DC Velocity - August 2016

Robotic picking system: At this spring’s Modex show, ABB Robotics featured an IRB 1200 robot paired with its PickOne Perception system. PickOne is an innovative vision system designed for singulation tasks often found in third-party logistics and e-commerce/mail order fulfillment companies.

The PickOne System is designed to provide pick point selection for singulation operations, utilizing a vision system to identify a single object from a bin, tray, or pile of identical, similar, or varied products, and feed the pick location to a robot. With the location identified, an ABB IRB 1200 robot then picks and places the part on a conveyor for further processing. The system can work with any ABB robot, with the throughput performance determined by the payload and speed of the selected model. Additional PickOne systems can be used at the “place” location to verify the singulation process was successful. (ABB Robotics, www.new.abb.com)

Plastic utility carts: Madison, Ind.-based material handling product manufacturer MODRoto has introduced its Poly-Trux 50P Series line of plastic utility carts. The carts are offered with an optional ergonomic spring-loaded platform to reduce bending and reaching into the cart during picking, packing, and fulfillment operations. Suitable for use in warehouses, distribution centers, and other facilities where lifting, bending, and repetitive motions are to be minimized, the ergonomic plastic carts allow the spring-loaded platform to sink as packages are placed inside and to rise automatically as packages are removed to keep packages positioned at a comfortable working height. Safely hiding the spring mechanism away from workers beneath a smooth plastic platform, the ergonomic 50P Series carts help reduce workers’ compensation claims and support worker safety programs while aiding in compliance with OSHA’s general duty clause 29 USC 654 covering work positioning, the company says.

The 50P Series utility carts feature a waterproof plastic bin set atop a rugged base on industrial-strength nonmarking casters as standard. Available in three different models, the 50P Series carts come in a choice of 18-, 16-, and 11-bushel capacities and in a wide variety of standard colors. The 50P Series utility carts nest and stack one inside another when the spring-loaded platform is removed for efficient storage and transport. (MODRoto, www. MODRoto.com)

Picking cart: The order in which the parts are delivered, placed, or picked is critical to any manufacturing operation. Creform picking carts are designed to help any manufacturer. The cart pictured here features two angled shelves and one horizontal shelf. Each shelf is uniquely positioned and angled to optimize the interface with the associate. Designed to hold up to 450 pounds, the cart is manufactured with ergonomics in mind and features plastic shelves that provide the right balance between light weight and strength. And since this cart is pushed all day, every day, and ergonomics is key, it’s important to keep the weight as low as possible while maintaining the necessary strength and durability.

The cart is narrow and its dimensions ( 28 inches wide by 48 inches long by 60 inches high) make travel in narrow aisles and restrictive spaces possible. The picking cart, which is suitable for warehouse order picking or kitting, features four 5-inch diameter urethane casters. The four swivel casters at the corners allow the cart to be easily positioned. C-shaped ergonomic handles with cross bars on either end make the cart comfortable to push and can be adjusted automatically to an associate’s height. (Creform Corp., www.creform.com)