San Marco is a company that dyes yarns for the textile industry.

To increase and control production flows, it decided to install an AGV system that transports pallets containing yarn spools from production to floor storage, to the yarn dyeing machines, and to shipping.

Each machine is PLC controlled, so our system communicated with all PLC in the layout.

This AGV system management, consists of five forklifts which get missions from a host computer (PLC), which transmits the missions related to incoming pallets to the stations.

When the presence of pallets is detected via changes in digital signals, the mission is created and the AGV is called.

Particular focus has been done to the administrative management and cross-checking of production batches in conjunction with the host computer.

Standard management of missions, overlaps, and priorities.

AGV navigation type: inductive wire guidance

Traffic controller: 486 PC, in warm backup, with Digiboard multiserial ports, connected to all devices on the layout, DI/DO signals and infrared transreceivers to communicate with AGVs, plus a serial communication line to communicate with the host (PLC).

Charging concept: charging stations with contacts on top of the AGV, when batteries are low, the vehicle is sent there to stay and charge, as well the AGV goes on charger when there are no transports to execute.

This AGV system is working over three shifts.

Number of AGVs: 5

AGV manufacturer: Digitron

Function: AGV traffic controller development, order handling.

Year: 1995