Electricity and Control July 2024

CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION

Managing intralogistics in warehousing

Managing intralogistics in warehousing can be challenging.Warehouses, distribution centres and production facilities that rely on manual processes face health and safety risks and problems with traceability and quality. Efficient, intelligent automation offers some solutions.

W hen material flow is not optimised it results in slower production or process downtime, which affect overall operations. Manufacturers need agile solutions that can scale production up or down to meet changing demands. By investing in warehouse automation, businesses can ensure that materials and goods are stored and transferred correctly. This simplifies employees’ tasks, supports optimised workflows, improves productivity, and increases capacity, over time leading to growth and higher profitability. The increased use of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) in the field of logistics has accompanied the au tomation of warehouses and production centres closely. PLCs mark the initial phase of automation in warehouses and are used wherever automated systems are deployed – to operate pick and place robots at pick stations in the automotive industry, for example, or to manage automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. PLCs play a central role in con trolling numerous automated storage and transportation solutions, including roller conveyors for boxes, totes, and bins. Omron offers a flexible line of scalable industrial PLC controllers for use in single machines or as part of larger machine control installations, and several models of PLC hardware that provide various processing and I/O options for smaller to bigger machine automation systems. Automated conveyor systems The integration of automated conveyor systems is valuable in enhancing efficiency and safety. They are core to opti

mising material handling processes, elevating overall pro ductivity, and contributing to workplace safety by minimis ing human exposure to operating machinery and difficult industrial conditions. In a fast-paced industrial environment, automated con veyor systems face demands for increased throughput, shorter processing times, smooth product motion, and a need to manage rising operational costs. The main objec tive is to reduce the cost per case while ensuring scalability and reliability. Omron’s MX2 meets these challenges, offering advanced control capabilities, seamless product motion with controlled acceleration and deceleration, and ensuring high reliability, increased uptime, and reduced maintenance costs. The MX2 model also allows for easy integration into networks and communication settings, including EtherCAT, Modbus, DeviceNet, Profibus, CompoNet, MECHATROLINK-II, and EtherNet/IP. Additionally, the MX2 features an automatic energy-saving function. Vision systems Omron solutions are designed to automate the most time-consuming and labour-intensive aspects of ware house operations. The 3D robot vision system address es common challenges, such as sorting errors and lifting heavy workloads for precise item singulation. This is par ticularly advantageous for handling high-value and delicate e-commerce items. Notably, the 3D robot vision system en sures precision and care in sorting, minimising the risk of damage or loss.

In automated intralogistics autonomous mobile robots can enhance efficiency and optimise workflows.

10 Electricity + Control JULY 2024