FEATURE Automated Warehousing En-route to
automated internal transportation
By Ross Lacy, Mobile Robot Product Manager, RARUK Automation
B
y the time a manufactured product is ready for shipping to a customer it may already have travelled miles, just within its own
production and warehousing environment. Even in otherwise automated manufacturing plants, much of this transportation is heavily dependent on manual labour, from forklifts to manual carts, making it subject to human error. Moreover, labour costs continue to rise, as do indirect insurance costs for injury and property damage claims. For these reasons, increasing numbers of facilities are now using autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to optimise workfl ows throughout manufacturing and warehouse environments. AMRs require no additional infrastructure, and instead use built-in sensors, cameras and intelligent software to navigate effi ciently and safely around workers and equipment. Importantly, they are easy to program, update and optimise their missions following the introduction of new workfl ows or when production requirements change. It is also simple to integrate the software into existing systems such as ERP, MES and WMS to ensure the automatic lineside delivery of materials. Alternatively, the robots can be set up to travel regular ‘bus routes’, stopping at defi ned areas to deliver and/or pick-up raw materials or sub-assemblies.
Route to efficiency Raw material storage workfl ows begin with AMRs that autonomously deliver materials to the warehouse. From there, the robots can feed high-reach equipment for long-term storage, or deliver pallets to racks where they can be unpacked and binned as needed to support lineside delivery.
12 May 2021 | Automation
In the warehouse, smaller and highly- customisable AMRs can transport and deliver a wide range of carts and totes out to the manufacturing fl oor. Material transport workfl ows for
production and assembly lines typically take place in dynamic and highly-populated environments, making them inappropriate for forklifts. Even manual carts can be diffi cult for workers to navigate in these areas. Conversely, AMRs can move safely and effi ciently through even the busiest manufacturing environments, automatically stopping to avoid collisions, and manoeuvring around people and obstacles. Larger AMRs with lifters can deliver pallets around the clock to docking stations where robotic arms can de-palletise and feed automated systems. For smaller processes, materials can be manually or automatically loaded and unloaded using compact AMRs that are equipped with a hook to pull carts, or with a rack or conveyor top module for other functions.
Regular material transport also supports quality initiatives. Rather than waiting for an entire production run to complete before transporting parts for inspection, smaller robots on bus routes or on-call systems can pick up regular samples of work-in-progress for delivery to quality inspectors.
For all sizes of plant
AMRs such as the Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) range available from RARUK Automation meet a wide range of workfl ow requirements for all sizes of manufacturer. Companies can start with a proof-of-concept, implementing one or two robots to support a limited number of processes or production lines. Scaling up to manage material
transport workfl ows throughout the entire facility could not be easier. MiR Fleet software off ers centralised
confi guration and management for up to 100 MiR robots to ensure that all workfl ows run smoothly. The software’s global planner algorithm determines the most effi cient traffi c patterns, and prioritises robots based on the most suited to the task, taking into account the robot’s payload capacity, top module, charging status and location in the facility. With full-featured REST APIs and OPC UA compatibility, MiR Fleet software can also send and receive commands from other systems in the facility, including sliding doors, elevators and conveyors. A further benefi t arrives via MiR AI cameras, which act as extended sensors for MiR robots to increase their capabilities. It is possible to mount these cameras in dynamic areas with high foot or vehicle traffi c, or in areas where visibility is limited by doors, corners or other obstacles. Sophisticated analysis software identifi es whether objects in the area are humans, fi xed obstacles or vehicles, feeding this information to the robot so it can adapt its behaviour accordingly. Ultimately, AMRs can optimise a range of workfl ows for small- and mid-sized manufacturing and warehouse facilities, as well as large production and distribution centres.
These innovative mobile robots also
represent a far safer alternative to forklifts, especially when self-navigation is required.
CONTACT:
RARUK Automation
www.rarukautomation.com
automationmagazine.co.uk
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