What are Servo Drives for AGVs? Top 5 Benefits
Servo Drives for AGVs
Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are being used by every industry from warehousing to healthcare to improve operational workflow and reduce labor costs. While still in their infancy, AGVs promise infinite potential, from use as a trolley in a manufacturing setting, to more sophisticated uses, such as military and transportation logistics.
In this article we will discuss what AGVs are, and what benefits do servo drives for AGVs provide.
What are AGVs?
Let’s define what AGVs are, and discuss why they are being purchased in mass by numerous Fortune 500 companies. AGVs are self-guided vehicles (some consider robots) that rely on wireless routing, video, and proximity sensors to navigate their environment. AGVs provide high efficiency to reduce energy costs and increase battery life. They also integrate IoT technology, which makes them auditable for logistics management.
With available data analytics and tracking, manufacturers can constantly refine manufacturing processes to save money and keep better track of inventory. This reduces shrinkage and allows for more accurate inventory management. Primarily, however, AGVs don’t require lunch breaks, vacation time, and other employee downtime that cost businesses money.
AGVs are also more efficient than most conveyor systems for several reasons. For one, the modular design of AGVs allow them to scale to match demand as it increases. The modular design also makes them incredibly simple to maintain and install. Furthermore, being controlled via a warehouse ethernet or IP system allows AGVs to follow through with operations with pinpoint accuracy.
So why are finding the right servo drives for AGVs so important? The answer can be found in their simple modular design and their rate of efficiency. Say goodbye to lengthy breakdowns on conveyors and the need for preventative maintenance.
How Servo Drives Power AGVs
Given the increasing demands of AGVs for automated factories, companies now require systems that can match the complex technical and logical demands of their operation. In a traditional setting, AGVs would simply operate like another conveyor, transporting products from one end of the assembly line to the other.
Nowadays, AGVs require intelligent components that can sync to existing legacy operating systems and complete complex tasks, such as navigating sharp turns, moving at high speeds, and even avoiding obstacles and rerouting. This means that AGVs require a motor and controller able to match these requirements.
Using modern fieldbus protocol, high current output, and compatible ethernet firmware, servo systems are able to match both the physical and precision requirements of AGV workloads.
Oftentimes, integrated servo systems can be located in the wheel of an AGV. The role of the servo motor and servo drive is to power the AGV and also guide the AGV along the desired path.
Servo drives convert low level signals from the controller into high power current and voltage in order to adjust the motion of the motor. After feedback from the sensors is relayed back to the controller, the servo drive will also make adjustments to the AGV based on the weight of the payload and the current speed of the AGV to ensure that proper handling and control is maintained.
To truly understand this subject, it’s best to discuss what benefits servo drives provide for AGVs.
5 Benefits of Servo Drives for AGVs
1. Flexible Design
The dynamic capabilities of AGVs require a flexible design that can scale to any purpose or workload. The simplistic design of servo drives for AGVs makes them particularly attractive in this regard.
For example, due to the operating environment, the healthcare industry often requires AGVs with a compact design. This means that the motors and drives need to be well integrated to save space.
The compact design of servo drives is perfectly suited to integrate with both smaller and larger AGVs. The ability to incorporate brushless motors and epicycloidal reduction gears in a single axis, affords room for additional components such as larger batteries, better HMI, and additional sensors.
These often include:
Larger batteries
Better HMI
Additional sensors
At ADVANCED Motion Controls, you can choose between servo systems that can integrate with any AGV size or workload profile. With our selection of servo amplifiers, you oftentimes don’t even need to swap out the existing servo motor or feedback if retrofitting your system.
2. Expert Precision
Nowadays, AGVs are no longer used to simply transport boxes from point A to B on a straight path. AGVs must be able to carry heavy loads up uneven terrain and navigate difficult paths that can be hundreds of feet long.
Servo systems are able to match these requirements using the precise control of their closed loop, negative feedback response. This enables servo powered AGVs to accomplish linear and rotary motion on a precise path along any axis.
Using these feedback sensors, servo systems can adjust the wheel position and speed needed to move the AGV up hills or make turns. Furthermore, these sensors can detect any collisions or forces impeding the vehicle’s progress and adjust the power requirements to compensate.
3. Highly Efficient
Servo drives are also able to match the power requirement of most AGV load profiles. In fact, many modern AGVs can haul payloads of up to five tons or more.
Servo drives can handle such high payloads by operating under high current for minutes on end. Using modern efficient components, servo drives can transmit huge amounts of power without overheating. Coupled with the servo drive’s precision, this steady current also allows for the smooth handling of heavy loads.
