Agilox introduces new ODM robot
Agilox is expanding its range of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) with the new Omnidirectional Dolly Mover Agilox ODM. While the Agilox ONE is equipped with a scissor lift and the Agilox OCF has a free lift for load handling, the Agilox ODM is built on the principle of a dolly mover. This means it can accept loads with a maximum weight of 300kg to a maximum lifting height of 250mm and transport them to their destination. The intelligent AMR concept with Agilox X-Swarm technology thus opens up new areas of application and other industry segments because small load carriers (such as totes), which the new Agilox ODM is designed to transport, are widely used, especially in the electronics and pharmaceutical industries.
With the Agilox ODM, Agilox has brought new thinking to the concept of Automated Guided Vehicles: The compact vehicle travels autonomously and navigates freely on the production floor or in the warehouse, perfectly ensuring the in-house material flow. Just like Agilox ONE and Agilox OCF, Agilox ODM uses an omnidirectional drive concept. This allows it to travel transversely into rack aisles as well as turn on the spot, enabling it to maneuver even in the tightest of spaces. The lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) accumulator ensures short charge times and long operating cycles.
Georg Kirchmayr, CEO of Georg Kirchmayr, CEO of Agilox Services GmbH Services GmbH says, “Agilox is a brand that has built a strong foundation with the Agilox ONE and the Agilox OCF. With the new Agilox ODM, we remain true to our brand DNA while simultaneously targeting the transport of small load carriers to support our growth plan to become the world’s leading AMR provider.”
With the new Agilox ODM, customers can benefit from all the advantages of same proven X-SWARM technology as in Agilox ONE and Agilox OCF: the unique advantages of an (intra) logistics solution designed from the ground up.
Since Agilox AMRs have no need for a central control system and can orient to the existing contours with millimetre precision, this eliminates time-consuming and costly modifications to the existing infrastructure. Autonomous route-finding also enables the vehicles to avoid obstacles unaided. If it is not possible to get past the detected obstacle due its size or the available clearance, the AMRs calculate a new route within seconds to reach their destination as quickly as possible. For customers, this means maximum freedom in their existing processes, because they do not have to adapt to the Autonomous Mobile Robot system. Instead, the system adapts to the customer’s processes. Furthermore, fully autonomous routing ensures a safe workflow – even in mixed operations.
Plug & Perform commissioning of the intelligent intralogistics solutions and the absence of a master computer or navigation aids also saves AGILOX customers from doing tedious alteration work in advance. Once the logistics robots have been put into operation, they organize themselves according to the (decentralised) principle of swarm intelligence, i.e. they exchange information several times a second to enable the entire fleet to calculate the most efficient route and prevent potential deadlocks before these can occur. The customer thus benefits from a system that constantly runs smoothly, with no downtime. Time-consuming coordination of vehicles by the customer is also a thing of the past thanks to Agilox X-Swarm technology. For the customer, this means flexibility, because it lets them expand the vehicles’ area of operation within just a few minutes. It also means that it is very easy to relocate an Agilox AMR to be used temporarily in other areas of the company areas or its subsidiaries. Since Agilox vehicles can also communicate with other machines or the building infrastructure by means of IO boxes, even rolling doors or multiple floors are no problem for the AMRs. So, this too means that customers enjoy maximum flexibility in the organisation of their production processes.
Another major advantage comes from mixed operation of the Agilox fleet in a ‘swarm’. The smaller Agilox ONE and ODM series vehicles can then, for example, feed the assembly workstations or e-Kanban racks, while the Agilox OCF vehicles transport the pallets. This can easily be done because Agilox AMRs all use the same control and WiFi infrastructure.