Under the continuous advancement of emerging technologies such as 5G, cloud computing, AI, IoT, advanced manufacturing, and intelligent manufacturing, traditional manufacturing industries have undergone a process of integration and development, gradually transitioning towards intelligent modes.
The 《”Fourteenth Five-Year” Plan for Intelligent Manufacturing Development》 jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and eight other departments, proposes the construction of over 500 cutting-edge smart manufacturing demonstration factories by 2025. Intelligent unmanned forklifts, serving as a pivotal element in the intelligent manufacturing production process, will play a crucial role in realizing this economic vision and goal.
Project introduction
“BYD, a leading company in the new energy vehicle industry, is actively pursuing development opportunities and implementing smart manufacturing strategies. It has modernized and established intelligent factories in various locations. The Hefei factory of BYD has recently integrated multiple advanced high-lift reach forklifts from NTI Robot, which operate simultaneously within four aisles of the high-bay warehouse to handle inbound and outbound storage tasks. This initiative aims to enhance warehouse automation and reduce manual labor, ultimately improving production and delivery efficiency.”
Figure:Intelligent unmanned forklift picking up goods>>>driving>>>unloading at a high level
Project Challenges
The demand for high precision in positioning and stopping is significant.
The goods on adjacent shelves are closely spaced and stacked in five layers, requiring the unmanned forklift truck to achieve a positioning and stopping accuracy within ±5mm.
The handling pace of materials is high, and there is a large volume of tasks.
The operational area is limited, and the high throughput of goods presents a challenge to the scheduling capabilities of the autonomous forklift system.
High lifting height
The lifting height exceeds 8.5 meters, necessitating a high level of stability and safety for the operation.
The ground flatness is inadequate.
The on-site ground fails to meet the standards, exhibiting issues such as subsidence, localized protrusions, and significant cracks.
The warehouse management system is intricate.
The variety and specifications of goods on site necessitate complex processes for receiving, issuing, stocking, emergency replenishment, etc., demanding high standards for error prevention and detection logic.
High implementation difficulty
The production and construction activities are being carried out concurrently within a constrained timeframe, posing challenges due to the co-mingling of personnel and vehicles.
Solutions
- The project employs multiple advanced reachforklifts, intelligent charging stations, and warehouse positioning systems to achieve unmanned management of inbound and outbound logistics.
- The site utilizes a ring network to interconnect all operational zones of the autonomous forklifts, streamlining dispatching, task allocation, and real-time monitoring of their operational status.
- Due to the uneven terrain at the customer’s site, sensors have been installed on the forklift forks to automatically adjust their position during loading and unloading processes, ensuring precise handling on cantilever racks while maintaining safety standards throughout transportation.
Project advantage
The automated forklift utilizes laser navigation and sensor detection technologies to achieve precise positioning, with an accuracy of ±5mm.
The intelligent control system of the unmanned forklift is seamlessly integrated with WCS and WMS, enabling automatic generation of inbound and outbound picking tasks, facilitating interactive information exchange, managing warehouse material data, and achieving real-time inventory reconciliation.
The solution has reduced the risks associated with manual forklift operations at high elevations, significantly enhancing production safety and concurrently reducing labor costs.
The Intelligent Control System of the Unmanned Forklift processes transportation orders, allocates vehicles, intelligently selects routes for different transport tasks, achieves intelligent scheduling, real-time monitoring, and enhances transportation efficiency.
High level of safety.The autonomous forklift is equipped with a variety of sensors to prevent collisions, ensuring its safety while operating in the rack area.
Customer benefits
- Assisting clients in achieving intelligent upgrades and transformations in production line logistics to enhance production efficiency and deliver significant operational benefits.
- Effectively elevating levels of automation and intelligent production, while upgrading the management of intelligent inbound and outbound warehouse operations.
- Reducing labor management costs through unmanned forklift operations and automated transportation to enhance production safety.
