Automated guided vehicles are available in a variety of vehicle types to meet a full range of customer needs for transporting product throughout a facility. The carrier component on each vehicle is what actually carries the load. Depending on what products are being transported throughout a facility, a ‘fork’, ‘conveyor deck’, ‘lift table’, ‘tugger’ and ‘clamp attachment’ are available. Though there are additional carrier options to choose from, these are the most common. Carriers can be swapped out for a different attachment if needs within a facility change.
Often, multiple carrier types are used in combination within a facility in order to maximize efficiency and minimize downtime. For example, two forks could be stacking pallets while a conveyor deck is taking product to a conveyor and a tugger is pulling carts from one end of the facility to the other. All work in unison to ensure operations are running smoothly.
In order to fully understand the wide range of automation solutions available, let’s take a look at the main carrier types.
Fork
Fork carriers are the most well known and most commonly used. They are used for picking and placing pallets with fork pockets.
Conveyor Deck
These vehicles are designed to transfer product to and from production conveyors. Conveyor decks, also sometimes referred to as unit load vehicles, carry totes, pallets, containers, etc.
Lift Table
Lift table AGVs are very unique. They are designed to handle odd loads that won’t fit any other vehicle option. They often drive under a fixture (AKA tunneling) and pick it up with just a short amount of vertical travel. Then the AGV will drive it to the next location and set it down.
Tugger
Tugger or towing AGVs pull either single or multiple trailers in a train like fashion. The vehicles in this category generally differ by their towing weight.
Clamp Attachment
Clamp AGVs are best for handling non-palletized materials and rolls. This type of AGV attachment uses a meticulously controlled clamp to pick up and place various load types.
A custom option is also available. We offer the flexibility of custom creating vehicles to fit your exact needs. If what you are looking for doesn't fit into one of the preexisting carrier categories, we can customize a solution unique to your needs.
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