WORLD OF INDUSTRIES 02/2018

Track-guided AGVs facilitate agile assembly processes following the
guiding principles of Industry 4.0
routes for the vehicles that often come in large numbers and several
types within a system. It also takes care of communication and
interaction with surrounding systems such as permanent conveyor
installations or production cells. DS Navios constitutes the intelligence
behind DS Automotion’s flexible AGV solutions. Its high efficiency
limits the number of vehicles required.
Controlling track-guided and free-navigation AGVs
Not least due to the extensive
capabilities of the DS Navios
management and control system
to solve transportation tasks of
any complexity, DS Automotion
AGVs are standard equipment
in production and health
facilities alike.
Arthur Kornmüller, Managing
Director, DS Automotion
Track-guided systems are typically deeply integrated with the production
plant; vehicle movements mainly follow the flow or cycle
schemes of the production workstations. The TrackGuide control
system kernel used to create track-guided AGV systems within DS
Navios is based on PLC technology. Programming uses the same
Siemens TIA Portal software development environment that is also
in use for production automation. As this is a de-facto standard not
only in the German Automotive industry, track-guided DS Automotion
AGV systems can seamlessly be integrated with their operators’
overall automation processes.
FreeGuide is the AGV traffic management system for DS Automotion
free navigation AGVs. It communicates with MES and ERP
systems, using order, material and machinery information to create
driving jobs for the individual vehicles. It also communicates
directly with other parts of the production facility, for instance to
summon an elevator or to enter a safe production cell through a
light curtain without causing an access violation. Continuous position
and condition monitoring of all vehicles facilitates undisturbed
operations. “Not least due to the nearly unlimited capabilities of the
DS Navios management and control system to solve transportation
tasks of any complexity, DS Automotion AGVs are standard equipment
in production and health facilities alike”, says Arthur Kornmüller,
Managing Director of DS Automotion.
Photographs: DS Automotion
www.ds-automotion.com
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