Lift system for containers as interface to the AGV

Details MTF Technik Hardy Schürfeld GmbH & Co. KG

Task: Buffering of containers as an interface to the driverless transport system

An on-site driverless transport system (FTS) brings an empty container 600x400x280mm to a plastic injection molding machine

After the empty container has been handed over, the AGV should pick up a filled container on a second level and transport it to the customer's warehouse or for further processing

An interface system is to take four empty containers from the AGV one after the other and temporarily store them. Care must be taken to ensure that there is sufficient space between the individual container positions to compensate for the tolerances in the AGV's container provision.

If there are four empty containers in the intermediate buffer, they should be positioned in a defined manner and then transferred to a lifting station

The lifting station is intended to provide the four empty containers at a height of 1,750 mm to a handling device for loading

Pile of material should be avoided

Once the four containers are filled, they should be simultaneously transported to a collection level at a height of 600mm and made available there for collection by the AGV

Safety aspects must be taken into account when planning the system

Solution: Buffer system on 3 levels with electric lift

Development of a buffer system with an electric lifting lift with three levels.

On the empty container supply belt, pneumatic stoppers are first lowered from above, allowing each container removed from the AGV to travel in the conveying direction until it reaches the stop. The presence of empty containers is monitored by sensors.

The supply belt is 1,800 mm wide (usable width 1,755 mm), providing a total of 155 mm of empty space for four containers positioned lengthwise, each 400 mm wide. This allows the AGV to have sufficient positioning tolerance to deliver the containers side by side.

If there are four empty containers on the supply belt, a pneumatic pusher presses sideways against the containers and positions them as a “package” on one side of the conveyor belt

Once the "package" is positioned, the stoppers located in the conveying direction lift, allowing the four containers to be transferred parallel to the lift conveyor and from there moved to the filling position. On the lift conveyor, the usable width is reduced to 1,605 mm.

The containers in the filling area are moved by approximately 1/3 of the container length after 50% filling in order to achieve a debris cone reduction

During filling, the AGV places four additional empty containers on the supply belt

After filling, the boxes are transferred to the lower level of the conveyor belt – again in a “pack of 4”

Since the AGV can only bring/retrieve one box at a time, the filled boxes are pneumatically stopped individually on the pickup belt. Only at the respective pickup position is the box released for transfer to the AGV.

Details MTF Technik Hardy Schürfeld GmbH & Co. KG