Automatic Guided Vehicles.

Computer-controlled and wheel-based, automatic guided vehicles (AGV) are load carriers that travel along the floor of a facility without an onboard operator or driver. Their movement is directed by a combination of software and sensor-based guidance systems. Because they move on a predictable path with precisely controlled acceleration and deceleration, and include automatic obstacle detection bumpers, AGVs provide safe movement of loads. Typical AGV applications include transportation of raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods in support of manufacturing production lines, and storage-retrieval or other movements in support of picking in warehousing and distribution applications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AGVs excel in applications with the following features:

- Repetitive movement of materials over a distance.

- Regular delivery of stable loads.

- Medium throughput / volume.

- When on-time delivery is critical and late deliveries are causing inefficiency.

- Operations with at least two shifts.

- Processes where tracking material is important.