IFOY Audit
Finalists undergo the three-stage IFOY Audit as part of the IFOY Audit, which takes place during the TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS. This consists of the scientific IFOY Innovation Check, the IFOY Test and the jury test.
Tugger train with LTX 50 & automatic loading and unloading
STILL
The STILL automated tugger train combines for the first time automated driving with automated load handling in production supply. The tugger train’s characteristic features in this respect are great process safety, easy handling and low implementation costs.
Product name and company
Tugger train with LTX 50 & automatic loading and unloading – STILL
Category
Special of the Year
Description
The automated LiftRunner with LTX 50 is an innovative tugger train solution. The solution insures an uninterrupted, automated flow of goods right up to the production line, thus providing a economical cycle-controlled production line supply system. The main uses of the solution are for supply and offtake to and from production processes, in dual operation, for automated load handling and for distance transport. When used as a tugger train, the pioneering LTX 50 battery-operated truck pulls trailers with a total weight up to 5,000 kilograms sure-footedly through production plants. LiftRunner frames take care of the goods transport and load handling. LiftRunner frames carry conveyor technology in the form of two electrically-driven roller tracks. To transfer loads, the automated frames are driven up to a compatible handover station. Two sensors ensure that the LiftRunner frame connects to the transfer station by lowering and positioning. Transfer stations obtain energy and information from the intelligent frame, they do not need to be integrated into the company’s IT structure. Laser navigation enables positioning accurate to one centimeter. The loading or unloading process is started by enabling the conveyor technology. Another sensor completes the conveying process, ensuring at the same time that complete loading or unloading has taken place.
Innovations
The most important innovation of the automated LiftRunner with LTX 50 lies in its combination of automated driving and automated load handling for different container sizes. Either automated driving or automated load handling was possible in the past, but not a combination of both. Therefore the solution developed by STILL enables firstly automated driving to different stopping points, and secondly automated, system-initiated frame unloading. Through the automated LiftRunner and transfer stations, STILL opens up to its customers even more new opportunities. When using tugger trains by hand, the load weight was limited to about 500 kilogram per trailer, because the load needed to be pushed manually down from or out of the trolley. Now, however, loads up to 1,200 kilogram per frame can also be brought to the production process.
Market relevance
At the moment a tugger train cannot be replaced by other transport solutions, since it is the only solution that can offer combined transport processes. Moreover, there are no comparable tugger trains on the market that enable both automated driving and automated load handling. Therefore the STILL fully-automated tugger train sets new standards, since this is precisely the combination that is achievable by using the solution developed by STILL. The market demand for automated transport solutions is large and fast-growing. The market for these trucks is expected to grow by approximately 30 percent by 2025. The automobile industry in particular shows great interest in this solution and has a large demand. The target group are companies that use a tugger train mainly to move heavy loads or want to reduce the workload on their employees.
Customer benefits
The automated LiftRunner with LTX 50 enables customers to achieve slim, efficient production supply systems, while reducing their intralogistics traffic volume at the same time. This solution allows fully-automated material flow from the warehouse to the assembly point, in combination with bundled transport. Heavy loads can also be integrated into the tugger train system of the production unit. In addition, the high level of process stability, safety and security ensure high quality and no errors.
Test report
More and more intralogistic processes are fully or partially automated. With the combination of the LiftRunner and the LTX 50 tractor, Still presents a solution that for the first time takes care of both transport and load handling fully automatically.
The standard LTX 50 electric tow tractor, with a maximum pulling force of 5,000 kg, is equipped with automation components from KION sister Dematic. The most striking feature is the automation arch mounted on the front of the truck, which integrates all the necessary components such as laser navigation, WLAN, safety PLCs and two Sick scanners. The KION Option Box, or KOB for short, is mounted under the hood. This KOB enables easy communication with the controls of the vehicle.
A major advantage of this combination is that the processes can – if desired – also be carried out manually. In addition to the fully automated solution nominated for the IFOY AWARD, a variant can be chosen in which only the transport is automated and the handling takes place manually, but also a version in which the load handling is automatically taken care of and the transport takes place manually.
The automated drop-off and pick-up locations do not require their own power supplies. The roller conveyor on these stops is driven by the trailers of the goods train, which are equipped with 24 Volt contacts for this purpose. As soon as the trailer is at the right location and lowers, contact is made and the roller conveyor starts to run. Data photocells provide communication between the trailers and the stationary roller conveyors. This significantly increases the flexibility of the solution. The system is also characterised by its relative simplicity and relatively low investment.
Because load handling is now also automated, heavier loads can be handled than before. Where the weight of the load was previously limited to approximately 500 kg, loads weighing 1,200 kg per trailer can now be easily transported.
Safety is guaranteed by the safety PLCs and the Sick sensors in the automation arch. In addition, LED lights in the arc make it clearly visible to the environment when activities are carried out by the combination. Furthermore, the truck is equipped with a BlueSpot that only works when there is actually driving. Moreover, the bundling of the transports reduces the intensity of the internal transport. And that obviously benefits safety.
During the IFOY Testweek, the Still LTX with LiftRunner provides trouble-free transport in the reconstructed practical set-up. There are two recording/delivering positions without external power connection and the tractor is equipped with two trailers. In practice, the theoretical operation appears to run smoothly. The lifting and delivery of loads through unmanned transport is smooth and controlled.
IFOY test verdict
Still LiftRunner with LTX makes it possible to handle both transport and load handling fully automatically. The system is scalable, easily adaptable and can be partly manual. The solution is ideal for, for example, the supply and removal of products to and from production lines, or other repetitive work. By fully automating these processes, reliability and safety increase, while transport and handling are carried out more economically.
IFOY Innovation Check
Market Relevance
Tugger train systems have been established in more and more industries for some years now, starting with the automotive industry. Studies show that a higher degree of automation is desirable, but that the vast majority of systems are currently operated largely manually. Automation only makes sense, if it is continuous. The presented system makes that happen and opens the way to the next generation of completely automated tugger train systems.
Customer Benefit
Automated systems with manual load changes do not open up the full cost saving potential of tugger train systems. The integrated automation allows a complete renunciation of human intervention during material supply, at least for pallets and large load carriers. The simplicity of decentralized load transfer allows these to be used flexibly and also to be changed.
Degree of Novelty
Automatically driven tugger are known as technology twins of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), although they are not yet very widespread. So far, it has only been worthwhile to use them for long distances from material storage to production. In this combination, the system concept of automated load transfer and automated driving is an innovation that provides an evolutionary additional benefit in the production supply and still allows the traffic-reducing idea of collective transports.
Functionality / Type of Implementation
The system has an intelligent design, above all due to the comparatively complex but reliable trailers and the very simple design of the decentralised load transfer points, which completely dispense with their own power supply.
| Functionality / type of implementation | ++ |
| Novelty / Innovation | + |
| Customer benefits | + |
| Market relevance | ++ |
| ++ very good / + good / Ø balanced / – less / — not available | |
Videos
Playlist
1 Videos
Playlist
2 Videos
Image/video credits: STILL GmbH
Auch interessant
Statutes
In den Statuten sind die Grundwerte und die Standards des IFOY AWARD festgelegt, nach denen die Organisation handelt. Dazu gehören unter anderem Gremien, Wahlomodus, Bewertungskriterien sowie der Code of Conduct.
Committees
The International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year has three bodies: Jury, sponsors, and advisory board.