Automatic storehouses
PROBLEM:
a minimum waiting time of 30 minutes has to expire before moving goods to next working phases: this involves a large number of trolleys scattered over a wide area. Moreover waiting time compliance is not always reliable, in consequence of human errors. Special care must be taken in product handling because of its nature: extra thin silver-aluminium sheets. Goods must be usually managed in FIFO order but occasionally specific article requests have to be satisfied. A complete real time inventory is not available.
SOLUTION:
an automatic warehouse, served by a special robot unit, can accomplish this task. The whole project starts with the design of a handling unit capable to preserve silver sheets from accidental scratches. A single bent metal sheet acts as a smart and cheap pallet, easy to be moved. The pallet is coated with a thick and soft paint to protect goods and designed as to be compatible with market available shelvings: no special shelves is required. Each unit can be loaded with a maximum of 50 sheets and a code identifies the content. A 3 axes Cartesian robot smoothly picks up pallets from the inlet conveyor belt and brings them to the first free position into the shelvings: its location, together with the complete inventory, is now immediately available via software for the Management. Particular care is taken to hold down accelerations and jerks during motion as to preserve goods. Pallets are automatically managed in FIFO order but the operator can at any time select a specific one, typing its code: few moments and he can find the requested pallet on the outlet conveyor belt. The minimum waiting time is granted by the system software.
ADVANTAGES:
each aspect of the issue is solved:
– no more trolleys invading production areas;
– space saving thanks to shelvings verticality;
– reliable compliance of waiting time;
– warehouse complete inventory updated in real time;
– flexibility in requests satisfying;
-c heapness of designed and market available parts.
DESCRIPTION:
the operator loads sheets in a pallet and type its code via the touch screen. Along the inlet conveyor belt the pallet get into the warehouse area. Here a powerful 3 axes Cartesian robot picks it up and brings it to its location into the shelvings with care and accuracy: each time a laser pointing device checks right positioning of the axes before inserting the pallet. Handling and motion are performed with great care: no vibrations or jerks are tolerated. The new inserted pallet is immediately visible in the inventory and will be available for next working phases as waiting time is expired. Every pallet is coded according to its content and its entry date&time: a FIFO management of goods is so possible but the software let the operator require a specific pallet at any time. In the outlet conveyor belt pallets will be available according to picking lists.
