Automated guided vehicles AGV: The mobile solution of the future
Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are significantly more flexible than fixed installations and are demonstrably lower costs above a certain layout size. With more than 45 years of customized AGV implementation experience, Swisslog is your trusted partner in robotic automation.
AGV: The flexible alternative to fixed installations
Working with our AGV suppliers, we find the best automated guided vehicle solutions for your enterprise, whether that’s a standard forklift, a side forklift, a counterbalanced forklift, or a straddle AGV. We implement all types of vehicles, whether using a conveyor table or a platform vehicle. Our automation specialists can also support the integration of different types of AGVs into the same layout.
AGV navigation comes in variety of forms, from natural navigation to magnetic tape navigation or even multi-navigation accomplished by combining technologies.
With natural navigation vehicles can avoid using any type of added guidance. Vehicles use natural objects like walls and pillars instead. Or, for the highest precision, warehouses can introduce laser navigation with reflectors or magnets in the floor for AGVs to follow.
Solutions designs for Automated Guided Vehicles
The following factors are considered when designing an AGV solution:
- Material flow
- Layout size
- Layout spatial requirements
- Vehicle speed
- Charging cycles
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Door with transfer to AGV
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Interface to high bay warehouse with AGV
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3 loading stations for automated guided vehicles
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AGV driveways
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Production line 1 with pallet wrapper and AGV pick-up
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Production line 2 with AGV drop-off
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Goods loading station for shipping
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Goods receiving with pallet placement on conveyor
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Automated guided vehicles: What are they?
An automated guided vehicle system transports various goods via computer-driven vehicles from a pick location to a drop location. The fleet manager distributes single transport orders to the vehicles. The shortest path to the destination is then calculated by the fleet manager. Communication between vehicles and the fleet manager is done via Wi-Fi.
An AGV system comprises the following components:
- One or more vehicles with forks, platform or conveyor loading options to transport pallets, racks or containers.
- Layout on which the vehicles move, including pick and drop stations
- A fleet manager that distributes the transport orders to the vehicles and defines the route for vehicles
- Interface to doors, elevators, conveyors via I/O signals
- Interface to SynQ WCS or other host system that generates transport orders
An AGV system is an efficient and flexible transport solution with many advantages:
- Automated guided vehicles are widely used in several business sectors including:, Pharma, Hospital, Food & Beverage, Retail, and E-Commerce
- Efficient solution for transport from A to B, with or without a warehouse manager
- Ideal for mid-range to large distances up to medium material flows
- People-safe technology equipped with safety scanners, rubber bumpers and emergency stop buttons
- High redundancy when having several vehicles
- No fixed installations necessary in the layout
- Readily extendible at any time
- Guaranteed flow through times for material flow
- Reduction in manual labor
- High reliability and availability
- High return on investment (ROI), especially for 3-shift operation
Models: forklifts, counterbalanced forklifts, side forklifts, straddle, very narrow aisle, conveyor AGVs, and platform AGVs
Speed: up to 1.7 m/s
Load weight: standard forklift up to 2,500 kg, customized AGVs up to 10,000 kg
Maximum rack height: 8 – 10 m
Charging strategies: automated charging, “Opportunity Charging“, or manual battery exchange
Batteries: lead - batteries, NiCd - batteries, or Lithium-Ion-batteries
Application: Indoor
Temperature: +5°C – 35°C, higher or lower temperatures need to be clarified
Time from order to go-live: 6 - 10 months
Customized
Benefit from an bespoke transport solution tailored precisely to your needs.
Flexible
Extend your AGV system by changing the layout or adding vehicles.
Sustainable
We keep your AGV system in good order with retrofits, upgrades and maintenance, thanks to excellent support.
Automated Guided Vehicles as mobile solution
We design your AGV system together with you, taking into consideration the material flow, the size of the layout, the shift-model, and local conditions like slopes, bottlenecks, one-way paths, and a fire protection concept.
We integrate our solution into your logistics landscape considering also Automated Mobile Robotic (AMR) solutions.
AGV from Swisslog at loading station
Automated Guided Vehicles can navigate via laser
Automated Guided Vehicles as interface to production lines.
Together with Swisslog we created a distribution center that is perfectly equipped for future challenges. We can handle order throughput times of only 1 hour even with higher volumes
Learn more about AMAG’s use of AGVs in our customer case study.
Focus: Automated guided vehicles in the pharma industry
Automated guided vehicles provide high system availability, traceability of goods and shipments and easy-to-clean vehicles, all key requirements in the pharma sector.
To ensure GMP compliance, we design and realize AGV systems with special process requirements. Goods can be traced via barcodes or RFID. Quality control error handling ensures that any NOK goods are picked out.
AGV real-time visualization with technology partner
Our longstanding partnership with technology partner Kollmorgen is key to our success in the AGV sector. Kollmorgen offers guaranteed spare parts availability for all the most important components, as well as useful tools for diagnosis and analysis. We can quickly detect any irregularities in your system to ensure optimized operation.
Cway real-time visualization gives you complete control over the system: A constant view of the position and the status of every vehicle. An event log recording all transports and load exchanges. The option to create different users and user groups and to grant access to the system according to authority level.
