Smart movers transform heavy payload transport for production processes
Heavy payload transport and positioning is often a specialist, time consuming, labour intensive, and a potentially hazardous business. Components to be manoeuvred through the production process can be physically large or present awkward dimensions. Workflows may require precise positioning and sometimes in very challenging environmental conditions. Moving such items requires time, experience and skill.
Despite these challenges, heavy payload transports are predominantly handled manually either by pedestrian tug or driven tow tractors.
As a result, they can be become the bottleneck that restricts productivity. For example
- Lost time managing heavy component changeovers
- Lack of cohesion between transports and production schedules
- Minimal movement tracking/traceability
- Limited process agility preventing change for small bespoke batch builds
- Heavy reliance on manually operated overhead cranes
Autonomous transport benefits:
Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMRs/AGVs) solutions offer a far more efficient and transparent operation. AMRs/AGVs play a major role in innovating supply chains by optimising the traceability, speed, and accuracy of routine transport operations. AMRs make processes more efficient, working safely side-by-side with humans to reduce the risk of employee injury in dangerous situations.
Priority work orders can be injected and operative call buttons, tablets/code scanners can be used for simple and fast operative request for transports and definition of required destinations/routes. AMR/AGV routing management can also integrated with MES/ERP/WMS systems for seamless workflow management taking account of live process schedules, traffic conditions and available resources.
With the right approach and strategy, AMRs/AGVs offer a highly repeatable 24/7 operation to streamline heavy/large transports with the following benefits:
- Transport/positioning times and cost
- Human resource involvement
- Hazards, risk of operative injury
And Providing:
- The ability to negotiate difficult routes (Not possible manually)
- Full communication into current process (ERP/MES/WMS, Code readers)
- A potential (30-400%) productivity improvement
AGV/AMR TYPES AVAILABLE:
- Tugs
- Flat-bed transporters
- Bespoke load carriers
- Pallet Trucks
NAVIGATION FOR ALL ENVIRONMENTS:
- Line/Grid (Magnetic)
- Free Navigation (Laser/Vision)
- GPS
- Rail
- Indoor/Outdoor/Chillers/Freezers/Hazardous
PAYLOAD CAPACITY:
- 1000kg–180,000 kg +
TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
- Aero-engines through production facilities/precise position on test rigs
- Train bodies/bogies
- Heavy metal/castings
- Heavy palletised goods for feed into/out of processing machines
- Roll gage transport in DC applications
- Long distance transport in large facilities
- Furniture manufacture
Examples of Heavy Payload Applications
Load Transporter for car chassis:
- Payload of 1500kg and Speed of 1.8m/sec
- 360° safety coverage with LiDAR technology
- Known repeatable pathway
- Can select optimal path if more than one route allowed.
- Auto Alarms/Indicators
- Will stop if persons or objects enter zone
- 35 minutes for full battery charge and Run Time 9 hours (fully loaded) 12.5 hours (unloaded)
Partner: Omron
Autonomous Tow for Steep Inclines
Transporting heavy payloads along routes with steep inclines (up or down), requires vehicles with sufficient torque and mass to pull/carry the payload and account for surface conditions (friction). It also requires the capability to hold the payload safely in position under fault conditions therefore avoiding the risk of vehicle and payload freerolling down the incline with the potential of causing severe injury (or worse) to persons and damage to transported goods or facilities.
Applied Integration and partners offer a range of autonomous transport solutions capable of carrying heavy payloads on steep inclines. E.g. 10 degrees slope over 20m. Fail safe breaking to prevent movement down the slope...
Tugging / Tow Trains
Much time is spent moving a vast range of cages/trolleys from one location to another. Often, there are little or no record of routes taken, effective ordering of deliveries and a highly manual transition process on arrival at pick drop points.
With our partners, Applied integration can provide fully process integrated solutions to:
- Tow large trains
- Manage a range of trolley types
- Payload 1T to >30T
- Compatible with slopes & uneven floor
- Manage a range of trolley types
- Auto hook up/ unhook
- Auto dispatch of trolleys/payload as pick/place location
- Accurate alignment of trolleys with pick/place points
- 360° safety coverage with LiDAR technology
- Known repeatable pathway
- Auto Alarms/Indicators
Partner: MasterMover
Collaborating Flatbed Transporters
- Load capacity from 1 ton to 60 tons
- Working in single or in compound mode (with two or more vehicles electrically synchronised)
- Vehicle communicate to traverse route effectively
- Known repeatable pathway
- Reports objects in path
- Can select optimal path if more than one route allowed.
- Auto Alarms/Indicators and Will stop if persons enter zone
Partner: DTA
Roller Conveyor
- Omni-directional steer for maximum agility
- 15 Ton Payload
- Positioning accuracy +/- 2mm
Partner: DTA
If you are faced with heavy payload transport challenges, let's talk solutions.
Applied Integration (AI) is a leading systems integrator, specialising in delivering the latest industry technologies with a focus on Industry 4.0, Digitalisation, Internet of Things (IoT), Analytics, Big data / Cloud Technologies, Safety Critical Systems (SIL1, SIL2, SIL3) and Robotics and Collaborative Robots (Cobots). Founded in 2005, AI has grown by being innovative in their approach to providing solutions for the industries we deal with. We have a dynamic, 46 strong engineering team with many years combined experience.