MATERIAL HANDLING AUTOMATION

MATERIAL HANDLING AUTOMATION

INTRODUCTION:

Material handling in manufacturing system is becoming easier as the automated machine technology is improved. Today’s rapid development in technology presents manufacturing firms a variety of alternatives for in plant transportation. An automated guided vehicle system is such an advanced material handling system that involves a fleet of driverless vehicle, which follows a guided path and are controlled by a computer. The aim of this study is to provide information regarding the use of AGV system in manufacturing.

It typically uses industrial batteries and runs without rail, conductors, or other obstructions. The AGV can be automatically or manually loaded/unloaded and automatically or manually programmed. An AGV system can vary in size from a short, pickup and delivery arrangement to a complex layout with computer controlled vehicles automatically interfacing with an automated storage/retrieval system and other automated manufacturing equipment. In highly automated industry computer programmes the working of AGV. Loading and unloading stations are also programmed on computer accordingly vehicle starts and stops automatically.

Autonomous vehicles i.e. mobile robots are evolving in our society. The requirement for absolute safety is the principal restrainer. Therefore, industrial applications for sites not open for the public evolves at first. The key issues for autonomous vehicle guidance are environment and task description, environment detection and localization of the vehicle and path generation on different levels. The real challenge is to penetrate into an unknown environment and there perform tasks given only symbolically. Research has been done on automatic guidance of agricultural tractors as well as of industrial, mining and drilling vehicles. Semiautomatic operation with human supervision is a means to apply the technologies in applications where autonomous operation is considered risky – such as container handling and eleported forest harvesting. Have you ever thought of driving the same mining tunnel eight hours a day for months with unfailing concentration?
Or driving a tractor on dusty field for an entire month twelve hours a day? Or driving in a port in a tightly packed field of containers with a straddle carrier hoping that no careless juvenile risks his life by driving a motorbike Between the rows? It is assumed that supporting automation for the driver or supervising time to time from office would be highly appreciated in the near future. As a matter of fact, an operator should be interested only in the exceptional circumstances in which the automation cannot recover by itself.

Autonomous vehicles are already here but crawling behind the counters except a few ground breaking public applications like “wheeled elevators” i.e. “people movers” appearing in the parking lots of Amsterdam and Antverpen Airports during 1998 (see //www.frog.nl). The public is supposed to stay off the tracks of these elevators, otherwise similar applications may become strictly forbidden.

Mercedes has introduced automated steering of cars on highways based on image processing. The system may penetrate the market as a warning system for fatigued drivers. Italians have driven a 2500km test track with 80 percent autonomous driving (//nannetta.ce.unipr.it/ARGO/ English). However, safety and other legal aspects remain unsolved. Mobile robots i.e. autonomous vehicles with intelligence will appear or are already appearing in applications where safety can be ensured. The spaces for such applications are closed for public entrance and, therefore, the risk for accidents is small, actually smaller than in normal traffic in the streets and on the highways. How these vehicles evolve? Gradually. Technology is developed on top of previous applications. Development becomes easier after one or two multifunctional mobile utility i.e. robot vehicles. See for example the fine collection of applications of the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University //www.ri.cmu.edu/. Underground mining is also suitable to autonomous vehicles. Mining vehicles are heavy, expensive and deep underground sometimes kilometers from fresh air. They could with autonomous capabilities work under production control system continuously.

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