, and prove out the line on your actual product.

Live
Robotic test with your product
U.S. Built
York, PA Flight Lab
No
Commitment required
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. Every JLS frozen food system is engineered for the daily, high-pressure, high-temperature washdown and for accurate operation at sub-zero — so your line stays compliant in USDA-inspected and FDA-regulated facilities, and your downtime stays low.

IP69K*
High-pressure washdown
NEMA 4X
Sealed controls
−10°F
Reliable sub-zero picking
Open-frame
Sloped, minimal harborage

* Specific JLS components are IP69K full-washdown rated; system-level ingress protection varies by configuration. Contact JLS for your application.

FAQ

Frozen foods packaging automation FAQs

Sub-zero picking, sanitation, throughput, ROI, and integration — answered by JLS application engineers.

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 patty stacks (chicken, beef, and plant-based), 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 at sub-zero.

The Patty Hawk uses laser-guided, non-vision picking that works reliably inside the freezer, where camera-based systems can fog and fail. Tooling is engineered and lab-tested for frozen product so picking stays accurate at sub-zero.

The Patty Hawk counts, stacks, and shingles frozen patties into the exact case-pack pattern with controlled placement, so stacks stay square into the case — down to −10°F.

Yes. Systems can be built with IP69K-rated robots and components, NEMA 4X controls, and open-frame sloped stainless construction — wash-down capable and designed to fit FDA-regulated plants and, where protein is involved, USDA-inspected lines, including cold and freezer environments.

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.

The Patty Hawk is purpose-built for frozen patty stacking and case packing; Osprey then case-packs the finished stacks, and Osprey BP handles pouches and bags of frozen entrees and IQF product.

Throughput depends on the product, package format, robot configuration, and tooling. JLS sizes the system around your actual product, SKU mix, and line speed so it is built for the production requirement rather than a generic rate claim.

Many JLS systems use recipe-driven changeover through the HMI, with tooling and format changes designed to be simple and repeatable. JLS reviews your SKU mix, product dimensions, and changeover goals so the system is designed around how the plant runs.

Yes. Before any capital commitment, JLS runs your actual product in our York, PA Flight Lab with tooling configured for it and validates the application on your real frozen product — reducing project risk before final design.

Often, yes. The final design depends on available floor space, line speed, cold-environment constraints, controls, sanitation access, and your existing equipment. 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.

Designed, built, programmed, and tested at JLS Automation in York, Pennsylvania, with support from JLS's in-house team, working directly with the engineers who built your system — remote diagnostics, on-site service, training, parts, and preventive maintenance.

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

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 it on your real frozen product — before we say yes.

Schedule a facility tour Call (717) 505-3800
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 TALON®JLS KESTREL™JLS Automation 05PrimarypackagingThermoformingTray sealingVacuum / MAPSkin packAvailable throughReiser portfolio 06CasepackingRobotic case loadingRobotic loadingWashdown configurationsHygienic optionsJLS OSPREY®HAWK™ · PATTY HAWK™Case erecting & sealing via partner equip.JLS Automation 07CartoningForm, load,close cartonsCompact footprintWashdown-capable designJLS PEREGRINE® ISPEREGRINE 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, case packing and load securement.

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.

Your details
Facility location
Your line today
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What solution(s) are you interested in?* Select all that apply.
Project timeline

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.

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  • Same in-house team, day one to decades later
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