Technology
Autonomous Mobile robots increase efficiency and boost productivity - so, it's worth taking a closer look.
Hulk, go get the pallet! This or something similar could be the sound of production halls and warehouses in the future. But Hulk is not the new employee you have to train after a tedious application process. No. Hulk is an Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR). Hulk and his colleagues are already in use in numerous companies around the world. Today, we’ll take a closer look at why autonomous intralogistics robots are enjoying growing popularity.
In modern intralogistics organized according to the concept of Industry 4.0, efficiency and flexibility are paramount. Also known as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) like Hulk act as fully autonomous transport robots. But when should the introduction of an Autonomous Mobile Robot be considered? In principle, whenever companies are faced with the challenge of aligning their internal material flow more efficiently and increasing throughput with reduced staffing levels, as well as ensuring continuous operation in parallel. Low space availability or exhausted hall space and a lack of expansion options for an existing property can also be motivating factors for the installation of conveyor technology. In addition, short throughput times coupled with high reliability are unbeatable arguments for the use of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs).
Surely there is more to it!
Of course there is! New opportunities also open up in environments that require a certain degree of flexibility. This means that not only conveyed goods of all kinds can be handled safely and transported from A to B, but also that the AMR can be used in a variety of different ways. An autonomous transport robot also adapts to changing environmental conditions without any problems. An AMR therefore takes constantly changing material flow layouts in its stride. After all, who knows whether tomorrow you will no longer want to transport pallets and other transport goods from A to B, but from C to D instead. A driverless transport system is also a valuable support where personnel actually have more important tasks to perform. Why do simple and monotonous transport tasks yourself? Let an AMR do that for you. Your employees will take care of value-adding tasks instead. And a transport robot has another advantage: it doesn’t get sick and doesn’t need breaks. This way, you keep your material flow moving at all times.
And what about safety?
This is a legitimate question, since Automated Guided Vehicles should not only transport the goods undamaged, but also not endanger the people around them. Because safety is an important concern for us at AGILOX and we are particularly proud of our numerous (safety) sensors, we would like to talk explicitly about our vehicles at this point. A specially developed navigation algorithm uses data from laser scanners to calculate the current position in space. The autonomous transport vehicle uses the contours of the environment to navigate with millimeter precision. Obstacles are automatically recognized as such by the AMR and, if the physical conditions allow, avoided. These are the advantages of our unique AGILOX X-Swarm Technology.
What this costs!
By using automated guided vehicles, companies are aiming for the highest possible level of automation in their intralogistics. It is obvious that this involves costs. However, the acquisition costs are not expenses, but an investment. Depending on the operating time and the number of shifts in a company, the costs for an intralogistics robot like Hulk can pay for themselves in just a few months – after all, they deliver the handling performance expected of them without any compromises, even in 24/7 operation. Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are therefore without doubt an essential component of a versatile and flexibly expandable production and logistics environment. When will you enter the future of a “smart factory”?
