Our floor-bound storage and retrieval machines (SRMs) are never off track, even at -35 °C. The principle of the inventors of the automated storage and retrieval system, Friedhelm Podswyna, Horst-Werner Ruttkamp and Werner Kühn, still holds true today: In order to be able to store heavy loads in particular on several levels of a high rack rather than close to the floor, storage and retrieval systems were placed on a rail on the floor. This increases stability. Aisles can be operated quickly, and high racking compartments can be targeted.
Incidentally, the first automated RBG of its kind ran very close to us from 1962: In the book club warehouse at Bertelsmann in Gütersloh. If you've ever lifted a moving box of books, you'll have an idea of what rail-guided SRMs do every day.
The heart of automated high-bay warehouses
From small warehouses in existing halls, e.g., for the Dold Logistics Group, to particularly high, voluminous frozen food warehouses, e.g., for our customer Lineage Logistics: We manufacture floor-bound storage and retrieval systems for very different heights and requirements. For normal temperature storage, chilled storage or deep-freeze storage.
Depending on the load handling device and the requirements of your company, you can even save on a few SRMs in your warehouse and the aisles they require. This also saves on maintenance and energy costs. And fill the additional space with pallet storage locations on several floors instead, right up to the ceiling and between hall trusses. Many of our medium-sized customers have automated storage systems that have been working reliably with a single SRM for decades.
This is because our Satellite® load handling device stores and retrieves in multi-deep storage channels. For example, our customers Züger Frischkäse AG or Wernsing Feinkost GmbH benefit from particularly deep storage channels with up to 18 or 24 storage locations.
Well thought out down to the last detail
The basic structure is always similar: A carriage moves on wheels on a rail. One or two masts are attached to the carriage. A lifting carriage moves vertically, and a load handling device moves in the transverse direction of the aisle into the rack compartments and rack channels. Chains or ropes move the lifting gear and - in the case of the Satellite® - also the load handling attachment. The drives are designed according to the power required, but they have one thing in common: new drives, in conjunction with current control systems, are becoming increasingly energy-efficient. A number of technical features make our storage and retrieval machines special:
Reliability is a key issue in automated storage systems. They bundle warehouse logistics, and uninterrupted material flow depends on them. If required in a specific project, the drives for the lift and travel axes protect each other. If one fails, the other takes over. This partial redundancy is particularly important in warehouses with few or only one SRM, to ensure continuous availability even during servicing.
Head drives or two-mast designs stabilize the travel and positioning behavior when many storage levels, high speeds and payloads come together. For system control and sensor technology, we use industry-proven quality components from well-known suppliers. Electrical and mechanical components are adapted to temperature requirements down to -35 °C for trouble-free operation.
We generally use SEW drive technology and current S7 controllers from Siemens. This enables us to achieve high SRM speeds and warehouse performance. Optical data transmissions ensure fast communication with the Warehouse Execution Ssystem. Laser distance measurement in the travel and lift axes and a camera-based sensor position the SRM in front of the racking compartments and channels with millimeter precision.
Servo motors with drive inverters and DC link coupling increase energy efficiency. Camera systems provide a system overview in real time. The technology is particularly accessible for maintenance. A service lift on the SRM facilitates work at height. This reduces the workload, especially in warehouses that are oxygen-reduced for fire protection.
Find out here about the advantages of single- or double-deep storage systems. We usually equip the SRMs with telescopic forks to achieve high access frequencies. We integrate load handling devices into the lift truck regardless of the manufacturer. Multi-deep compact storage systems with our own Satellite® load handling device are characterized by their maximum capacity on a minimum footprint, their particularly gentle handling of materials and their high flexibility. Which storage type suits your company? We will be happy to advise you.
