MODEX 2024 in Atlanta offered many insights and advances in the world of material handling and logistics. A key theme throughout was the need to keep workers safe while also improving materials handling operations through advances in automation, robotics, digital technologies and more. Injured or ineffective workers in a fast-paced facility can have just as profound an effect on downtime and worker morale, if not more so.
Manufacturers and suppliers have recognized the importance of this theme and displayed technologies they said are effective and keep workers safe while straddling the line and keeping operations efficient.
For example, the SEW Eurodrive booth showed synchronous motion and safety using its MOVI-C automation platform, which combines software, controls, and components to move products safely while working alongside people.
Another added feature is that the robot also slows down if people get too close to the sensors or to certain aspects of the line. The operations don’t stop, though. Workers remain safe while the production line continues running and avoiding downtime.
“The interesting thing about safety is it doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be easy,” said Jeremy McCullough, senior product and application engineer for SEW Eurodrive. “What we try to emphasize is helping users pick the right product and apply it in the right way.”
Save the date for the 2026 Robotics SummitImproving accuracy and efficiency
Aaron Woytcke, director of marketing at SICK, explained how the sensor maker emphasized safety and productivity.
“Historically, safety stops all motion, but is no longer the case,” he said. “You want to keep things moving to maintain throughput, and also make sure personnel are safe.”
Woytcke said SICK is trying to make the tracking process faster and more automated using sensors and machine vision. Its goal is to automate the assembly line and put it less in the hands of people and have a seamless transition from one end to the other.
Having sensors and cameras that can reliably scan and provide good data to the users is critical, he added.
“The data is there and you learn from it,” said Woytcke. “You improve your preventive maintenance and keep workers safety and improve your process reliability.”
Brad Thomas, director of market product management at SICK Sensor Intelligence, showed a demo designed to reduce missorts, which is a common challenge.
“When you get the wrong package, it’s because it went somewhere it shouldn’t, but you don’t know why,” he said. “We’re high on data accuracy.”
In a fast-paced environment, a barcode scanner might make a mistake because a package isn’t going in the right direction or place because objects move around. The scanner might pick up the barcode or it might not, depending. SICK demonstrated scanners that could pick up the information and relay it to the software.
No process is perfect, but Thomas said robotics users can learn from past incidents and find patterns.
“Depending on the process, you can address the problem and do some isolated maintenance,” he said. “You look at the data and determine history.”
MODEX 2024 exhibitors simplify automation
The presentations at MODEX 2024 also noted that automation had changed and is being accelerated by a growth in efficiency and profitability.
“Twenty years ago, automation was big and complex. That has changed. It has become scalable, affordable, accessible and less complicated,” said Christoph Buchmann, sales director at Movu Robotics, in his presentation “Mastering the Path to Automation: A Roadmap for Successful Implementation.”
Successful automation is not as simple as pushing a button, there is a greater degree of freedom because technologies such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are making it possible for companies to have more freedom in how they choose to resolve a problem. Flexibility is key.
Mark Walters, industry segment sales manager at Festo, said the company has been moving from pneumatics to an electrified and automated process to give customers more flexibility on the production line as well as lowering the total cost of ownership (TCO).
“The focus is to be more mechatronic,” he said. “We look at a system and address the problem based on situation and need.”
The warehouse and factory of the future will be different and definitely more automated than before. They also will be more flexible, giving machines and humans the freedom of action needed to do their jobs.
Editor’s note: This article is syndicated from Automated Warehouse sibling site Plant Engineering.
