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conveyors

How to Promote Warehouse Conveyor Safety Standards

May 15, 2023 by Mark Allinson Leave a Comment

As the use of warehouse conveyors becomes more prevalent, safety concerns are also increasing. While warehouse conveyors can greatly enhance the efficiency of a warehouse, they can also pose a significant danger to employees if safety standards are not adhered to.

Therefore, it is crucial for warehouse managers to promote and implement safety standards to protect their employees. In this article, we will discuss some practical ways to promote warehouse conveyor safety standards. [Read more…] about How to Promote Warehouse Conveyor Safety Standards

Filed Under: Logistics Tagged With: conveyor, conveyors, employees, safety, standards, system, warehouse

Vecna Robotics unveils ‘major software release’

October 27, 2022 by Mark Allinson Leave a Comment

Vecna Robotics, a specialist in material handling automation solutions, has unveiled what it describes as “a major software release and hardware upgrades” to its AFL-class autonomous forklift.

The new capabilities expand the company’s reach within warehouse and factory floors by optimizing material transport between other machinery and equipment, with specific focus on low-lift workflows.

The update supports numerous above-ground workflows including: inbound staging to AS/RS induction; delivering materials to ergonomic lift stands for work-in-process flows; and loading and extracting from robotic palletizers and stretch wrappers. [Read more…] about Vecna Robotics unveils ‘major software release’

Filed Under: News, Warehouse robots Tagged With: afl, automated, automation, autonomous, conveyors, equipment, forklift, handling, including, lift, major, material, palletizers, payload, percent, pivotal, release, robotic, robotics, systems, vecna, warehouse, work-in-process, workflows

Robot-ready conveying optimizes pick-and-place

December 30, 2021 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

By Ken Tinnell, vice president, general manager, Shuttleworth, a division of ProMach

From a machine builder’s point of view, robots can solve many processing and packaging line problems, but the chosen material handling systems supplying the line can reduce the robot’s performance. Smart Robot-Ready conveying solutions, such as Slip-Torque roller technology, DASH Dynamic Accumulation, SmartFeed, and flexible product control devices, engineered by Shuttleworth, enable precision robotic pick-and-place, maximizing system uptime and virtually eliminating product damage.

Flexibility, speed and accuracy make robotic technology ideal for pick-and-place applications in a wide range of industries. Tremendous gains in productivity are realized through the application of pick-and-place robotic technology. These robots also eliminate the risk of fatigue and injury that human labor is subjected to in these types of applications.

Robotic pick-and-place systems are low maintenance, flexible and reconfigurable, and especially beneficial in manufacturing and packaging applications when dealing with sterile, hazardous and potentially injury-causing materials. [Read more…] about Robot-ready conveying optimizes pick-and-place

Filed Under: Features, Logistics Tagged With: conveyor, conveyors, pick-and-place, product, products, robot, robotic, smartfeed

Top 3 Predictions on the Future of Automation in Warehousing

December 1, 2021 by Mark Allinson Leave a Comment

In recent years, warehouses worldwide have adapted advanced technologies to automate processes to enhance efficiency.

In fact, a report by Research and Markets reveals that the global warehouse automation market will reach $30.99 billion in 2025, according to PR Newswire. But that’s not all there is in warehouse automation.

There are plenty of reasons to use automated warehousing for your small business, such as cost savings, improved services, and increased customer satisfaction. If you’re looking for ways to enhance your warehouse processes, you might want to learn more about the predictions on the future of automation in warehousing discussed below. [Read more…] about Top 3 Predictions on the Future of Automation in Warehousing

Filed Under: Warehouse robots Tagged With: automated, automation, conveyors, devices, distribution, drones, efficiency, enhance, forklifts, increased, internet, iot, machines, mobile, robotic, robots, tasks, vehicles, warehouse, warehouses, warehousing

Ultimation Industries partners with Otto Motors and expands its autonomous mobile robot line-up

May 6, 2021 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

With the global industrial robot market projected to grow at a 9 percent annual rate and reach $75.84 billion by 2025, Ultimation Industries is expanding its autonomous mobile robot line-up to include automated solutions that allow companies of all sizes to transform their facilities into fully integrated warehouses. 

