Tag: conveyors|sortation|warehouse automation

System integrator Element Logic has implemented another AutoStore system in Switzerland. The maximally flexible AutoStore concept has enabled a solution for the logistics centre in Niederuzwil in which storage and picking take place separately on two different building levels.

Increasing capacities, optimising processes, increasing efficiency – with these demands to strengthen its wholesale activities, the Swiss wholesaler Scheitlin-Papier AG decided to build a new modern logistics centre in Niederuzwil/St. Gallen. Scheitlin-Papier is a part of the international trading group DHYS Group and a member of the GVS Group Handelsgenossenschaft.

The new warehouse location is 20km from the company headquarters in Wittenbach. An AutoStore system will be installed for the storage of small parts. Scheitlin-Papier AG commissioned system integrator Element Logic with the design and project implementation of the automated storage and picking system. As the first official AutoStore integrator, the company has implemented more than 200 AutoStore solutions.

“In addition to the many advantages of the AutoStore concept, the proven expertise was a key factor in the awarding of the contract,” explains Claudia Scheitlin, co-owner of Scheitlin-Paper AG. The family business is a successful trading company and offers its customers solutions and products in the fields of professional cleaning, medical, hygiene, catering and packaging. The product range comprises more than 12,000 articles, half of which must always be available. In addition to standard articles, Scheitlin-Papier sells custom-made products as well as individually printed articles in order to be able to supply customers with “everything from a single source”.

For the new logistics centre in Niederuzwil, Element Logic built an AutoStore system for around 15,000 containers on an upper floor of just 400 sq meters. Up to 15 containers are stacked on top of each other in the aluminium grid, which is just over five meters high. Three small R5-series robots work on the surface of the grid and handle the storage, transfer and retrieval of the totes. For order picking, they transfer the totes with the desired articles to two workstations in the basement, so-called SwingPorts.

Two further ports for flexible expansion in the event of future throughput increases are already provided for in the system layout as frames. Another special feature of the system is its installation between two building walls. This eliminates the need for two side panels. The ports are on the building level below the AutoStore warehouse. This is also where the packing areas and shipping preparation are located, so that the material flow is efficiently integrated into the overall process sequence without internal detours. To ensure separate fire protection areas for the two building levels, the SwingPorts are equipped with horizontal fire doors.

“Both in terms of adaptation to local conditions and in terms of customer-specific equipment and future scalability in terms of storage capacity and performance, the AutoStore concept offers maximum flexibility,” sums up Joachim Kieninger, Director Strategic Business Development for the D-A-CH region at Element Logic. “This allows us to develop and implement the optimal solution for every industry and all requirements. The plant for Scheitlin-Papier AG will be one of our most interesting reference plants in the Swiss market.”

Go-live of the plant is scheduled for April 2023.

 

 

Slovakian start-up Aicobotix launched an upgraded version of its QiCHECK Solutions recognition system at the recent WOF Expo in Bratislava. QiCHECK-2 uses a camera for object recognition and the entire system learns on the spot based on the recognition of good samples.

In this way, the conformity of the product, assembly, type and quality can be checked by accurate comparison with good samples. If an incorrect sample is detected, the operator is informed immediately.

The camera sees the scene, recognises it then evaluates the category in which it is to be placed. The whole learning process is quick and can be handled by a normal operator, which is a good feature when production changes.

All recognition results are also available online via a standard web browser. Deployment does not require significant intervention in the existing line and the production data is processed in an easy-to-understand format. In addition, the entire solution can also be rented and its features tested.

At the WOF EXPO 2021, Aicobotix demonstrated stock recognition using QiCHECK-2 in this way. It recognised the categories ‘empty place’, ‘pallet in the right place’ and ‘pallet with sweets’. The categories were recognised by a camera placed above the test area and the system quickly interpreted the visual image of the virtual warehouse.

Here again, the company demonstrated how quickly QiCHECK-2 could learn what was good housekeeping when changing the desired behaviour.

The camera as a smart sensor represents a visual system with an extremely fast implementation. In doing so, the camera sensor identifies changes in the scene with the support of machine learning. The entire system is suitable for plants with conveyors and can inspect multiple parts at once. It only needs a moment to evaluate and no special knowledge is required to learn it on-site at the production site.

WATCH THIS VIDEO to learn more.

 

NORDAC FLEX frequency inverters from NORD DRIVESYSTEMS are true allrounders: They not only offer a wide power range, but also work very economically. The NORDAC FLEX SK 205E series has been specially designed for use with baggage transport systems at airports or conveyor systems in parcel distribution centres.

The large power range, up to 22kW, is characteristic for the frequency inverter. In addition, the NORDAC FLEX SK 205E is compact and enables high precision in synchronous and positioning applications via the integrated POSICON control. Another advantage is the precise and rapid current vector control: It ensures constant speeds in case of fluctuating loads. The NORDAC FLEX SK 205E also offers maximum flexibility and due to its high energy efficiency enables energy savings, especially during partial load operation. This even applies to applications that technically do not require an inverter.

Users are provided with complete flexibility when it comes to installation: Inverters can be both installed close to the drive in the field and integrated into the motor. Power and data cable connections are available as plug-in versions. The decentralised system enables short motor and encoder cables as well as short supply cables to sensors. The inverters can be used to control standard asynchronous motors, high-efficiency synchronous motors and brake motors. Encoder feedback can be realised, for example position-controlled transport systems.

NORDAC FLEX SK 205E series frequency inverters feature 4 digital inputs and 1 digital output (e.g. for error messages). The inverter can be monitored via an optional Bluetooth interface using the NORDCON APP software. This way, possible errors can be quickly diagnosed and remedied. Drive parameterisation is possible as standard via the integrated diagnostic interface with the free NORDCON software tool.

The inverter features a total of six digital and two analogue interfaces, two encoder interfaces and one integrated PLC for programming of functions close to the drive. A wide range of extensions through option modules are possible as accessories, for example a communication interface that supports commercially available Ethernet dialects as well as extensions for functional safety such as PROFIsafe and STO.

MHS, a single-source provider of material handling automation and software solutions, has unveiled a new cross-belt sorter designed to handle small items. The HC-Loop Double Cell has an innovative design that uses sections of two cross-belt cells that can either work simultaneously to handle a single large item or independently to handle two smaller items and boost capacity.

The versatility of the double-cell design enables the sorter to handle items as small as 75x75x3mm and as large as 850x650mm. The HC-Loop Double Cell gives operations a solution to reliably handle small items like flyers, polybags and shoe boxes, while maintaining the flexibility to handle larger packages like electronics or office supplies.

The precise diverts of the HC-Loop Double Cell enables the use of narrower chutes to increase density and reduce the total footprint of the system, while achieving up to 99.99% sortation accuracy. An intelligent induction system works to increase the utilization of available sorter cells by booking them in advance for target parcels, helping operations reach a capacity of up to 4,500 parcels per hour using a single compact induction line.

“As operations face a demanding product mix and rising commercial real estate costs, the HC-Loop Double Cell sorter offers the versatility they need in a compact, efficient package,” says Luis Antezana Vila, Product Manager, Cross-belt Systems, MHS. “But avoiding unplanned downtime is also critical. That’s why we’ve worked to establish strong component reliability and leverage sensor-based technology to predict and prevent unexpected outages.”

Sensors placed along the sorter track and within each cell constantly monitor overall system status and individual components. Through predictive analytics, MHS can detect when a failure might be imminent, based on data reaching pre-determined thresholds, and proactively alert maintenance teams to help avoid unnecessary downtime. The company provides local sales, support and service for implementations worldwide.

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