The industrial revolution led the factories and industries to boom quickly thanks to the amazing inventions that happened at the time, such as steam engines for industrial manufacturing and line manufacturing using conveyor belts.
The industrial revolution helped in scaling many of the operations that were otherwise being manufactured by hand, using a lot of time and resources. As time passed, more and more technologies were added that made the life of the manufacturing process easier, and one such addition is the Automated Guided Vehicle.
An automatic vehicle with a guidance system that could use various techniques for getting from Point A to point B without a driver or human supervision and that which could carry a payload that needs to be transported routinely from one place to another. This invention has benefited quite a number of operations when it comes to manufacturing.
AGV – Automated Guided Vehicle | Introduction
An automated guided vehicle is a robotic solution to many industrial problems. It helps factories to move loads that are either raw materials or pellet goods that are ready to be shipped or sent off to a warehouse.
AGV is a simple solution to transportation issues inside closed quarters such as company premises, factory floors, warehouses, etc. AGV is equipped with many different technologies making it one of the most adaptable hardware that helps transport goods.
A simple example of the use of AGV is in a factory where raw materials are stored in a store room and need to be periodically brought into the factory floor. Manufactured goods are taken from the factory and transported to a godown or storage facility.
In this scenario, an AGV proves to be extremely useful as it can carry a certain payload without any issues and transport it to a certain location without the guidance of humans or wastage of time. It can be automated in a way that such operations can be carried out a specific number of times and at a specific point in time.
This helps optimize the manufacturing and transportation processes and helps cut down unnecessary man hours. AGV uses certain technologies that help map the factory floor or any other space it needs to work within.
It can use technologies such as LIDAR that helps in routing, navigation and traffic management, a camera that helps monitor obstacles and optimize the path, sensors that help map the space and navigation, etc.
AGVs now run on optimized technologies such as laser-based and camera-based navigation systems, both of which enhance the operation and help in better routing, traffic management, load balancing and battery management.
Benefits of using AGV in Industries
AGV helps with many things in a factory or manufacturing facility, and some of the notable benefits are:
- Time Management
Machines such as AGV help cut down resources that are otherwise spent on transporting materials back and forth and the manual errors when lifting large loads. It also improves time management by automating the routines.
- Optimizing Transport
Transport of materials through robot-enabled machines helps automate the transport of materials withdrawing the need for machines, forklifts and other techniques for load management.
- Efficiency
It benefits the overall manufacturing process as it involves fewer man hours on simple tasks such as transport and diverting them to more useful operations.
