Autonomous and Scalable Lift Trucks Solve Your Specific Challenges
Advances in lift truck technology ensure your operators are responsive to the dynamic conditions at work in your shop.
Posted: January 24, 2024
Driverless lift trucks and adaptive safety systems prioritize operator and overall plant safety by detecting obstacles, adjusting speeds, and initiating emergency stops when necessary.
World’s First Autonomous Sideloader; Option to Operate Manually
Combilift’s (Annahagh, Monaghan, Ireland) Combi-AGT is a four-wheel electric stand-on model, which is the world’s first autonomous dual operational sideloader for long loads. The Combi-AGT harnesses the very latest smart technology to meet customer demands for driverless sideloader capability. These were driven in part by safety to eliminate the presence of personnel in aisles, consistency in handling procedures and to maximize order fulfilment, while also having a backup manual mode in case of power outages or internet disruptions.
Combilift’s automation team spent three years liaising with specialist steel suppliers to identify the best specifications for the Combi-AGT. With a lift capacity of 5,000 kg/11,000 lbs. and various lift heights, it addresses the requirements of steel service centers and the metal industries, which typically handle long loads. Combilift worked in tandem with Irish Manufacturing Research during the development process to enable seamless integration with multiple client warehouse management systems.
Its design is based on the electric manually operated Combi-GTE model which has long been a very popular choice for service centers due to its ability to work efficiently in rail guided narrow aisles. The laser-based sensors, fitted at various positions on the chassis, constitute of an anti-collision safety system, as required by the American National Standards Institute. If the machine senses an obstacle or pedestrian that has entered its path, it automatically slows down and will, if necessary, stop in cases of emergency, it will then continue to drive automatically when the obstacle has cleared its safety sensor area. The enhanced adaptive safety system enables the size of the obstacle detection fields to increase or decrease as per the steer angle and speed of the truck.
As opposed to traditional methods of truck navigation based on wire guidance or artificial landmarks such as reflectors, the Combi-AGT uses the naturally occurring features in a warehouse – walls, racking and columns for example, avoiding the need to add to or change the warehouse infrastructure.
Its newly developed load dimension detection system (patent pending) operates by performing a laser scan of the load to check that its length matches the task sent to the machine. Similarly, when unloading, it checks that the rack in front has sufficient free space to accept the load.
https://combilift.com/combi-agt
Lift Truck Platform Maximizes Operator Performance
Hyster Co.’s (Greenville, NC) A Series is a line of forklift trucks manufactured using the company’s A+ Logic design philosophy. A+ Logic is a scalable approach that allows customers to choose the options they need from a fully integrated set of adjustable features based on their unique applications. Ultimately, this helps to enable high productivity and a low total cost of ownership for heavy-duty metals applications.
The first models built on the A Series platform, the award-winning Hyster H40-70A series, are 4,000-to-7,000-pound capacity lift trucks. Under the A+ Logic system, “the tight-knit collaboration between our dealers and customers is an essential part of our approach, and the A Series platform allows us to act on that, delivering a lift truck solution built around their needs, with everything they need and nothing they don’t,” said John Santiago, director of product planning and solutions, Hyster.
The flexibility to get only the options needed enables the H40-70A to deliver the capability operations require. A feature standard on all H40-70A models and maintenance-free, the Hyster Dynamic Stability System (DSS) uses sensors to monitor truck status. When thresholds are exceeded, DSS implements measures such as limiting truck speed and hydraulic function to minimize the risk of forward and sideways tip-overs.
“As operators push to get the job done, DSS lends them a helping hand, automatically reinforcing their training,” said Jimmy Anderson, product manager for Hyster. “It gives visual indicators, audible alerts and automatic performance adjustments for stable travel that keeps business moving. Whether you are an operator, a manager or a business owner, DSS is a tool to help you meet your targets for performance and safety.”