Ultimation is a leader in conveyor technology and automation for over 30 years.

Richard Canny, president of Ultimation Industries, says: “To compete today and in the future, manufacturers and distributors will need the productivity and efficiency gains that come from integrating AMR technology – or warehouse robots – into their existing material handling systems. [Read more…] about Ultimation Industries partners with Otto Motors and expands its autonomous mobile robot line-up

Filed Under: Logistics, News Tagged With: amr, amrs, automated, best, canny, conveyors, existing, handling, industrial, industries, integrated, material, otto, overhead, productivity, robot, robots, solutions, space, systems, top, ultimation, warehouse

ROEQ’s new GuardCom system delivers faster transfer of goods between mobile robots and stationary conveyors

October 1, 2020 by Liv Leave a Comment

ROEQ, the leader in mobile robotic equipment, is launching GuardCom, leveraging robust sensor technology for instant communication between ROEQ’s top rollers – conveyors on top of mobile robots – and stationary conveyors.

This new solution replaces cumbersome, Wi-Fi-dependent 3rd party setups that often cause delays and mismanagement in the transfer of goods from mobile robots onto conveyors and vice versa. ROEQ is now also releasing top rollers with adjustable height for Mobile Industrial Robots’ models, MiR250, MiR500 and MiR1000.

Wi-Fi instability is a common workplace challenge. In material handling applications with devices communicating through complicated setups passing data around between mobile robots, 3rd party receiving stations and conveyors, an intermittent Wi-Fi network is prone to cause costly errors and downtime. [Read more…] about ROEQ’s new GuardCom system delivers faster transfer of goods between mobile robots and stationary conveyors

Filed Under: Features, Industrial robots Tagged With: conveyors, GuardCom, roeq

IMHX provides platform for more robotics and automation technologies

September 26, 2019 by Abdul Montaqim

IMHX is one of the largest trade shows aimed at the intralogistics sector in the UK. Held in Birmingham, the event features more than 450 exhibitors and attracts more than 16,000 industry experts over its four-day duration, from September 24th to 27th.

As with the other events Robotics and Automation News has covered over the past year or two, IMHX is seeing an increasing number of robotics and automation solutions sharing the stage with technologies that have been established for a lot longer.

Longer-established technologies can be said to be the ones that brought about “mechanised” automation, which has become more sophisticated over time, integrating electronics and computer technologies into it. [Read more…] about IMHX provides platform for more robotics and automation technologies

Filed Under: Features, Logistics Tagged With: automation, companies, company, computer, conveyor, conveyors, doosan, example, handling, imhx, kind, largest, learning, material, moving, offering, robot, robotic, robotics, robots, showcased, showcasing, system, systems, technologies, time, toyota, vehicle, warehouse

Warehouses becoming more flexible through the use of robotics

September 23, 2019 by Mai Tao

The warehouse is changing. Driven by a shrinking human labour pool and increasing availability of robotics and automation technologies, the warehouse is being transformed from a place full of fixed infrastructure to one where almost everything moves around

Ask anyone to picture a warehouse in their mind and they’ll probably think of lots of storage shelves before they think of anything else. 

More than likely, they’ll imagine these shelves are part of fixed infrastructure, and if asked about how the items on these shelves are moved around, they’ll probably say human workers, perhaps with trolleys, then forklifts, and finally maybe, conveyors.

Conveyors would probably be thought of as advanced automation, which it is, but, as a technology, it’s been around a long time. And it’s part of what’s described as “fixed infrastructure”, whereas newer automation systems feature mobility as a central feature, and are often termed “flexible infrastructure”.

