The automated guided vehicles (AGV)
The packing station is a workstation where the items that are scheduled for shipping are handled by workers in order to be scanned, packed, and ready to be shipped. The most problematic issue here is that, while gathering all the needed products for an order, a lot of precious time is consumed and in most of the cases, the working space and the storage areas will be cluttered from trying to reach products that are placed underneath other items, thus causing disorder.
The traditional packing station consists of a workstation, where workers can operate, and a racking system from where they have to manually extract the needed goods for transport. A solution of decongesting the workflow and saving time, space and maintaining the optimal organization at the workplace is using AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) systems that will fluidize the workspace and will increase the productivity.
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The automated guided vehicles (AGV)
Product information
The automated guided vehicles are especially designed in order to be utilized in the logistics industry. They are a devoted partner that considerably optimizes and automizes fast material transport, by being able to identify, lift, carry and bring back in the same location a high rack filled with different categories of products. Thus, the warehousing processes, which usually consumed a lot of precious time, are now fastened and closely traced, which can only lead to an increase in productivity and process optimization.
The AGVs that Eurobox has in stock are low height robots that go under the racks placed in a deposit and transport them from the storage area to the picking station. Their mechanism allows the guided vehicles to operate with high racks, due to their sturdiness and impressive precision. Once arrived at the picking station and after the needed stored item is removed from the rack, the robot will transport the rack back to its initial position, thus maintaining a clean and well organized workplace. They are able to lift up to 600 kg and their traveling speed is of 1.5 meters per second while they are empty and 1.2 meters per second while they carry the rack.
One of the revolutionary aspects that makes the AGV a professional, time-saving and production-increasing solution is the impressive number of 600 picks per hour that each picker provides. The approximate productivity increase that this product guarantees is of 40%.
As another perk of using AGVs and having to monitor a robotized packing station, the personnel will benefit from real-time collaborating with a professional system that guarantees a solution which is configurable and adaptable to any working space. Moreover, by using automated guided vehicles, the further material flow is automated and more value is added to the business.
With the AGVs that Eurobox has to offer, it is simpler to save up to 30% of the congested working space and to have, in a warehouse, robots installed that will move around seamlessly and offer great flexibility at the working space. This technology will develop any business and will provide a simple and robust mechanism with fast and effective maintenance.
By opting for the automation of all operations, and therefore relying on technology, a company will discover the solution for a methodical and continuous products supply. This is the first step in increasing competitiveness and sales, which are a few of the top aspects that a well-organized company looks forward to achieving.
Efficiency & Flexibility
The AGVs that Eurobox proposes are in direct communication with the person responsible for their routes and they operate using a smart system which allows fast changes in their routines, reorganizing their movement areas and updating the position of certain racks of products.
They also provide a complete and comprehensive software, so that the AGVs will represent a customer-friendly solution to be used not only in logistics and automotive warehouses, but also in healthcare sectors.
The navigation process
The automated guided vehicles use Wi-Fi to navigate throughout a warehouse space and they move around by following their guiding floor lines, that do not use adhesives and are easy to install and adjust to any flooring surface without changing the warehouse’s infrastructure. They are 160 mm wide and 1 mm thick and can be attached to any kind of surface, thus being an universal and adaptable option for any warehouse. Moreover, each AGV has a well-defined route to follow in order not to bump into another picker, thus no damage will be done neither to the robots nor to the expensive items placed in racks.
AGVs’ service life
The fast charging system and powerful batteries that the AGVs are provided with facilitate a 24/7 operating cycle. When the AGVs’ battery is low, they will automatically move to the charging station where they will enter the recharging process. Immediately after they are fully charged, they will re-enter the working cycle and provide a continuous operating cycle.
The battery that they operate on is Li-Ion type, which is also the fastest type of rechargeable battery. Furthermore, it promises long service life at high quality standards and low maintenance. The automated guided vehicles’ recharge time is of only 2 hours and 30 minutes and their operating life is of 14 hours.
The interaction between the host and AGVs
Due to the developed communication technology, the vehicles enable the maintenance of a crucial information flow between the robots and the host. The information that is being transferred between the two parts refers to order execution, management of the AGVs’ mobility and an overall improved communication between the automated elements and the client’s control unit.
The person in charge of the AGVs’ movements and the commands that they must obey is known as the host. The host is responsible for any changes done to the robots’ routes, tasks and travel pathways organization. Since the transit is automated, a two-way contact with the systems is necessary. Due to the interface of the automated guided vehicles, which enables two-way communication, and the data capture system, which is in charge of connecting to the devices mounted surrounding the AGVs, the storage is automated as well.
High-quality connection network
Utilizing technology to our benefit is crucial in today’s world, where it has mostly taken over and made daily tasks’ processes easier. The greatest way to streamline operations and reduce decision-making time is done by simply using real-time communication and benefiting from digital access to every owned automated guided vehicle, which enables its owner to supervise, diagnose, update, and personalize each one of them. By using Wi-Fi, this connectivity is easily achieved.
Real-time data, operational warnings, connectivity to additional data sources, remote software updates, and the ability to work with automated guided vehicles are all achievable by collaborating with the automated robots for products’ handling.
More perks of choosing to work with AGVs
Provided safety – the automated guided vehicles are safe to use in robots and people common spaces, due to the fact that the rackmoving systems only follow the guidelines placed on the floor
Quick ROI (return of investment) – together with the increase in productivity and efficiency obtain when working with the AGVs, the investment made when purchasing them will be quickly recovered (less than two years)
Modularity – the installation of Eurobox’s automated guided vehicles takes only two to three weeks and will cause no disruption in the usual operations processes. They will also not need future investments in order to benefit from their services, as the robots themselves are a complete solution.