The shuttle is responsible for moving materials in and out of the system as well as retrieving and storing these materials in the racking. It travels on a ground-mounted track under servo power to the positions necessary. The shuttle’s dimensions are noticeably more compact than similar fork trucks, allowing the system to take up less square footage.

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Control System

The electronic control system is the brain of the system. Operated through a touch screen interface, the control system provides easy to use access to the system. An operator uses the provided HMI to summon materials from the system or command the system to store pallets for use later. The rest of the operation is automated, including selecting available storage locations to physically moving the pallets or materials.

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The control system can be extended to report on materials movements to production management software and even be used in advanced stages to be commanded by such systems if the customer requires.

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AS/RS Operation

The system’s operation is relatively easy to follow. An operator delivers a pallet of material to be stored to the infeed system. Then the operator selects the storage function on the HMI. From here the process is entirely automated.

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The AS/RS system takes into account the height of the material and determines the best location in the racking to store the material. It then summons the shuttle to pick up the material and transport it to the selected location. The retrieval operation is the reverse of storage. No need for operator input after the AS/RS picks the material.

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Being fully automatic in operation removes the potential for human injury in the process as well as the most efficient operation possible. Removing the operator from the storage process is also instrumental in saving floor space.

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Of course, humans will be humans and the AS/RS system is ready for occasions when things don’t go to plan or warnings ignored. The shuttle system includes built in OSHA approved light curtain sensors that identifies material or people in its path. If the curtain is breached at a distance, the machine reduce its speed to a quarter of its ability. Should the violator close the distance, the system will shut down all movement until the curtain is again clear.

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You can read more detail about the different components of the AS/RS system here.

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System Dimensions

The MWES AS/RS Buffer System is designed to fit within existing production facilities using a modular, scalable approach that not only allows installation flexibility, it also provides the ability to be easily expanded in the future.