Will automation in logistics, production and assembly continue to increase? What position will driverless transportation system have? How is the cost calculated?
In a recent study on the energy supply transformation of industrial vehicles and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in logistics, German experts showed that many companies paid less attention to their energy supply without material handling, but more attention to the technology of driverless transport vehicles. Although it is a trend to use powerful lithium-ion batteries, their efficiency has not been fully utilized at present. There is no doubt that intelligent charging solutions make it possible to optimize the entire process - having a significant impact on economic efficiency.
The driverless transportation system is always in the best energy state and continuously produces. They can charge at the right place in the process
The importance of automated transport systems for industrial processes is increasing. In a study on the transformation of industrial vehicles and AGV energy supply in the logistics industry, 80% of the respondents agreed with this statement. The study examined the vehicles used for logistics, production and assembly and their energy supply. It is carried out by Prolog Team, a logistics and organization consulting company, in cooperation with Ludwigshafen University of Applied Science and Technology and Wiferion. Fifty large and medium-sized companies, mainly from the industrial, trade and service sectors, provided information on the electric vehicles, batteries and charging processes used.
Lithium ion battery has been established
Whether AGV or AMR, the degree of automation of logistics internal processes has reached a fairly high level. Although forklift trucks (87.5%) and manual pallet trucks (85.5%) still dominate the electric drive vehicles, AGV and AGV have accounted for 29.2%, and AMR has accounted for 12.5%. Of the vehicles in use, 50% are powered by lithium ion batteries and 43.8% by lead-acid batteries. The relatively high proportion of lead-acid batteries may be due to existing contracts. The advantages of powerful lithium-ion batteries are obvious: longer service life, low maintenance, low weight, lower operating costs, and the possibility of intermediate charging. Therefore, it is understandable that more than half of the respondents plan to use lithium ion batteries when refitting or purchasing new cars in the future.
Don't just look at investment costs
But not all companies are concerned about the energy supply of the systems they use. The study led to a surprising result that one third of the respondents could not provide any information about the batteries they used. There seems to be a great need for clarification. In order to focus on the total cost of ownership of its AGV and AMR, companies should not only focus on technology and its investment. It is necessary to comprehensively evaluate the economic benefits by determining the total cost. Therefore, all efforts arising from selection, procurement, purchase, installation, operation, use and maintenance, training and repair, disposal and return must be considered. In this context, lithium ion batteries are convincing because of their many advantages. Although the initial investment cost is high, enterprises have achieved significantly higher ROI by using future oriented technologies.
The charging process is often inefficient
This study shows that. AGVs and industrial vehicles are usually charged only after work, sometimes at rest, or even after the energy is used up. The problem is: if there is no energy for downstream work, it must be charged irregularly. This has led to the interruption of the workflow, and the efficiency is not high. Charging after one shift may also cause problems, for example, in multi shift operations, there are not enough charged vehicles available for the next shift. However, most companies in the logistics industry work more than two shifts. Therefore, it is worth looking at the charging process. Because wrong charging process, power failure and voltage peak during charging will seriously endanger supply safety and lead to production loss. In daily work and life, people often forget to connect and charge the vehicle. Therefore, one third of the respondents need at least 60 minutes to recharge. Another third of the respondents were unable to provide any information on the duration of the charging process, and apparently never dealt with the charging process in more depth. However, lithium-ion batteries are designed for frequent intermediate charging, and are capable of absorbing large currents in a short time. But this potential cannot be exploited with traditional charging technologies. As a result, most companies miss the opportunity to improve their productivity by optimizing the charging process. The more vehicles used, the more attention should be paid to the charging process.
Problems caused by traditional charging technology
For their AGV and AMR energy supply, the companies surveyed mainly use charging systems with loop connections. A charging cable with socket connection is also used. In the third place is the inductive point charging system. Considering that this technology has only existed in the market for a short time, it is remarkable. Therefore, some companies have recognized the advantages and potential of inductive charging process. However, others still use systems with sliding contacts and accept the associated environmental pollution, health hazards to employees and safety risks. On the one hand, the sliding contacts installed on the floor constitute a tripping hazard; on the other hand, the copper dust generated endangers the health of employees. This inevitably occurs when the contacts are worn. It has caused a lot of pollution to the charging station and production environment. Charging through cables also has many disadvantages. On the one hand, the maintenance workload is large, on the other hand, it is often necessary to install complex peripheral circuits and equipment to protect employees. In most cases, the transport system goes to an external charging station for charging, and then it is not in production. According to the study, 40% of respondents have additional vehicles in use to remedy these faults. This redundancy is accompanied by high investment and high operating costs.
Use modern technology as much as possible
How to reduce these costs so as to make the charging process more economical and efficient? The inductive point charging system provides the best solution. AGV and AMR can be charged automatically due to non-contact energy transmission based on magnetic induction principle. The vehicle is always in the best energy state and is in continuous production. Because there is no open contact, the work safety is greatly increased and the maintenance cost is reduced. The result is an almost maintenance free operation and maximum process reliability. Because of many advantages, the acquisition cost was quickly amortized. It can be considered that if enterprises want to make full use of the advantages of powerful lithium ion batteries and make their future oriented automation projects successful, the share of inductive charging systems will increase in the future.