Very few people would immediately think of robots before any of the above components of an automated warehouse unless they work in the industry, but most will more than likely know about automated guided vehicles (AGVs) or autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

Off the rails

AGVs are fundamentally different from AMRs, although they are both similar-looking mobile vehicles. AGVs have been in relatively widespread use in industrial operations for at least a decade. AMRs are only now beginning to find a significant market.

AGVs need magnetic rails to be placed on the ground in order to navigate through a warehouse – almost like train tracks. AMRs, meanwhile, need no such fixed navigation infrastructure.

AGVs contain very limited computing resources, which AMRs could be said to be almost entirely about computing. In fact, the future development of AMRs is almost entirely in the computing space.

In other words, the hardware of an AMR – wheels, platform, and so on – is developed to a point where it’s difficult to see how it can be improved to do what it already does.

Maybe you could add omnidirectional wheels, longer-lasting batteries, or perch a robotic arm on top, but as an integrated hardware system, an AMR could probably be described as optimal – like road cars, they’re unlikely to change much.

But in terms of computing, the potential for making AMRs more “intelligent” is already beginning to be realised and much more could be done.

AI know the way to go

AMRs can be programmed to position themselves in specific parts of the warehouse depending on how often they will be needed. So, fast-moving goods that need to be taken to the human order-picker more often will be located nearer to the picking station. And items that sell less often will obviously be kept further away.

This kind of thing happens automatically, after initial programming, of course.

Moreover, the AMRs know when to go to the charging point and top up on power – they don’t need to be manually sent or taken there.

These are just two examples of what computing can do. They are being described as “artificial intelligence”, but whatever it’s called, there will probably emerge numerous other innovations which make AMRs even more autonomous.

The idea of integrating a robotic arm with an AMR has been around for a few years, and some companies – including Kuka and Comau – have shown ideas to that effect.

Currently, AMRs can often be seen lifting and moving shelf units, perched on top, as shown in the picture below of a robotic picking system supplied by Geek Plus Robotics.

Arm on the move

Geek Plus is also developing an AMR which integrates a robotic arm. It is in talks with at least one of the largest robotic arm suppliers in the world with a view to a partnership on that type of system.

Geek Plus builds and supplies a wide range of warehouse automation systems, most of which include AMRs. They include:

  • Geek Picking System for order fulfillment in e-commerce and retailing industries;
  • Geek Moving System for material handling in factory logistics;
  • Geek Sorting System for parcels sortation in express;
  • Geek Automated Forklift and collaborative robot for unmanned warehouse; and
  • Geek Robot Shuttle System for bin-carrying with single layer rack and multi-layer mezzanine rack.

However, Geek Plus does not manufacture a robotic arm and says it has no intention of doing so, so it is looking to partner with a robotic arm manufacturer.

There are plenty of arm manufacturers out there. The ones – like Kuka and Comau – might not want to work with another company to develop a system that are already bringing to the market, but there are many others who have no plans to move in the other direction and build an AMR to go with their arm, so they are likely to be potential partners.

And given that Geek Plus is one of the most successful warehouse automation companies, having sold 7,000 units by March last year, that’s a lot of robotic arms potentially about to be bought.

Broader trends

Geek Plus may opt for a number of non-exclusive partnerships with different robotic arm suppliers, which would make sense because it would enable it to test and refine a variety of systems.

However, robotic hardware and software development is not a trivial or easy task and it may be better to specialise in integrating one or two robotic arm systems.

Whatever the company decides, a number of broader trends in warehouse automation are becoming clear, as outlined below.

Fixed versus flexible: It’s not really accurate to say fixed infrastructure is directly competing with flexible infrastructure because each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

But whereas before there was no real alternative to conveyors and fixed infrastructure if you wanted to automate your warehouse, now mobile robots are offering an alternative which provides an unprecedented degree of flexibility.