4. Interconnectivity and the IoT
Most servo controllers are compatible with today’s IT solutions. With a configurable actuator and intelligent servo drive design, AGVs can be controlled and tracked through your tablet or office computer over your existing network. This makes troubleshooting and diagnostics a breeze.
The drives and servo controller can be accessed through your system to create decentralized adjustments to products and deploy updates and solutions quickly.
At ADVANCED Motion Controls, many of our servo drives also come equipped with safety features such as Safe Torque Off (STO) to ensure the full safety of our products.
5. Easy Installation
Finally, the modular design of servo drives for AGVs allows for quick plug-and-play access. No longer do you have to spend months constructing conveyor systems or programming AGVs for simple operations.
Simply hook up your servo controller to your legacy application and begin. This also allows for easy maintenance and scalable solutions that can be deployed as needed.
Concluding Thoughts
There’s no denying that AGVs will soon become a standard component of automated work facilities. At AMC, we are dedicated to providing fast and intelligent solutions that allow you to scale your products as needed to save money and stay lean. With our intelligent and advanced servo systems, you can construct AGVs that are able to meet the demands of the modern, technological age.
APEX Attracts the Crowds!
IPC APEX 2018 was a resounding success this year with a 22 per cent boost on show floor attendance. 9,169 engineers and senior managers visited the 479 exhibitors occupying almost 150,000 net square feet of space, making this year’s show the best in the last decade!
Global SMT & Packaging had a packed agenda of news programs, panel discus-sions and in-booth interviews covering all the major highlights of the show. Without doubt the CfX demonstration on the show floor captured the attention of show floor visitors and website visitors alike as the live demonstration by 35 par-ticipating companies generated over half a million messages throughout the week! This reinforces the argument that Artificial Intelligence will be needed to deal with the sheer volume of data being processed.
On the show floor there was a number of new innovations. Here is a selection of the major new product introductions: AIM introduced REL 22, a SAC alloy with Bi and some other properties added to create a high reliability solder, provid-ing the strength without the degradation of a typical SAC alloy.
AIM’s other new release is REL 61, is a low cost alterna-tive to SAC305 with good wettability and barrel-fill.
Over at Alpha Assembly Solutions, Robert Wallace told Global SMT & Packaging about their market technology approach, providing different alloys and flux chemistries for different applications. He also discussed Alpha’s unique approach to working with cus-tomers to design the best void reduction solution including the board design, material sets used and other parameters.
The OM 550 is a low temperature alloy with similar performance capabilities to SAC 305, but with higher reliability and lower energy costs.
ASM demonstrated their ‘Command Center”. A new approach to reducing manpower on the line by monitoring all operators on the floor and assigning them to events as they arise. The operators are notified through smart watches or tablets. Only operators with the appropriate skills can be allocated to each task.
BPM 9th Gen systems supports over 34,000 devices at 200 MB per second, reducing the number of sockets needed to maintain high programming throughput of devices. BPMs WhisperTeach detects the exact height of each device, greatly reducing the programming time by the operator. WhisperTeach won an NPI and Service Excellence award at APEX.
The BTU Pyramax Vaccum oven has the added benefit of a more uniform pre-heat employing both convection and conduction. BTU also introduced the Profile and M2M communication. CyberOptics also launched a new high end SPI operat-ing at 2% R & R @ 6 sigma.
FeederFingers can be attached to a range of feeders from major pick and place manufacturers to enable short pieces of cut tape to be utilized, reducing the amount of scrap and saving cost.
Built on the back of their highly successful GC 10 product, Henkel’s new GC 18 offers the same temperature stability monitoring system for the solder paste to the MPM Momentum Elite. Paste tem-perature has a direct corelation on print quality and yield. Other features on the Momentum Elite are monitors on paste roll height (both upper and lower levels). The system is also fitted with auto-tooling for board support. The machine picks the pins and places them exactly where the support is needed.
The RS-1 from JUKI has the unique ability to pick and place virtually all SMT component types, regardless of size or height (up to 25mm). The system also has new 4mm feeders. JUKI also demon-strated some new auto-load feeders. Materials management featured large on the JUKI booth with a new AGV system transporting full kits of reels to the kitting area, improving line efficiency. The company also unveiled a new feature-packed printer and selective soldering system.
The Zenith 2 from Koh Young is equipped with True 3D which provides better data for statistical analysis. Koh Young also presented K-Smart which enables central control of multiple machines and can view images of AOI adjacent to SPI. The company also introduced a pin measurement system for press fit devices.
Kulicke & Soffa are using their hybrid pick and place machine to assem-ble System in Package (SiP) including 0201 metric and bare die at an accuracy of 5um. The machine combines the technologies from Kulicke & Soffa and Assembleon. As miniaturization contin-ues, more high-end SMT companies are demanding this technology.
