Industrial vehicles

Intelligent sensor solutions for smart material transport in production and logistics

Solutions

Sensor solutions for all variants of mobile robots

Move into new dimensions

Robotics is on the move, whether it be in production, logistics or service. Mobile robots, in particular, are gathering speed in these areas. The variants range from AGVs and mobile cobots right through to autonomously driving mobile robots. In short: The future belongs to autonomous mobile robots.

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Mobile platforms

Achieving more with intelligent sensors

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Logistics gets smart

Greater efficiency in the entire supply chain

Companies are faced by a great challenge: acting as efficiently as possible. Material flows and intralogistics processes must be optimally coordinated with each other at all times. If there is a problem at one point, this impacts the entire value chain – and thus also competitiveness. Intelligent sensors and networked systems ensure efficient logistics processes as part of Industry 4.0.

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Industrial vehicles
Sensor solutions for all variants of mobile robots
Mobile platforms
Logistics gets smart

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Overview

Intelligent sensor solutions for smart material transport in production and logistics

Mobile material transport systems are used in nearly every single area of the production industry. No matter whether you use automated guided vehicle systems, semi-automated guided vehicle systems, transfer cars, manned forklift trucks, or narrow aisle trucks, a host of sensors are used in contour or reflector-based navigation, rough and fine positioning, measurement and identification, and optical data transmission. Personal safety is of course a priority; however, goods also need to be protected against collisions with these automated vehicles, which are often traveling at speed and with heavy loads.

Trends & news

Flexible production without a conveyor belt

Automated and flexible production processes are the answer to increasing quantities, smaller batch sizes, and high production speeds. Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and their smaller relatives, automated guided carts (AGCs), were once mainly the preserve of production logistics in the automotive industry. Now, they are poised to conquer the world of intralogistic processes in the field of factory automation. These little masters of logistics on wheels offer considerable potential within the electronics industry for tackling large production volumes, lots of small production stages, variable processes, and production environments with a high degree of protection.

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Complete sensor solutions for AGC systems in CEP distribution centers

Industry 4.0 – and the associated demand for tailored and flexible intralogistics solutions – is increasingly being implemented in the courier, express, parcel, and postal sector (CEP). Automated Guided Carts (AGC) and tugger trains prove to be efficient add-ons and alternatives to traditional material flow and sorter systems. SICK offers a modular eco-system for AGCs – with sensor solutions that make autonomous vehicles safe, and efficient tools for enhanced intralogistical productivity.

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Sensors control the collaborative robots of the future

The ongoing development of small, powerful and flexibly positionable robots that can collaborate with humans is progressing in leaps and bounds. The sensors from SICK are an important component in this. Sensor intelligence plays a vital role not only in orienting and positioning mobile cobots but also in reliably monitoring their surroundings. Lightweight cobots that are transported to their working position on automated guided vehicles and autonomously position themselves are the newest development in this area. These cobots are making fence-free and flexible work an increasingly standard feature in robotics and a new foundation for functional automation.

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Innovative intralogistics: AutoBox with navigation and safety sensors from SICK in pilot test at BMW

The BMW Dynamics Center in Dingolfing is welcoming the launch of a pilot project that will allow incoming spare parts to be transported safely from the incoming goods station to the picking warehouse with the help of the autonomous AutoBox. This will allow 20 pallet cages with a total weight of up to 20 tons to be transported on a loading surface measuring barely 20 m2. The aim of the pilot project is to automate processes across long distances and link up parts of a building that are further away.

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Challenges

Detection of persons and machine safety

SICK safety systems protect people and prevent collisions with other vehicles and obstacles – with great flexibility, and according to the particular driving situation. Furthermore, they help reduce downtimes, and therefore operating costs as well.

Environment perception

The ability to perceive a dynamic environment plays a particularly decisive role in the automation of mobile transport platforms. Operating on various physical principles, sensors have the ability to reliably detect even critical ambient conditions.

Localization and line guidance

SICK offers virtually all common sensor solutions for localization and non-contact line guidance. Whether it be magnetic, optical, or marker-, reflector- or contour-based detection, SICK offers its customers the ideal solution for their individual requirements.

Load handling

Sensors detect the presence of products or packaging elements, and measure distances, heights and the protrusion of goods on pallets and other transport items. They thereby eliminate errors in production and logistics processes.

Identification

Identification of codes and objects of all types is the basic requirement for automated storage, picking and sorting. SICK offers scalable solutions for all code types and for all ID technologies (laser, camera, RFID, hybrid) that are easy to adapt to the respective requirements.

Motion monitoring

Industrial trucks and mobile platforms are characterized by their versatility and dynamic nature. The basis prerequisite for their use is the ability to monitor all driving and movement patterns. Rotative and linear, incremental and absolute encoders can record all relevant parameters on the vehicle. This makes them an essential component for the automation of mobile applications.

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