AGV system upgrade increases flexibility
By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 9/15/1999
When the Seattle Times added an additional press line to its operations to keep up with production, management decided to upgrade the AGV control system. The old configuration allowed little flexibility to explore new value-added operations, perform extensive diagnostics, or correct system errors.Dana Reed, electrical systems manager, explains: "At the time we added a fourth Goss press line which necessitated the addition of three new AGVs, a hands-on electronic's window of opportunity was opened. Our previous AGV control system was basically a 'black box' that afforded us little if any flexibility to tweak the system." When Times' decision makers opted for the AGV upgrade, he added, they essentially made the move to control independence.
In its daily operations, the Seattle Times uses over 300 tons of newsprint to put its 230,000 newspapers on the street. A fleet of 12 AGVs interacts with 4 GOSS Colorline, 10-reel stand printing presses to keep things rolling. The AGVs receive rolls of newsprint, store them in buffer storage "laydown" areas, deliver rolls to presses for consumption, and handle carts containing waste material from the printing process.
The TRACE upgrade system (called Traffic Routing AGV Command Executive) allows operators to check the status of an individual AGV or the entire fleet by simply accessing the system with the click of a mouse. With the open database architecture, systems engineers can access data, analyze, and prepare reports without having to get inside the AGV system or go back to the supplier for assistance. The system also provides the capability to add improved maintenance features, perform ongoing diagnostic testing and troubleshooting, and perform continuous system status updates.
For example, the Times implemented alternate queues near the laydown area to eliminate traffic jams when laydown is congested. Laydown lanes can be split in two and accessed from both ends to improve throughput and stock rotation. "Without TRACE," Reed says, "the cost and implementation of these and other upgrades would have to be negotiated with and controlled by the AGV supplier."
In addition, the new on-board controllers improve software functions and allow for off-wire maneuvers. As Reed, explains, "We can increase AGV vehicle speed if needed and use vehicle P-turns (off-wire, programmed maneuvers) to reduce rotation times. . . This saves wear and tear on the AGVs and the pressroom floor."
An additional feature includes continuous on-wire or off-wire communication that is fast, reliable, easy to maintain, and with no restrictions on guidepath changes. "Having multiple AGV communication channels," Reed adds, "we can continually improve AGV response time."
The decision to implement the TRACE system software, offers Reed, "was a declaration of independence by Seattle Times management. The upgrade and retrofit of the system offered little if any capital cost/price benefit. But the enormous benefit to our operation was that we garnered complete flexibility to control pressroom inventory and operations."
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