The former Pfizer and Haupt pharma plant in Borgo San Michele joins the Aenova group.

As part of a system upgrade, the first AGV is updated with new communication modules to communicate via Wi-Fi instead of radio, and the AGV’s actuator guidance and control components are also updated.

There are three AGV systems that handle pallets and bins, both in aseptic environments (bins) and non-aseptic environments (pallets). The AGVs use the Kollmorgen guidance and navigation system.

Over the years, the management system has been upgraded from IBM/Unix to PC/Windows, resulting in updates to both the database and the programming language.

The AGVs in the plant currently communicate via radio, using older components that are no longer available and can no longer be maintained or supported.

Aenova therefore decided to extend AGV communication to a Wi-Fi network, and to do so, the terminal servers had to be upgraded from RS-485 to TCP/IP.

During this upgrade, the Kollmorgen components on board the AGVs for navigation were also replaced, as well the central control computer with the Layout Designer, System Controller, and AGV Application Designer were updated as well.

Refresher training has also been released for customers and operators, for the correct use of the new releases of the Kollmorgen system software modules.

Testing has been a crucial phase of the commissioning in order to ensure that all system functions were still working correctly, including communication, traces and data logging.

AGV navigation type: Laser.

System controller: Windows PC with cold backup, dedicated to host communication and order handlings.

AGV system controller provided by Kollmorgen (former NDC). AGV communitation has been upgraded from radio to WiFi.

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 two shifts, morning and afternoon.

Number of AGVs: 15

AGV manufacturer: Rocla

Function: Fine tuning, commissioning and training.

Year: 2020