Automatic Guided Carts

Automatic Guided Carts

Automatic guided carts are computer-controlled transportation units that perform applications without the need of human direction or control. These carts cut down on bumping, crashing and collisions and are popular alternatives to manual cart transports, conveyors and forklift trucks. They provide high volumes of repetitive movement for the aerospace, automotive assembly, food processing, mail room, manufacturing, newspaper production, pharmaceutical, plastic product manufacturing and warehousing industries. Some are made specifically for use in clean rooms. These electric or battery powered vehicles are useful in applications where no sudden or essential decisions need to be made that cannot be done by automated machinery. Automatic guided carts reduce labor costs, progress efficiency and provide safer environments. They are used for storage, sorting, delivery, material transport and assembly line applications.

There are several different types of guiding systems available for automatic guided carts today. Fixed path guidance systems use wire, magnetic tape or paint on the floor to provide a path for the vehicle. Wire paths have frequencies or currents running through them that an antenna on the vehicle follows. Alternately, free range guidance systems provide no physical path, but rather determine the vehicle's direction by the use of computer software. Laser paths use laser scanners and targets to determine the vehicle's position, while inertial guidance vehicles have a gyroscope that determines and maintains the path by directions from a computer control system. Transponders located underneath the facility floor help to keep the vehicle on track. Depending on their specific application, automatic guided carts significantly range in construction and shape. They may have a towing mechanism, are used for unit or pallet loading, have fork lifts, carry light loads or provide transportation of products in assembly line units.