AGV Workshop

Workshop
Technical Basics of Automated Guided Vehicles

 

Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) and AGV systems are a well-known instrument for flexible transport automation and they are useful for increasing efficiency in intralogistics systems, too. AGV systems are currently experiencing a real boom – especially caused by Industry 4.0 concepts. At relevant trade fairs for production and logistics, a large number of companies present a quite large variety of different vehicles. There is a suitable system for almost every application – and if not, there is often the chance to design a specialized/customized solution. With this wide range on offer, it is not easy to keep track and find a suitable AGV or AGV system for your own application. In addition, the question often arises under which conditions an AGV system can be used at all.

Therefore, Fraunhofer IML offers a compact one-day workshop as an introduction to the topic of AGV. The workshop starts with an introduction to the technology of AGV and the corresponding system. This includes topics such as kinematics, navigation, load handling devices and energy supply for vehicles as well as the control system, system safety and communication of the AGV system. Possible applications for AGV will then be shown as well.

If the company has already identified an operating area or special application for the use of an AGV, the workshop will refer directly to the situation on site. The spatial arrangements of the traffic, transfer and buffer areas and the workplaces to be set up there, will then be discussed. The arrangement and dimensions of the transfers to the AGV, the intended routes and the expected transport intensities will also be a topic. Furthermore, aspects of the working environment such as lighting, dirt and dust on routes and interrelationships with other traffic flows and participants will be discussed. For this, an on-site visit/ tour at the beginning of the workshop is required.

The AGV workshop is aimed at companies that have not yet had any contact with the topic of AGV and the corresponding systems and would like to get an initial orientation and overview. It also addresses companies that are already one-step ahead and have started thinking about the applications and the technology to be used. The Fraunhofer IML is the ideal partner for this workshop, as expertise in the field of AGV systems has been built up for more than 30 years. In addition, the status as a non-profit, publicly funded research institution means that all content presented is vendor-independent and neutral.