Claas Industrietechnik in Paderborn is a subsidiary of the international agricultural machinery manufacturer Claas in Harsewinkel. With more than 600 employees, Claas Industrietechnik has been developing and producing a wide range of drive technology and hydraulic systems for Claas machines and external customers since 1957. As a "company within the company", Claas Industrietechnik is responsible for axles, transmissions, corn crackers and hydraulic and electrical components.

With the aim of automating the internal transport of goods carriers to increase efficiency, the AGV integrator Mobile Robots was initially commissioned with a Robotize-Gopal test installation in the Paderborn production facility in 2020. With an autonomous mobile robot, a loading station and four pallet stations, the initial aim was to find out whether the selected AMR could be operated smoothly under the prevailing, quite demanding environmental conditions in the production hall. Particular systemic challenges included an uneven floor and narrow paths with a relatively high volume of people and equipment traffic, as well as chips on the floor and oily air from the processing machines.

As around 70 percent of all transports - special goods carriers such as pallet cages - initially lead from the individual processing centers to a central parts washing system, a major logistical challenge was to ensure orderly traffic management for a smooth workflow and error-free processing of the autonomous missions. As a prerequisite for this, some details had to be given special consideration; for example, it had to be ensured that transport containers were always correctly aligned for handling.

System decision

After a two-month "trial run", the decision was made in favour of the compact Robotize Go-Pal E24 model series with a maximum payload of 1,000 kilograms and a maximum speed of 2 meters per second. A fleet of six devices has now been successively installed by Mobile Robots. To this end, the integrator equipped several machining centers and a large area in front of the central parts washing system with pallet stations; the total number of these in production was increased to 150 by spring 2023. In the process, a delivery station was integrated into the washing system in such a way that the Robotize AMRs can enter here individually and the transported goods delivered by them are removed fully automatically and fed into the washing process.

Empty product carriers are also returned to the processing center autonomously. A worker places the washed parts, which have been removed manually with crane support, into correctly aligned mesh boxes delivered by the Robotize AMR. Positioning for filling is ensured by a Sick camera system that communicates with the Robotize fleet. The Go-Pal E24s then temporarily transport the pallet cages to the high-bay warehouse, where they are only picked up again at the start of the next processing step. In addition to these central processes, Mobile Robots also fully automate chip removal and the repositioning of empty waste containers at the processing stations with the AMR Robotize Go-Pal E24s.

Added value for the customer

By integrating the Robotize fleet into a production facility that had grown historically in terms of processes and was therefore very cramped in terms of space, it was possible to significantly increase operational efficiency through the direct removal of filled pallet cages and goods carriers - without any major interventions in the existing work processes or far-reaching infrastructural adjustments. Before automation, the parts regularly remained in the production hall until the next processing step, but now there is adequate space available for productive activities at workstations that are always tidy and the workflow for employees has been significantly improved.

On the one hand, the automation of parts transport to the washing system has eliminated extremely physically demanding manual tasks for employees. In addition, the autonomous transports by the Robotize fleet - covering distances of more than 90 kilometers per working day with an average of 500 individual missions - have created new capacities and the production staff can now be deployed much more efficiently for more important tasks. Tiresome and time-consuming, but ultimately unproductive tasks are now performed exclusively by the six Robotize Go-Pal E24 robots currently in use.

Collaborative safety at the interfaces between humans and robots is ensured at all times in all processes. Based on the Robotize onboard proximity sensors and laser scanners, the Robotize AMRs adjust their speed according to the situation and slow down to a stop when the paths become narrower or when they approach people, forklift trucks and other obstacles. In the event of path blockages, the individual devices are able to search for the most suitable alternative routes to continue the current mission based on a careful mapping of the factory floor during the installation process. Communication has also been designed to be convenient, so that employees can trigger a robot mission by simply pressing a call button at their workstation and thus initiate a collection or delivery order. Clear digital status displays on various end devices ensure maximum transparency and a complete overview. The communication of the robots with the production environment has also been solved in detail during integration by Mobile Robots. Gates, for example, can be controlled by the Robotize devices via I-O-Boxes and opened independently by a corresponding signal if they do not open under sensor control for operational reasons. Based on the I-O-Boxes, the robots also trigger visual signals if required - such as warning or information signals.