The Versaprint 2.0 Ultra from Kurtz Ersa offers 100% coverage of 3D SPI inspection of the paste print and deposit to check for missing paste, misprints and other printing defects.
KYZEN Analyst continues to be updated with new metrics and features. The system can be fitted to any cleaning bath and monitor the integrity of the bath and ensure its stays within the process control metrics. KYZEN Analyst also provides a rich set of data analytics that can be uploaded to any MES or process control system.
The Metcal RSS-1000-CVSI is the company’s first benchtop robotic soldering system. It validates the tip temperature, Inter Metallic Compound (IMC) and offer full traceability on every joint. The system can also report into a control dashboard tracking multiple machines in real time.
In an effort to save on waste, MicroCare have introduced aerosol cans that are 30% bigger for 15% addi-tional cost. The company also demon-strated new series of flux pens and ESD safety wipes for mats and other benchtop areas. The wipes come in a handy dis-penser with refill packs available.
The new, digital, 3D Tri-frequency moire system from MIRTEC can capture up to 96 views of a given device or area of inter-est. Brian D’Amico also gave a glimpse of the new, easy teach INTELLI-PRO auto-matic programming software capabilities to be released later in 2018.
Following record sales and the recent acquisitions of Axxon, Royonic, ViTechnology and AI, Thomas Stetter, VP of Assembly Solutions at MYCRONIC discusses their smart factory strategy.
The EasyCoat conformal coating system from Nordson ASYMTEK is built on the company’s SL940 platform and fitted with SE350 select spray valve, which maintains a tight edge definition. Nordson ASYMTEK also demonstrated their new Helios, two-component dis-pensing system for potting and encapsu-lation applications.
The Nordson YESTECH FX-942 is a double-sided AOI system that can inspect top and bottom of the board simultane-ously. The system can also double as a coat-ing inspection system, which will inspect for coverage and measure coating thickness.
Orbotech has a range of different solutions from design software to AOI systems, direct imaging systems, inkjet systems and laser drillers. The traceability solutions in AOI feedback into Industry 4.0 and MES systems. Orbotech also offer predictive maintenance of machines in the field to reduce machine downtime. Mark Mendoza demonstrated the latest Ultra Dimension 700 AOI which detects blind vias. It scans with two different lights to detect defects at different levels with 2D metrology.
PACE introduced the ADS 200 (Accu Drive System) which is an accurate system driving heat to the tips. The system also has Cool Touch technology that does not allow the handset to exceed 100 degrees for operator comfort and safety. PACE also introduced new K tip technology that offer high accuracy heat.
Panasonic introduced two new plat-forms. The NPM WX for high mix and the NPM WXS for high volume applications.
The Parmi Exceed MP is a multi-plat-form AOI, SPI and Conformal Coating inspection system in one. The system is targeted at EMS companies with reduced floor space and the need for SMT inspec-tion down to 14um. Higher resolutions are available for semiconductor applications.
The Quick 9440 IRU system from PROMATION won the NPI product innovation award at APEX. Designed with an 8-zone, integrated IR bottom side heater with built-in laser probes to accu-rately monitor the heat and energy usage.
The SAKI X3 uses a maintenance free closed tube. The sample table moves in an X Y direction with a conical detector above.
The X3 is fitted with CT that can provide up to 200 slices at 18um accuracy. Shenmao introduced a new low tem-perature alloy with Bismuth added. The grain size has been reduced to provide addi-tional strength and reliability in drop tests.
The Viscom S3088 Ultra Chrome AOI has 8 high resolution angular cameras. They also introduced an updated 7056 AXI inline – X-ray system which can have a cycle time as short as 5 seconds per board. This system can be sold as a combo with AOI and AXI in the same machine.
V-ONE from ViTrox combines AOI, SPI and X-ray data to provide a holistic view of the inspection process on one screen. Operators can drill down by machine, board number and device type to determine the defect.
YXLON demonstrated the Cheetah EVO Plus X-ray inspection system, which sits at the high end of the recent suite
of six new X-ray platforms introduced at productronica under the EVOlution banner. It has high speed 2D imaging, full scan CT and many other features.
IPC APEX Expo returns in January 29-31, 2019 next year. A month earlier than it’s usual February/March slot.
Read the featured article "Lights-out Electronics Assembly" by Ranko Vujosevic, Ph.D.
What are the implications of an electronics assembly line designed to run without operators?
After two decades of talks about how Lean manufacturing is going to save the world, we are now a few years into two decades of Factory 4.0 and Smart Factory hype. Consultants and manufacturers of tape used to mark equipment location on the floor benefitted most from Lean manufacturing. Who will benefit most from Industry 4.0?
