Case Introduction
Agricultural production exhibits distinct cyclical and regional characteristics, as seen in agricultural byproducts such as oranges. These products require strong punctuality in terms of picking, marketing, and storage. In order to ensure that oranges are promptly placed into preservation storage after being picked, this leading agricultural industrialization company has once again partnered with Multiway Robotics. They have introduced a highly flexible and efficient unmanned forklift solution. By utilizing unmanned machinery operations, they aim to enhance the logistical efficiency of agricultural product processing and storage within the factory.
This case study focuses on the orange processing plant of a leading agricultural enterprise. While the plant had already established a mature production automation system in its early stages, it still relied on inefficient traditional manual handling for logistics and transportation. The high labor costs and low handling efficiency persisted in this aspect.
Traditional manual handling and management are no longer able to meet the high production demands of the enterprise. The high-flexibility, highly intelligent unmanned forklift solution, which requires no site modification and combines cost and performance advantages, assists the enterprise in effectively improving handling efficiency and reducing operational costs. This injects new vitality into the high-quality development of the enterprise.
The solution utilizes the "WeFront X20" and "counterbalanced stacker MW-SE12" as hardware carriers to achieve full-process logistics automation for material loading and unloading, stacking, and warehouse in/out processes. The software systems WCS, WMS, and RCS empower the solution by integrating material information across the entire process and coordinating upstream and downstream equipment, enabling efficient operation scheduling for the entire fleet of vehicles.
Operation Areas: Docking Area, Unstacking Temporary Storage Area, Fresh-Keeping Storage Area, Bagging Area
Handling Process: After the full crate of oranges is filled at the exit point, the unmanned forklift receives a PAD call and transports the full crate of navel oranges to the unstacking temporary storage area. Inside the unstacking temporary storage area, the unmanned forklift completes the unstacking task and transports 3 layers of full crates of navel oranges to the same category area within the fresh-keeping storage, accurately stacking them to 6 layers. Meanwhile, the unmanned forklift in the fresh-keeping storage removes empty crates for unstacking, and then transports them back to the docking area at the exit point. If there is a need for outbound handling, the unmanned forklift will transport products from the fresh-keeping area to the bagging area, with a similar process.
Efficiency Empowerment: The unmanned forklift can handle a total of 40 crates per hour for inbound operations, totaling 8 tons.
Efficient Collaboration of Multiple Vehicle Models
Multiway self-developed "WeFront X20" models are employed in this project. With a weight of only 480kg, this forklift can carry a load of up to 2000kg. It effectively caters to handling scenarios within the orange processing plant, such as inter-floor transportation, ground stacking, and extremely narrow aisle handling, thereby enhancing the factory's space utilization.
The project involves collaborative operations of multiple vehicle models. Through a highly flexible robot cluster solution, there's no need for site modification, allowing for rapid deployment. This solution addresses the lean production requirements of the navel orange processing plant, achieving breakthroughs in the intelligent transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry.
Six-Layer Wooden Crate, Precise Stacking
Multiway Robotics' high-flexibility unmanned forklift solution has unlocked various complex scenarios, including cargo storage and pickup at heights of up to 10 meters, stacking six layers of wooden crates, compatibility with multiple vehicle models for unmanned loading and unloading, and high-precision integration with production line. In the processing plant, the unmanned forklift synchronizes real-time fruit specifications to achieve the classification of different-sized fruits during storage.
The "Counterbalanced stacker MW-SE12," equipped with onboard visual AI detection cameras, adapts to different-sized pallets and varying heights of wooden crates. It effortlessly achieves precise stacking of six-layer wooden crates with an accuracy of up to ±10mm, efficiently completing the storage tasks.
Integrating Equipment and Information Flow Across the Entire Facility
To ensure the rapid deployment of unmanned forklifts before the peak order period, an advanced laser navigation method is utilized. This approach allows the enterprise to avoid halting production and instead automatically plans the most efficient and energy-efficient routing, facilitating on/off-loading along the production line and timely distribution for inbound and outbound processes.
Additionally, Multiway Robotics' self-developed WCS system provides standardized interfaces, seamlessly integrating with 9 automatic doors, 26 exit points for products, and 2 packaging lines. Their self-developed RCS (Robot Control System) scheduling system supports intelligent traffic management, task prioritization, and optimal path planning. This enables the comprehensive application and efficient coordination of multiple devices within a complex logistics system.
Multiway Robotics' integrated hardware and software intelligent logistics solution caters to the logistical handling needs of the navel orange processing plant. It relieves the labor required for on/off-loading along the production line and unstacking tasks in the warehouse, achieving a fully unmanned handling process. This solution not only reduces operational costs and enhances handling efficiency but also expands the storage area in the warehouse. It aids the agricultural product enterprise in achieving an intelligent upgrade while meeting the demands of the industry.
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