An added benefit of solving these two problems is that the new gantry system can help power other equipment in the warehouse, bringing us a small step closer to making the warehouse industry more sustainable.
The freight problem was somewhat straight forward
Until now, our gantry solutions have been so long that they require special freight. The new solution is a modular mono gantry that can be disassembled and fits into standard 40 foot containers. Shipping becomes easier, and it is better for the environment as it takes up less space on trucks and ships.
To meet the objective of speed, we took inspiration from electric vehicles and magnetic trains, and this led to a very energy-efficient solution. It can in part power itself. When you push the brakes in an electric car, you capture kinetic energy and add a bit of power to the battery. Our new mono gantry solution works the same way. When the Layer Picker head moves back and forth, energy is accumulated every time it decelerates. This energy can either be used to raise or lower the Layer Picker head for picking, making the solution partly power itself, or it can be transferred to your internal grid and power other equipment in your warehouse.
Up and running in no time
Up and running in no time. Commissioning is very fast as there are no elastic parts. There is no gear box, there are no straps, and there are no rubber tires. This makes it very accurate and also means a lot less maintenance in the long run. That it is modular, and a mono gantry also means that it requires little floor space and is fast and easy to assemble.
It picks goods fast
On this system, the Layer Picker head moves back and forth at a speed of 3 meters per second, compared to 1.1 meter in the older solution. On average, this system picks layers 38% faster than our older version, and in some positions, it is up to 78% faster. It can perform up to 226 picks per hour and can still pick up to 4 layers for every cycle, adding up to a theoretical 904 layers pr. hour.
The speed comes from a magnet
Building a magnet into the bottom part of the gantry beam allow us to leverage a high dynamic mechanical system. Think of it as a small high-speed magnetic train. It is this magnetic system that allows for fast acceleration and movement back and forth of the Layer Picker head.
The magnetic solution met the objective of speed. And it led to several additional benefits. For one, the linear solution is extremely accurate when defining the positioning. Simply put, it stops exactly where we want it to stop, with no need to allow a tolerance for when brakes get worn.
In most other solutions, the energy from braking is released as heat into the air. Our calculations show that with this linear servo solution, you will save around 13,000 kWh from each Layer Picker system, saving you money and emissions at the same time.
In the long run, this is a big win as it gives you a lower need for maintenance, higher performance and a more eco-friendly solution.
Let’s inspire each other
Developing a more efficient mono gantry system will not bring an end to global warming. But for all of us at Körber, it feels good that we can contribute to one of the most important global topics and help our own company and our customers fulfill some of our climate targets.
Bringing emissions to zero in the global warehousing and supply chain industry currently seems like an insurmountable challenge, but that will not keep us from taking all the steps that are possible, especially when they are both sustainable and profitable.