Labor costs have been the main reason behind the migration of electronics manufacturing plants. Automation, including robotics, was never a primary reason for loss of electronics manufacturing jobs, as often promoted. That is about to change. Although loss of jobs is completely avoided in all Industry 4.0 panels and discussions, it will happen. High-cost Western countries will promote total automation to be able to keep manufacturing plants at home and solve quality labor issues. The technological advancements cannot be stopped by not talking about them. Envisioning the future will prepare us for the future. New generations need to be trained to program robots, use artificial intelligence to solve problems, program mobile applications, and gain skills to work at the new high-tech companies.
Over time there will be fewer well-paid industrial jobs in electronics manufacturing. This article proposes the design of electronics assembly lines that could run without operators and be controlled by just a small number of skilled workers from a control room.
Printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) is a complex process that involves operators, machines, materials and processes. Current software, information systems and equipment are not designed to run a plant without operators. New solutions are necessary. Use of the following modern technologies is discussed here and proposed to support lights-out electronics assembly:
Programmable logic controllers that support embedded applications and Internet of Things (IoT).
Artificial intelligence (AI).
New electronics assembly equipment designs.
Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication standards.
Robots and automated guided vehicles (AGVs).
Sensors.
RF technology.
We will not consider cloud computing as a viable technology for lights-out electronics assembly. No serious manufacturing company will use cloud computing until its shortcomings are solved: security and cost. In the words of an Industry 4.0 manager in a large automotive electronics company, “With cloud computing, we still have to have database administrators and IT personnel, plus all security risks. No, we will not be using it anytime soon.”
We will also not discuss 3D printing, often included as an emerging technology in Industry 4.0 discussions. While 3D printing will reduce cost and production downtime by providing cheaper and easily available parts and devices, its contribution to lights-out electronics assembly is negligible.
A smart factory consists of smart subsystems of automation that communicate with other subsystems using a standard communication protocol. Intelligent subsystems must be able to perform their function unattended, while collecting all data needed to support business decisions. To achieve lights-out electronics assembly, the following concepts must be integrated into a smart factory design:
Intelligent and real-time production control.
Smart and reliable equipment.
Smart products.
Smart interfaces.
Mobile solutions.
Intelligent predictive equipment maintenance.
Manufacturing intelligence.
In the following sections, the application of these technologies to electronics assembly is discussed. Finally, their integration in lights-out electronics assembly lines is proposed.
Intelligent Production Control
An interesting ongoing discussion in the Factory 4.0 community is about the future role of ERP and MES systems. Smart machines and smart products will make MES systems obsolete. On the other hand, ERP systems are actually a much bigger obstacle to the success of smart factories and the overall Industry 4.0 idea.
Developers of ERP systems are able to sell a big database, outdated algorithms and lousy interfaces for millions of dollars. ERP systems lure companies into believing they have everything in control just by implementing an ERP system. That is far from the truth.
Lights-out electronics assembly plants will be based on real customer demand. They will build quality products at a fast production rate. There is no place in smart factories for forecasting and the centralized, but often wrong, job progress tracking of today’s ERP system. In addition, lights-out electronics assembly plants will be able to produce batch sizes of one without production delays.
If we eliminate ERP and MES systems, how will some of the most important production decisions be made, including when to reorder components, what line to send the next job, when to send AGVs to bring bare boards, when to switch programs on machines, when to send AGVs to bring material replenishment, etc.?
The future is in smart assembly equipment and smart products interacting for real-time production scheduling, or as we call it, assembly line self-scheduling. The smart lines will know how many products have been completed of the current work order and will request the next job, as well as advise what kind of products the line can do. Smart products will compete for assembly line time based on their priority (due date or urgent delivery need), material availability and technological constraints. The assembly line self-scheduling process will be monitored using production scheduling dashboards in the control room.
The traditional MES function, WIP tracking, will be performed by smart products. Products will carry information about process operations and WIP status. Machines will talk to each other to change program, change conveyor width and other setup actions.
A central database will be used to store machine programs, release work order data, inventory counts, and other plant wide data. Components will be reordered based on actual demand and electronic Kanban signals sent to the supplier. A supplier-maintained inventory system will be used.
Smart equipment. Current electronics assembly equipment is not designed for smart factories. However, some equipment manufacturers are designing equipment that will support lights-out electronics assembly. Some will be discussed in this paper in the following sections.
The concept of smart equipment goes further than just simply changing machine design. Autonomous and smart machines and assembly lines are independent intelligent subsystems of automation that can talk to other equipment and smart products to control production, as well as to report and request their own maintenance needs. There are two stages in achieving smart equipment to support lights-out electronics assembly:
Attach a “machine brain” to an existing machine (short term).
Embed a machine brain into new equipment designs (long term).
