for logistics solutions provider Knapp, pointing to software, design, and other technologies as keys to making itall work.
WORKING HAND IN HAND
Conveyor manufacturers are finding many ways to integrate with the plethora of robotic solutions on the market. As one example, Kraus says Intralox is working withe-commerce and parcel end-users and their integrators to“optimize the presentation of orders” to a robot—that is,conveying items to a robotic picking arm or sorter in a waythat maximizes efficiency, accuracy, and, ultimately, payback of the robotic investment, which can be considerable.
“If a conveying system can optimize the conveying tothat robot, it’s a huge opportunity” for customers, Kraus explains.
“In some cases, you can see where
an articulated arm is picking up
an item, and if our conveyors
and sorters can help singulate an
item, presenting one thing at a
time instead of a pile of items, that
makes it easier for the robot.”
Barry Miller, integrator and sub-
systems manager for material han-
dling equipment maker Interroll, agrees and adds that con-
trolling the precise movement of a box on a conveyor helps
in this regard as well. Advanced conveyor control systems
make this possible, giving the systems integrator or robot-
ics provider the ability to communicate efficiently with all
aspects of the conveyor system so that items can be placed
in the same spot over and over again to accommodate the
robotic solution in use.
“Robots thrive off of repetition,” Miller explains. “So, ifwe can stop that box in the same location every time andmake it easy for the integrator to do, then we’ve provideda proven solution” that can maximize productivity andefficiency.
FINDING COMMON GROUND
Palletizing is one of the most common applications in whichconveyors and robotics converge, Miller adds, explainingthat products are conveyed to a robot that then builds thepallets. In more complex applications, systems can feedcases of products to robots for picking and palletizing, andthen convey the pallets farther down the line to forkliftoperators for truck loading. He says some integrators areblending conveyors and automated guided vehicles (AGVs)
in unique ways as well.
Kraus agrees and offers additional examples of ways in
which the technologies could work together. For instance:
order fulfillment out of totes might need a storage and
retrieval system and supporting conveyor with right-angle
transfers that can quickly deliver and exchange totes. If the
supporting conveyor system can’t operate fast enough, it
may require more robots to achieve the required through-
put during peak seasons.
b A robotic operation designed to pick up completede-commerce orders for sortation will operate faster andwith greater accuracy if the orders can be presented individually rather than in a large pile. It’s often cost andspace prohibitive to keep orders completely singulatedit to the robot in a way that, again,keeps the robot working efficientlyand optimizes the investment.
b Traditionally, nonconveyableitems that are large, irregularlypackaged, or unstable eat up a disproportionate amount of labor ina material handling system. Manyoption. But getting these nonconveyable items to and fromthe robots can still be a manual-intensive process, Kraussays. Customers are looking for ways in which a conveyorsystem can work in conjunction with these systems to helpminimize the strain and stress on a reduced available laborpool. The conveyor systems might be designed to feed ortake items away from the robot.
Simplicity of operation is also an important factor.Reader adds that integrating the various software and controls involved in a material handling system becomes evenmore complex when robotics enter the mix; despite thatchallenge, every system must be streamlined and simple inits execution.
“This is not a trivial integration,” Reader says of robotics and material handling in general. “In order to make itstreamlined and simple, the core technology behind it isSuch challenges are likely to intensify as robotics take ona larger role in the warehouse and DC, Miller adds.
