Autonomous mobile robots simplify
intralogistics at Diva International
Diva International has upgraded the transport of
wet wipes in its production facility using a machine
controller and ve autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)
from OMRON. This has resulted in a safer, more e cient
process, which keeps track of each step - from the order
through to ful lment in the warehouse.
For over 30 years, Diva International has produced and
distributed products for personal care and cleaning.
Based in Umbria, Italy, the company has grown considerably.
Its production plant in Spello currently occupies 20,000
square metres. The site recently decided to deploy a new
robotic system for palletising the wet wipes it produces,
to optimise effi ciency and the use of limited space.
Diva International has upgraded the transport of wet wipes in its
production facility.
The modernisation project was handled by FM Vision,
which works closely with OMRON Industrial Automation.
OMRON helped the company to develop a fully automated
solution that uses fi ve AMRs for loading and unloading
packaged batches of wet wipes from the end of the line
to the palletising stations.
The year-long development project also involved a
complete revision of the control architecture. An OMRON
Sysmac NJ machine controller (NX701) was installed to
provide holistic management of the data, from ordering
to fulfi lment. A tracking history was also created for the
plant’s coordinated activities.
Improving end-of-line logistics
The new robotic system met Diva’s need to upgrade
its end-of-line logistics without having to expand the
existing warehouse, which contains fi ve production lines.
The complete automation of the manual process of sorting
the packages to pallets had to take into account a series
of challenges in terms of safety, speed and cleanliness.
The biggest challenge was to design a system for loading
12 cardboard boxes in the shortest possible time, whilst
managing 60 diff erent formats (from 40x60 to 400x600mm)
and weights ranging from 300g to 12kg.
The modernisation project was handled by FM Vision that developed a fully automated solution with ve AMRs.
Augusto Falchetti, Owner of FM Vision, observes: „A sorting
and conveyor system for packages with such different
formats would have proved too difficult, due to problems
of space, cost and safety. A flow of 120 pallets, each with
70 packs, means that over 8,000 packs needed to be moved
each day.“
Another challenge was that the production area had to be
kept separate from the palletising area, due to potential
contaminants and fire regulations. This was why the sorting
operations were entrusted to five mobile robots from
OMRON. These were programmed to transport the boxes
leaving the production lines to the palletising stations.
Overcoming the challenges
OMRON’s AMRs can move independently within the
work environment, deciding which path to take to the
destination. Their navigation system is based on a map of
the premises and a dynamic reading of the environment.
A laser scanner allows the AMRs to ‘see’ up to 15m away
and at an angle of 250°. Their movements are managed
by a series of sensors and controls. The big advantage over
traditional automated guided vehicles (AGVs) lies in their
ability to avoid obstacles, including people.
“All this translates into a dramatic reduction in waiting time,”
explains Luca Polzoni, Data Analyst at Diva.
“When an obstacle is detected on the path, the robot
can always find an alternative route by performing a
recalculation in real time.”
An important part of the project focused on the
engagement and disengagement operations between
the AMRs and the conveyor belts at the loading and
unloading stations. The challenges included some design
constraints, as the robot wasn’t allowed to move beyond
800mm from the conveyor belt.
The frame of the fixed station was therefore designed to
have an adjustable height so that it could manage the
batches of four boxes on each of three levels. Augusto
Falchetti explains: “Between the trolleys mounted on the
robots and the belts on the loading and unloading stations,
the positioning has to be calibrated almost to the millimetre.
The robot engages the trolley frame by intersecting its
combs with those of the fixed station for the entire length
of the belt. When the engagement is complete, the levels of
the fixed station are raised by 2cm by a series of motorised
rollers, which remove the packages from the robot.“
Everything happens within very narrow tolerances of
position and speed. The robot’s movement must be precise:
even one degree of error could compromise the process.
Therefore, magnetic strips with a maximum tolerance of