Needless to say, fixed infrastructure is not as easy to change as flexible infrastructure. Seasonal sales peaks in some goods, and changes in fashions and tastes, mean that it is often necessary to change the layout of a warehouse, and mobile robots offer an environment which can be frequently reorganised.

Digital supply chain: Data is fundamental to improving processes, and while conveyor-based warehouses collect a lot of information, it’s theoretically possible to gain a more granular level of insight with AMRs because they are not monolithic in the way conveyors are.

The AMR can collect data about exactly how long it takes to move an item from one part of the warehouse to another, and it can be programmed to optimise the route.

Numerous patterns of movement can be monitored and tested with AMRs, which makes it suitable for perhaps smaller warehouse operations with a diverse mix of items.

Artificial intelligence: Some people might not class it as AI, but we would. In our opinion, these warehouse robots are becoming increasingly clever or “smart” as they call it. The navigation aspect is more or less perfect, as is the self-charging aspect.

More sophisticated AI functions – such as vision systems and even voice command response – are likely to be integrated eventually, especially when robotic arms are attached to AMRs.

For the time being, the AMRs are as smart as they need to be, but AI offers an enormous field to grow into.

(Read our white paper, ‘Flexible v Flexible Infrastructure: Warehouses of Today and Tomorrow’, produced in association with Geek Plus Robotics.

Filed Under: Features, Logistics Tagged With: agv, ai, amr, arm, automation, computing, conveyors, fixed, flexible, geek+, infrastructure, mobile, robotic, robots, system, systems, warehouse

Ultimation reaches out to vertical farming sector with its conveyor systems

July 16, 2019 by Sam Francis

Ultimation is targeting the new and growing market of vertical farming sector with its conveyor systems, technology it has been supplying for more than 30 years.

The company says that sustainable agricultural operations such as vertical and indoor farms are becoming more prevalent, and “conveyor technology systems can be part of the solution”.

Ultimation says vertical farms can potentially achieve higher yields for the surface area dedicated to production by controlling the light, temperature, humidity, water and nutrients the plants receive. [Read more…] about Ultimation reaches out to vertical farming sector with its conveyor systems

Filed Under: Industry, News Tagged With: conveyor, conveyors, equipment, farming, food, indoor, major, overhead, plants, production, reduce, space, systems, technology, ultimation, vertical

Sick demonstrates ‘smart logistics’ system for warehouse automation

April 18, 2019 by Sam Francis

KeyVisual_Intralogistic_rgb copy

Sensors supplier Sick showcased a new “smart logistics” system at the recent ProMAT Show, one of the world’s largest material handling exhibitions.

Sick says its system demonstrates how to obtain greater efficiency throughout supply chain operations.

Sick presented its new innovations under the banner of “Logistics Gets Smart”, and says they are designed to provide “highly efficient solutions for intralogistics applications”. [Read more…] about Sick demonstrates ‘smart logistics’ system for warehouse automation

Filed Under: Logistics, News Tagged With: accident-free, accuracy, allows, analytics, applications, assignment, automatically, automation, autonomous, banner, bays, belt, benefit, cameras, center, chain, cloud, collaboration, collision, company, complex, connected, connectivity, constant, conveyor, conveyors, data, demonstrates, designed, detect, devices, display, driverless, efficiency, efficient, ensure, ensures, entire, evaluated, exhibitions, eye, factory, features, flexibility, freight, front, greater, handling, highly, human-robot, implementing, improved, indicators, industry, innovations, integrated, intelligence, intralogistics, keeping, key, large, largest, live, logistical, logistics, material, monitor, monitoring, navigation, network, objects, offers, operations, optimum, overruns, overview, package, performance, photoelectric, position, possibility, precisely, presented, prevention, process, processes, production, programmable, promat, provide, safe, safety, self-learning, sensor, sensors, shelf, showcased, shuttles, sick, smart, software, solutions, sorting, space, state-of-the-art, storage, supplier, supply, system, systems, trace, traceability, track, transport, value-creation, visitors, warehouse, well

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