ICART shuttle buffers
The roll cage revolution
Roll cages and trolleys are a key link in the transfer of product to and from the production process and within intralogistics facilties . Automated guided vehicles ( AGV ’ s ) are sometimes used to support this activity but solutions that include cost effective automated FIFO buffering and queueing are few and far between .
Until now solutions to this problem have often been unwieldy , unreliable , and largely unaffordable . ICART tackles the problem in a revolutionary way . There are no conveyors or complex mechanisms spread around the production area . Instead , iCart Trucks move roll cages between processes and iCart shuttles transfer , buffer and queue trolleys without human involvement .
A lot of the success of iCart has been in its ability to handle short term storage and buffering as well as moving items from point to point . Most alternative storage systems are designed to hold items for days or weeks . With iCart the storage timescales are measured in minutes or hours .
The original iCart , developed 12 years ago , had many novel features including the ability to negotiate complex routes without user programming . Systems with a 1km route and 20 stop positions or stations were typically installed within a day . It has been successfully used around the world including the Giga-factory in the Nevada Desert . The second generation iCart , launched this year , has double the performance capability in terms of load , speed and manoeuvrability .
Trolley handling has always been a key feature of iCart . The iCart shuttle was specifically created to support buffering and queuing of trolleys . The iCart shuttle is a “ game changer ”. It can handle the
34 FDPP - www . fdpp . co . uk buffering , queuing and transfer of trolleys and roll cages without the need for complex push-pull mechanisms or conveyors . It moves under the roll cage or trolley , using laser sensors to build a profile of the roll cage and can adjust its position and connection mechanisms accordingly . It can recognise gaps in the buffer and quickly move nearby trolleys to ensure there ’ s space available where needed . This profiling also enables it to compensate for significant variations in manufacturing tolerances . The shuttles are battery powered and automatically move to a floor mounted charging point when they have no work to do . Energy Costs are another key benefit , typically less than £ 75 per year .
The integration of truck and shuttle enables a complete hands-free load-unload solution . The shuttle can load and unload trolleys and roll cages automatically . Trolleys can be transferred in and out from the system either directly via shuttle buffers or at manual load unload stations .
The first application of iCart shuttles was in one of the largest mail centres in the UK over 3 years ago . Now shuttle buffers , up to 60m long , are in place in a variety of locations within the UK . Multiple shuttles sometimes work as a team within a single buffer passing work between each other to achieve high throughput . Multiple trolleys can be handled at the same time with loads of over 1 tonne . These systems manage , move and store trolleys without operator intervention saving thousands of miles of walking by operators every year .
Further information at : www . icart-logistics . com