SK Nexilis, based in Jeongeup, South Korea, built its first facility (Factory 4) in 2020 and subsequently expanded it in 2021 with Factory 5, installing an additional AGV system in April.

At the end of 2021, it further expanded, commissioning a third AGV system to handle the copper foil coils they produce, used for all types of batteries.

The system consists of two AGVs capable of carrying copper foil reels weighing up to 5 tons.

The laser guidance system provides sufficient positioning precision to interface the load exchange with an overhead crane from the Italian company Bonfanti.

Missions and data exchange with the MES are performed via Oracle tables.

Communication with the Bonfanti PLC is performed via UDP protocol.

There are a series of DI/DO signals in the field, which are managed via Modbus to open and close doors and to manage safety or presence signals.

Commissioning lasted two weeks, with no problems or unexpected situations.

The most challenging part of this system is the presence of a corridor on a bridge connecting the two factories, where the AGVs can drive from one production area to the other.

This significantly complicated the management of intersections to prevent the AGVs from blocking each other, given that the layout provides limited space for AGV guidance.

Another challenge was the logical management of the missions, as various scenarios are planned, and depending on the scenarios and the AGVs’ operational status, the mission must be assigned to one AGV rather than another.

Furthermore, to manage the layouts of the two factories (5 and 6), the management system had to reside on a single computer, which created additional complexity in communicating with the Bonfanti PLC, which was originally structured for a communication channel between the overhead crane and the AGV traffic control system.

Here, however, we have two overhead cranes and two PLCs communicating with the same AGV management computer.

AGV navigation type: Laser.

AGV system controller: Windows PC with cold backup, where SQL server is installed.

Charging concept: charging stations with contacts on the side 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: 2

AGV manufacturer: AGVE

Function: AGV navigation software and AGV system manager development.

Year: 2022