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Location:
Bielefeld / Deutschland
Sector:
Intralogistics
Application:
Automated guided vehicles (AGVs)
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Location: Bielefeld, Germany
Industry: Intralogistics
Application: Automated Guided Vehicle System (AGV)
It is worth noting that material flow systems generally operate in a top-down way, dictating to the participants who does what. TORsten creates a platform that enables us to optimize material flow without limiting the autonomy of the vehicle.Uwe Schildheuer, CEO of TORWEGGE
Dynamic and agile, intelligent and forward-thinking, resilient and flexible, self-reliant and considerate—all qualities that most employers look for when searching for new employees. If Torwegge has its way, such a new “employee” will soon be improving the production environment across large parts of the intralogistics sector.
Torsten is the name of the robot that, as an AGV, uncomplainingly and repeatedly delivers new products and tools to the workstations of its human colleagues or picks them up from there and transports them on to other production cells. “With the AGV, we can establish very flexible connections between production islands,” explains Dirk Jonat, Head of Project Management and Technology at Torwegge. The advantages are obvious to him: “We spare our customers the need for permanently installed material-handling systems and sprawling, expensive conveyor lines.”
When the current situation requires it, Torsten also operates independently of the overarching material flow. This allows him to suddenly swerve around obstacles in his path with an elegant arc and communicate this via his voice module: “I’m turning CCW.” If this causes a sustained interruption in the process, another AGV can take over, and Torsten moves on to a new task that the material flow plan has in store. Managing Director Uwe Schildheuer gives an example: “If your GPS leads you down a street where someone is working on a manhole cover for the next half hour, you don’t just stop in front of it—you find an alternate route. A good navigation system adapts to this and suggests an alternative route.”
To ensure that Torsten can perfectly handle self-planning and communication among employees, he’s equipped with a modern voice module from Cognition Factory and an integrated navigation system that RWTH Aachen University tailored specifically for him.
Without the right drive technology and power supply, the flat assistant wouldn’t get very far in intralogistics. Sophisticated servo drive technology ensures that Torsten can move so dynamically and change direction spontaneously: The CMP.. ELVCD from the SEW modular design offer a high degree of industrial standardization and were developed specifically for mobile materials handling technology. They are based on the proven CMP50M series of servomotors.
Startup and configuration are performed using the “MultiMotion and Kinematics” program module provided by the integrated and freely programmable MOVI-PLC® motion control system. This makes it easy to design coordinated motion sequences with precision in such multi-axis applications.
Our power management system is also impressive. SEW-EURODRIVE is one of the first companies in the drive technology sector to use innovative lead-crystal batteries for powering mobile systems. Under full load, Torsten can start operating for four hours without a break. In typical logistics operations, this corresponds to an entire work shift, at the end of which Torsten can rest for four hours at the charging station. Bring on the next shift.
With the TORsten AGV, the intralogistics specialists at TORWEGGE in Bielefeld have developed a material-handling solution capable of autonomously and flexibly completing transport tasks. The new system can be scaled very easily—much like fleet management. “Thanks to SEW-EURODRIVE’s open control architecture, we’re also independent of which material flow system is to be used or is already in use,” explains Schildheuer. This makes it very easy to retrofit TORsten into existing logistics centers or production facilities as a new “employee.”