Automation specialist, Swisslog, is providing a glimpse into the future with a host of innovative robot warehousing concepts on show at CeMat Asia, (27-30 Oct 2015).
Visitors will not only see a live demonstration of AutoStore, the high-density small parts storage and picking solution, and CarryPick, the goods-to-man picking solution with AGV transportation, but also the groundbreaking human-robot interaction concept named Automated Item Pick.
Jointly developed by Swisslog and its parent company the KUKA Group, the concept heralds a new era of item picking technology, and is the first application of the company’s ‘Automation Powerhouse’ concept.
As a provider of automation solutions across the globe, Swisslog has been at the forefront of a trend towards smarter warehousing and technology driven manufacturing, known in some quarters as ‘Industry 4.0’.
Together with parent company the KUKA, the two have been developing ways to turn the group into an Automation Powerhouse, adding robotic flexibility and technology to Swisslog’s existing design intelligence and warehouse integration.
The Automated Item Pick solution is the first of its kind to bring human-robot interaction into the smart automated warehouse. The sensitivity and speed of the collaborative lightweight robot, LBR iiwa, allows people to work side-by-side without cumbersome protective barriers or fear of injury. LBR iiwa can work continuously and repeatedly with simple or heavy picking tasks, as the ‘human partner’ carries out other complex operations.
“Full automation does not automatically mean greater efficiency,” says Francis Meier, Head of Region Asia Pacific, Swisslog Warehouse & Distribution Solutions. “When we handle the basic throughput via robots and add people to the process in peak times, we raise flexibility to a whole new level. With the benefits of higher accuracy and efficiency, flexibility and mobility we’re able to bring unbeatable levels of performance, throughput and systems integration. This particular solution also has designed-in reliability and safety, so we believe Automated Item Pick concept will bring brilliant results in the future modern warehouses.”
Swisslog will present its state-of-the-art warehousing concepts on Booth D4-1 in Hall W2
